Top AEW star claims he wanted former champion to debut against Roman Reigns in WWE: "I had pitched this really hard"

A top AEW star recently revealed that he wanted a former WWE champion to debut against Roman Reigns during the pandemic era.

During the global pandemic, WWE used to record its shows in Florida venues with virtual screens, allowing fans to watch the show remotely. This experience came to be known as WWE ThunderDome. During this time, Roman Reigns was the leading man in the company and the reigning Universal Champion, competing on the SmackDown brand. At the same time, AEW star Bryan Danielson was part of SmackDown's creative team, and in a recent interview, he revealed that he pitched an idea around a top NXT star to make his main roster debut against The OTC.

That star was former World Heavyweight Champion Damian Priest. The American Dragon was speaking on Downunder the Ring when he revealed that he had brought up the idea to have Priest debut against Reigns.

“I had pitched this really hard… We were doing the ThunderDome in Tampa. He was living in Orlando. I thought, like, let’s debut Damian Priest right now. Let’s have him come in. Because he’s tall, he looks like a star, all this kind of stuff. Let’s debut him against Roman, not in a match, but in [a segment]," said Danielson [ H/T Fightful ]

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AEW star Bryan Danielson claims Vince McMahon manipulated crowd noises during ThunderDome era.

While explaining why he wanted Priest to debut, Danielson, in the same interview, shed light on Vince McMahon's alleged tactics of manipulating crowd noises for certain wrestlers, intending to use the same on Priest.

"I saw Vince do this. It was really weird. He was like, ‘I want the crowd noise louder for a certain wrestler, I want it louder.’ So let’s have Damian Priest go out there and let’s hit that noise button. Bring him out, bring him right up, because he looks like a star." [ H/T Fightful ]

Bryan Danielson left WWE in 2021 and debuted in the Jacksonville-based promotion at AEW All Out in September of that year.

About the author

Karan Raj is a senior writer in Sportskeeda's AEW division. He holds an engineering degree from Manipal University, but his passion for sports motivated him to pursue an MSc in Sports Business from the University of Liverpool. Karan has been in the sports marketing industry for the past seven years.

As a lifelong WWE fan and enthusiast of wrestling entertainment, he has always been drawn to the industry's unique blend of sports and storytelling. Karan was introduced to the business by his elder sister when he was 10 years old.

Before assuming his current role at Sportskeeda, Karan worked for several reputable organizations, such as Ting Works LLP and Sportz Interactive, wearing different hats. He also wrote the anthem of UP Rudras, a hockey team that played in the Hockey India League. Karan conducts thorough research while writing articles and only relies on credible sources for information.

Karan's favorite pro wrestler is Seth Rollins. He admires The Visionary's versatility as a performer and his ability to play both heel and babyface characters to perfection. Besides Rollins, Karan looks up to Roman Reigns for his storytelling skills and ability to captivate audiences.

In AEW, he enjoys watching Will Ospreay compete inside the ring. Karan loves The Aerial Assassin's technical in-ring ability and athleticism. If Karan could go back to the Attitude Era, he would combine forces with Jericho and promise to elevate his career to the same level as The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin.When not writing about pro wrestling, Karan loves to play and watch football. It is a huge part of his life.

He is also a massive fan of tennis and is learning to play the sport. Apart from sports, he also knows how to play the ukulele.

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Edited by Karan Raj