{"id":114248,"date":"2022-06-25T12:00:25","date_gmt":"2022-06-25T16:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=114248"},"modified":"2022-06-25T06:57:22","modified_gmt":"2022-06-25T10:57:22","slug":"replace-bryan-danielson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2022\/06\/25\/replace-bryan-danielson\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Will Replace Bryan Danielson at Forbidden Door?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This weekend, all eyes will be on the wrestling world as AEW and NJPW join forces to present Forbidden Door.\u00a0 One of the big matches on that card was going to be Bryan Danielson and Zach Sabre Jr.\u00a0 On AEW Dynamite this week, it was revealed that Danielson was injured and is not cleared to wrestle at Forbidden Door or Blood and Guts<\/a> next Wednesday.\u00a0 He came to the ring to update the AEW fans on his status and what it meant for the upcoming shows.\u00a0 The entire time he was in the ring, it seemed we were going to find out who his replacement would be.\u00a0 Unfortunately, he left us with “Didn’t you guys know I came out the bad guy tunnel?\u00a0 I’m not gonna tell you”.
\nOf course, there will be people who will be disappointed that they have to wait until Sunday to find out who Danielson picked as “the one person he can trust to take his place”, but honestly, how many more pay-per-view buys did he just create?\u00a0 AEW has become synonymous with bringing big-name surprises to their company and this weekend has the potential to be another shocker.\u00a0 Besides, who doesn’t enjoy a good couple of days of fantasy booking?\u00a0 Let’s break down some names that could make an impact at Forbidden Door.<\/p>\n

Who Could Replace Bryan Danielson?<\/h2>\n

Claudio Castagnoli<\/strong><\/h4>\n

As soon as Danielson finished his promo, it seemed like the entire internet had two names jump directly into their minds.\u00a0 Arguably the most likely name that has been floating around would be Claudio Castagnoli AKA Cesaro.\u00a0 Castagnoli was released by WWE in February after contract negotiations fell through.\u00a0 WWE did offer him a new contract, but he rejected the offer and chose to be released instead.\u00a0 At the time, he was on a contract extension which meant that there was no non-compete clause keeping him from going anywhere.\u00a0 The strange thing is that we still haven’t heard anything from him and he hasn’t shown up anywhere since then.\u00a0 On the list of technically sound wrestlers, Castagnoli has to be somewhere near the top and would absolutely tear the house down against ZSJ.<\/p>\n

Johnny Gargano<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The second name that many gravitated to seemed to be Johnny Gargano, and how could you blame anyone for coming to that conclusion?\u00a0 Gargano made his name on the independent circuit before being picked up by NXT.\u00a0 From 2015 to 2021, he became one of the most notable guys on the NXT roster and solidified himself as a fan favorite whether he was face or heel.\u00a0 The man could do no wrong.\u00a0 He was not let go by WWE however.\u00a0 His contract expired and he chose not to sign because his first son had just been born and he wanted to take some time away from the ring to spend time with him.\u00a0 It has been months since any news about Gargano had surfaced, but guess who just happens to have a signing in Chicago the same day as Forbidden Door?<\/p>\n

“I promise you, this is ridiculously coincidental and has been booked for months.” Gargano said in a tweet.\u00a0 “I’ll only be in Chicago for 8 hours!\u00a0 I also realize in saying this that only like 5% of you are going to believe I’m actually telling the truth.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It seems awfully convenient though, doesn’t it?<\/p>\n

Chris Hero<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Now let’s have some fun and say what if the internet is wrong?\u00a0 What if Gargano still wants more time with his son?\u00a0 What if Castagnoli is enjoying his time away from wrestling and isn’t ready for a comeback yet?\u00a0 Could Danielson have dug a little deeper into the bag of tricks and enlisted the support of Castagnoli’s old Kings of Wrestling tag team partner?\u00a0 Not only does this fill the need for an accomplished replacement, but it also does something that AEW loves to do, which is shine a light on guys who have had great independent careers and deserve more recognition.\u00a0 It also gives Claudio a hell of a reason to show up at AEW somewhere down the line!<\/p>\n

Jonathan Gresham<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>