Pro Wrestling Prop – Betting Odds for Bryan Danielson’s First AEW Opponent

In case you haven’t heard: All Elite Wrestling is the hottest thing going in professional wrestling.

On Friday’s special edition of AEW Rampage named “The First Dance,” CM Punk – one of the most popular wrestlers in the world – returned to wrestling after seven years away at the United Center in Chicago.

Allegedly, Punk was only the first of three earth-shattering debuts planned for All Elite Wrestling this year.

Bryan Danielson, formerly Daniel Bryan in WWE, is expected to be the second. By all accounts, he’ll be debuting on September 22, when AEW Dynamite hosts the first-ever pro wrestling event at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York.

Let’s take a look at the current favorites, and I’ll share some of my favorite picks to be Bryan Danielson’s first “dancing partner” in AEW – arguably the best pro wrestling company in the world today.

Bryan Danielson’s 1st Opponent	Odds
CM Punk	+175
Kenny Omega	+450
Sting	+500
Darby Allin	+500
MJF	+600
Chris Jericho	+700
Sammy Guevara	+700
Orange Cassidy	+800
Cody Rhodes	+900
Jungle Boy	+1000
Lance Archer	+1000
Penta El Zero M	+1000
Eddie Kingston	+1200
Pac	+1200

CM Punk (+125)

I was shocked to see CM Punk is the frontrunner to welcome Bryan Danielson into the AEW squared circle. We now know that Punk’s first match will be against Darby Allin at the PPV event “All Out” on September 5 at the Now Arena in Chicago, Illinois.

Wrestling insiders like Dave Meltzer claim that Danielson will debut two-and-a-half weeks later on AEW Dynamite from Arthur Ashe Stadium. Would Tony Khan book both of his historic, game-changing acquisitions against each other so soon?

I touched on this topic in last week’s article about pro wrestling’s exploding popularity, in the section about CM Punk’s first opponent:

I suspect Bryan will begin his AEW career by feuding with a top heel, either Miro (formerly Rusev in WWE) or Kenny Omega.

I’m leaning towards the latter since that’s the dream matchup for the fans. We’ve seen Daniel and Rusev wrestle fairly recently in WWE – it’s been over a decade since the American Dragon Bryan Danielson squared off with Kenny Omega in Ring of Honor.

To date, Khan and company have proven competent bookers – they write logical long-term storylines that have endings, a rarity in the WWE-ified professional wrestling landscape these days.

A few paragraphs later, I asked:

Following Punk’s historic return, I’m even more committed to that opinion.

AEW is phenomenal at introducing new talent and seamlessly integrating them with the current roster – particularly the young superstars-in-the-making like Jungle Boy, Darby Allin, MJF, “Hangman” Adam Page, and Ricky Starks.

Why would they want to pair up two guys most known for their work in a rival organization? It’s better to use their popularity to elevate everyone else.

Furthermore, I don’t think CM Punk wants to feud with Bryan Danielson right now. During the virtual media scrum that followed Friday’s AEW Rampage, Punk was adamant about helping promising young wrestlers getting their first shot at the big leagues.

Plus, I’m not sure the angle with Darby Allin will be over after the initial bout. They could easily stretch it into a multi-PPV-match feud through to the end of 2021.

If the Darby showdown at All Out is a one-off, however, I expect the Chicago native to move on to Jungle Boy, Adam Cole (assuming he signs with AEW), MJF, Ricky Starks, or Kenny Omega. (Hangman would be on this list too, whenever he returns from paternity leave.)

My projections for Bryan Danielson and CM Punk for the next year or so are very similar.

One of them must feud with MJF, the most sinister heel and vicious talker in the company, and he’s only 25-years-old. He’s just getting out of an angle with Chris Jericho that may have lasted three months too long and needs a storyline to reestablish Maxwell Jacob Friedman at the top of the card.

His character is also precisely the type of person to rain on everyone’s parade by ruining a legend and fan favorite’s AEW debut – whether by interrupting CM Punk’s match with Darby Allin or storming the ring during Bryan Danielson’s introductory promo.

Right now, Punk and Bryan’s potential booking scenarios have lots in common, but I don’t expect them to have anything to do with each other for quite some time.

Kenny Omega (+450)

It might make the most sense for all parties involved to have Bryan Danielson and Kenny Omega fight right out of the gate.

Omega is said to be injured and rundown — and only hasn’t taken a break because of his current role as the “belt collector.” There are too many super-matches presenting themselves during this fascinating time in AEW’s evolution along with the “forbidden door” opening — meaning all major wrestling companies outside of WWE are working together and having crossover angles.

• The first episode of AEW Rampage saw the Impact title being defended in the show’s inaugural bout.
• Twenty-four hours later, Kenny Omega defended his AAA heavyweight belt in Mexico City at the Lucha Libre promotion’s premier annual event.

Kenny Omega has been one of the most impressive wrestlers alive for several years, so there are numerous “dream matches” the fans have been calling for since the industry opened up this way. Regardless, there’s only so much longer he can push through this many physical, high-intensity performances.

All this vital background information tells us that Kenny Omega needs a top-tier challenger of Adam Page’s caliber or higher who can step in after All Out and realistically take the title.

