Bryan Danielson of AEW shared that a major moment in his WWE career was actually not planned. Despite now being with AEW for over four years, Danielson had an 11-year career in WWE filled with numerous titles, including the WWE World Championship, Intercontinental, United States, and Tag Team championships, plus winning Money in the Bank in 2011.
In an interview with Chris Van Vleet on Insight, Danielson reflected on his WWE journey, crediting “fortunate circumstances” more than anything for his rise to the main event stage. He revealed that his first World Heavyweight Championship win at TLC 2011 was unexpected. Between winning Money in the Bank 2011 and starting the “YES!” movement that made him a WrestleMania main eventer, things unfolded in unforeseen ways.
Danielson explained how he ended up winning Money in the Bank because WWE had two separate events that year—one on Raw and one on SmackDown. While they wanted Alberto Del Rio to win on Raw, the SmackDown winner was supposed to be a villain, with options including Wade Barrett or Cody Rhodes. Ultimately, Danielson was chosen. However, this created complications since no one had cashed out Money in the Bank and lost before. He was later inserted into a storyline with Big Show and Mark Henry, but when Mark Henry got injured, the plans changed.
Danielson wasn’t even scheduled to be at the TLC pay-per-view; he was actually signing autographs in Baltimore that day. Vince McMahon discovered he was at the event and quickly put him in to replace Mark Henry, leading to a surprise title win after a chaotic storyline shift. Vince reportedly told Danielson to celebrate the moment as if they had won the Super Bowl, which led to the iconic “YES!” movement.
Reflecting on the whole experience, Danielson acknowledges many of these key moments were happenstance and out of his control, saying they were “weird little gifts” that shaped his career in ways that couldn’t have been scripted.
Before rising to WWE’s main event level, Danielson started as The Miz’s rookie in NXT and even purposely cut his hair for the role.
Fan Take: This insider story highlights how unpredictable and fluid wrestling storylines can be behind the scenes. For AEW fans, it’s a reminder that moments of greatness often come from chance as much as planning, underscoring the dynamic nature of pro wrestling storytelling that keeps the sport exciting and ever-evolving.
