Bryan Danielson: I’m In The Twilight Of My Career And Kazuchika Okada Stole Three Months Of My Last Year

Bryan Danielson has a little hostility towards Kazuchika Okada. 

Bryan Danielson and Kazuchika Okada are set to clash again at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 in their second singles bout. 

The first match came at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, where Danielson won, but suffered a fractured forearm. They met again in a tag team match on AEW Dynamite, where is was claimed Okada broke Danielson’s orbital bone with a rainmaker.

Speaking to NJPW, Danielson was asked if he has hatred towards Okada. 

“I’m on the decline as a wrestler. And Okada stole over three months of my life. You stole three months of my last year as a full-time wrestler! And if we talk about “fighting spirit” and “strong style,” a good example is when I tapped out Okada with a broken arm. It was the first time Okada had tapped since 2015. I fought for 10 minutes with a broken arm until he got tapped out. However, I was unable to hold my son for two months after that. I still haven’t fully regained the strength in my right arm,” he said. “The next time I wrestled against Okada, I broke my orbital bone in two places on Okada’s rainmaker. My vision is still blurry and I have to drive my kids to school. What do you think is my driving force? Sometimes the fighting spirit I feel in the ring is my driving force. But most of the driving force behind the fight is my children. Okada…I don’t know why it’s just me. Of course, it may not have been intentional. No, maybe he was humiliated by the tap, so he showed off his power by breaking my orbital. But my goal for this upcoming match is…I’m really looking forward to competing at “WRESTLE KINGDOM” in Tokyo Dome. But the goal of this fight is to legitmately break Okada’s right arm.”

Before Danielson faces Okada, he will battle Eddie Kingston in the Blue League Finals of the AEW Continental Classic on AEW Dynamite. 

Fans can check out the lineup for NJPW Wrestle Kingdom by clicking here.