Earlier this year, Bryan Danielson took on the role of a commentator on AEW television, which he explained has been a tough transition.
Danielson retired from in-ring action after injuries took a toll on his body. While sitting at the commentary desk doesn’t add to the injuries he has sustained over the years, the constant traveling has affected him, which he discussed on “Insight.”
“It’s been interesting because I wasn’t anticipating being a commentator. So I was at home, and then they asked me to come in because Taz was getting shoulder surgery, and to come and help out a little bit. The travel has been difficult for me. I would — that’s one of the things I didn’t expect ’cause I’ve traveled my entire adult life, right? It’s no big deal. But with my neck as bad as bad as it is, all of a sudden, you know, you take that — it was almost, gosh, it was like eight or nine months where I was only traveling maybe once a month. I’d go to the pay-per-views and all that kind of stuff. But yeah, the weekly travel has been a lot, and it’s just been made sleeping hard and that sort of thing,” admitted Danielson.
While he has made a few changes to the way he travels to help with the pain from his years of wrestling, he still finds it tough to travel often.
Danielson compares preparing for wrestling to preparing for commentary
Bryan Danielson also compared wrestling to commentary and the different kind of preparation that he has had to do for his new role in AEW. He detailed how he had to warm up before a match, and discuss the finish with an opponent before a match, but the role of a commentator involves a lot more things.
“Yeah, it’s way different. From a performer’s perspective, it’s like I really just need to know what my match is, what they’d like for a finish, how much time you’ve got, and then it’s like, okay, then, you know, you talk with your opponent, whatever it is,” he said. “From a commentator’s perspective, I tend to go around, talk to people about their matches. I tend to be in Tony’s office trying to understand what the main story is that we’re trying to tell throughout a match or whatever it is. And then, I write a bunch of notes.”
While notes help him prepare for the show, the former AEW World Champion admitted that he often forgets to use them and sometimes forgets what he is supposed to say, which has been a learning curve for him. Danielson conceded that the role of an announcer takes a lot of skill and acknowledged that he is not naturally good at it.
