WWE veteran reveals Bryan Danielson's mentor as best wrestler he ever worked with: "Greatest performer" (Exclusive)

Former AEW World Champion Bryan Danielson is arguably one of the best wrestlers in the world. Many people believe that The American Dragon may even be the best wrestler of all time due to his remarkable in-ring work. Danielson is an astute technical wrestler and a certified superstar in the business.

WWE veteran Vince Russo recently said that the best wrestler in his eyes is not Bryan Danielson but instead the man who mentored The American Dragon. For the uninitiated, alongside William Regal and Antonio Inoki, Danielson was trained by WWE legend Shawn Michaels, whom Russo referred to as the "greatest performer" ever.

The latest edition of Writing with Russo on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge revolved around Bryan Danielson. During the chat, Russo called Shawn Michaels the best wrestler that he had ever worked with.

"Now, now I've said this, I've said this, bro. I've said that. And as a matter of fact, bro, I said it directly to him with my voice cracking and very, very emotional because it was very, very important to me that I let him know that and, bro, the greatest performer, all around performer, check all the boxes that I ever worked with was Shawn [Michaels]," Russo said. [From 6:35 onwards]

Having started his career in 1999, Bryan Danielson has gone on to become a veteran in the industry. Not only is he a multi-time world champion, but he has also become a mentor to many up-and-coming talents. Much like HBK, he has been helping young wrestlers backstage after retiring from full-time in-ring competition in AEW.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Pratik Singh