AEW would be wise to get the dream matches out of the way between Punk/Danielson and Omega sooner rather than later; those two can spend as much time giving the younger talent a rub to as they want afterward. If they wait too long, some participants might be too far out of their prime to deliver the performances expected of them.

Now that CM Punk is confirmed to be facing Darby Allin first, I think that gives the advantage to Bryan Danielson.

Dave Meltzer chimed in on this topic:

“If Bryan Danielson went to AEW, my opinion is that the first fight should be the most important. Neither Adam Page, nor Moxley — Bryan Danielson vs. Kenny Omega for the AEW World Championship should be the first match. That would be the first match I would ever do. Nothing to raise him for nine months and then give him the title fight, I would go straight to the point.”

He continued:

“So, if you did that, would you do Danielson versus Omega at Arthur Ash Stadium or at Full Gear — are you looking forward to Las Vegas next year, or what? You can do it without the title too, wherever. For me, [Bryan Danielson] would be someone who would make the needle move.”

Finally, the longtime publisher and editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter finished:

“And you could justify [Danielson’s signing] that television makes a lot of money; it’s not like it used to be. So, you can go for that and try to do historical ratings — which I think would almost certainly happen. And you could probably fill Arthur Ash Stadium if you presented it. Or you could do it at the November pay-per-view, which is traditionally the least bought of the year. Or wait for Double or Nothing, which is traditionally their biggest pay-per-view, and you’d go with the idea that it would be the most-watched pay-per-view in its history, which is what I think would happen.”

Everyone knows “Uncle Dave” is friends with all the AEW decision-makers; plus, — like I said earlier – they rarely botch big debuts or storylines.

On paper, it makes sense for all parties to have Bryan Danielson wrestle Kenny Omega at the first or second major PPV after the former appears in AEW.

Then Bryan can defend his belt against Will Ospreay from NJPW and his other dream opponents until Kenny is ready to come back or Hangman returns.

MJF (+600)

As I mentioned earlier, Maxwell Jacob Friedman (aka MJF) needs another opponent – preferably one that will elevate him back into the title picture. His spot on the card has taken a hit over the last few months of feuding with Chris Jericho and the Inner Circle.

Nothing would toss him right back into the main event scene faster than a program with one of the legendary fan favorites AEW has managed to snag, much to the shock of almost everyone. Nobody is better than Friedman at generating heat with his blistering verbal skills and disdainful demeanor.

On Friday, AEW opened Rampage by hitting CM Punk’s music and let him go to the ring, take his time, and say everything he needed to say to the hometown crowd after seven long years away.

Unlike most wrestling debuts, there were no interruptions, or run-ins, or challenges. It was the right way to present a beloved superstar who many expected never to wrestle again.

Bryan Danielson has a similar connection to the fans.

However, he’s been active in WWE since 2018, after returning from what were previously believed to be career-ending injuries arising from multiple concussions.

I think AEW could pretend to follow the CM Punk model for Danielson’s debut, only to have MJF and the Pinnacle interrupt and ruin everything – thus beginning Bryan’s inaugural angle.

After Kenny Omega, I believe MJF offers the most betting value in this market.

Not Yet Listed

If Bryan doesn’t wrestle Kenny Omega or MJF first, I suspect his debut opponent doesn’t have odds assigned to them yet.

I mention this possibility because of some reports about Danielson’s decision-making process regarding where he would sign after becoming a free agent. Much was made about having the flexibility to wrestle in NJPW in addition to his dates in the US.

By all accounts, Nick Khan of the WWE attempted to negotiate with the Japanese promotion, but they chose to continue the current talent-sharing arrangement they have with AEW.

Will Ospreay

Bryan even singled out NJPW’s Will Ospreay
as someone he’s intent on wrestling. It just so happens that, for the foreseeable future, the former IWGP World Heavyweight Championship will perform in NJPW Strong, the promotion’s US-based event series. Don’t be surprised if that matchup comes first for Danielson.

Daniel Garcia

Another unlisted potential opponent is Daniel Garcia, who – along with the tag-team “2.0” — just signed a contract with AEW after some eye-catching performances on Dynamite and Rampage, facing the likes of Jon Moxley, Darby Allin, and Eddie Kingston.

He’s only 22, is one of the brightest young talents on the independent circuit, and plays the heel perfectly. Garcia is precisely the kind of promising future star Bryan Danielson wants to work with reportedly.

Adam Cole

Also, watch for Adam Cole’s name being added to the field. His NXT contract has expired, and the former leader of The Undisputed faction is rumored to be signing with AEW. Not only is Cole close friends with the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega, but Britt Baker, the AEW Women’s Champion, is his significant other.

Cole is another excellent wrestling technician who fits the mold as an ideal opponent for Bryan Danielson. He may also be a new addition to the AEW roster, but Adam Cole isn’t a star on the level of a CM Punk. It wouldn’t be as controversial to debut him and Bryan against each other.

Keep watching for new indie signings and partnerships with other promotions like NJPW and AAA.

Freedom to face a wide variety of opponents outside of the oppressive “WWE style” of wrestling played a critical role in Bryan’s decision to jump ship.

While Kenny Omega and MJF make the most sense on the AEW roster, Will Ospreay is the only prospective opponent who’s been named in reports concerning who Danielson wants to face.

Only time will tell; let’s see how Tony Khan and Co use CM Punk first.

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