Is turnabout fair play when it comes to injuries in pro wrestling? Bryan Danielson seems to think so.
The American Dragon is preparing to face Kazuchika Okada in one of the most highly anticipated matches on the NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18 card at the Tokyo Dome. As he reminded viewers during the final press conference before the event, they fought not all that long ago at Forbidden Door last summer in Toronto.
Danielson won that match, submitting Okada, but also revealed later that he broke his right arm before the finish. Ahead of Wrestle Kingdom, Danielson skillfully turned that real life ailment into fuel for motivation for the rematch (h/t to NJPW Global for press conference quotes).
You may or may not know, but we’ve wrestled before. It was a couple of months ago, and he broke my arm. I wrestled 10 more minutes and then I made him tap out. Now when you’re grappling, why do you tap out? You tap to avoid breaking a bone. To avoid permanent injury. Okada tapped to avoid something I had already.
That led to me not being able to carry my son, it led to a tag match where he broke my orbital bone, led me to not being able to drive my kids to school and now to here. So am I angry? Yes. Am I hungry for revenge? Yes. But am I grateful for these injuries? Yes. Every injury I’ve had has made me a better wrestler. Every time I’ve come back, I was better. He broke my arm, I came back better. Fractured my orbital, I came back better. Injuries cause you to get better. I’ve said I was going to break Okada’s arm for two reasons. I want revenge. But I also want to see if breaking his arm will break him or make him better. And after I break his arm, I’ll kick his f–king head in.
Adding a bit more intrigue to this matchup are reports over the last two months about WWE’s increased interest in signing Okada. He didn’t sound like a man ready to leave NJPW in his video interview this week, saying that, “There’s no good wrestling outside NJPW, in my opinion, because I’m here.”
How does Kazuchika Okada feel about being the target of the world's best?
Watch the full interview!https://t.co/xKQjmmxCws#njpw #njwk18 pic.twitter.com/BdJFcSEVwx
— NJPW Global (@njpwglobal) January 2, 2024
Still, just the idea that this could be the Rainmaker’s Wrestle Kingdom swan song has perked fans up even more to the idea that his match with Danielson could be something truly special. Danielson is certainly doing his part to heighten that sentiment too.
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