Bryan Danielson: If Daniel Garcia Joined Blackpool Combat Club, I Would Have Treated Him Like A Son

Bryan Danielson explains why he spit on Daniel Garcia.

Bryan Danielson explains why he spit on Daniel Garcia.

On the December 8 episode of AEW Rampage, Bryan Danielson faced Daniel Garcia in an AEW Continental Classic Blue League match. The bout marked their first singles encounter since August 2022. Danielson previously tried to recruit Garcia to the Blackpool Combat Club, but Garcia turned on him and remained loyal to Chris Jericho. Danielson won the match on Rampage, and he spit on Garcia after the match.

In a digital exclusive, Danielson was asked to comment on why he spit on Garcia after the bell. 

“Sometimes, I do things, and I don’t know why. When I come back here and meditate, I figure out why. A lot of stuff comes up when I started that match. A lot of stuff that comes up from last year. Things that I try to forget, but my body remembers. Last year, telling Daniel Garcia that his entire life, he’s wanted to be a wrestler, and not a sports entertainer. Then what happened? When I was facing Chris Jericho in a Ring of Honor World Title match, he completely betrayed me. I get it. I get it. That happens in wrestling. But if he would have joined the BCC, I would have treated him like a son. I would have treated him like a son,” Danielson said.

Danielson continued by describing how he is afraid that, when he stops wrestling full-time in order to keep his promise to his daughter., she won’t want him anymore. He stated that he had to look deep and assess what love truly meant, and he would be there for his children, even when they did not want him there. Danielson compared that approach to Garcia and noted that he needed him on Rampage.

“It also brings up this fear. I’ve promised my daughter that this would be my last full-time year as a professional wrestler. This fear of, that by the time I go home, when I make that promise, that she doesn’t want me anymore. I couldn’t articulate it when I was out there. But my body felt it. My body felt that fear because eventually, she’s gonna grow up, and she’s not gonna want her dad around. Am I giving up this thing that I love so much for somebody who might not even want me? But then, and I’ve talked about this before, that’s when you have to look deep down to see if you truly understand what love is. I’m gonna stop being a full-time wrestler, and I’m gonna go back and be with my daughter. I’m gonna be with my son, even when they don’t want me there. Even when they don’t want me there, they need me there. You can see in Daniel Garcia. Last year, he didn’t want me there, but a year later, he’s still struggling to find his identity. He needed me there. That doesn’t make the spitting right. If you want to know why I spit on Daniel Garcia, that’s why,” Danielson said.

Garcia previously stated that he was originally going to be with Danielson, but Jericho needed him for the Jericho Appreciation Society. Check out his comments here.

Check out the updated standings for the AEW Continental Classic here.

Click here to catch up on our coverage of the December 8 episode of WWE SmackDown.

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