Four-time WWE Champion leaving the company to join AEW was the right decision, as per Bill Apter (Exclusive)

AEW has seen many former WWE champions join the promotion over the years. Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, and CM Punk were all former WWE Champions before they went on to lift the AEW World Championship. Another name that fits that category is Bryan Danielson, who recently joined the promotion's commentary team.

Bryan joined Tony Khan's promotion back in 2021, shortly after his WWE contract expired. He had a booming time in the promotion as a full-time wrestler and became the AEW World Champion in August 2024 at All In. He declared that he would retire from full-time competition as soon as he lost the belt, and did so at WrestleDream 2024, after losing the title to Jon Moxley.

Wrestling veteran Bill Apter was talking about Danielson on a recent episode of The Wrestling Time Machine on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, where he was full of praise for The American Dragon. He even stated that Bryan's decision to join AEW instead of going back to WWE was the correct one.

"I know Bryan Danielson very well, and he's one of the most honest, nicest people I have ever met in the business, period. He gave Tony Khan his word that he would be there. He told Vince McMahon that 'I can't go back on my word.' And I think Vince knew and respected his decision. So, he was right, Bryan, he made the right decision," Apter said.

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Danielson had a successful career in WWE during his 11-year stint with the then-Vince McMahon-owned promotion. He went on to achieve stardom at WrestleMania XXX when he defeated Randy Orton and Batista in the main event to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. He would eventually leave the Stamford-based company, having won every title there was to win.

Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription and embed the YouTube video if you use quotes from this article.

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 Faiz Ahmed