On January 4th, 2024 Bryan Danielson returns to NJPW for the first time in 20 years.
Danielson last wrestled for New Japan Pro Wreslting in 2004 when he teamed with Jamie Noble to face Jushin Thunder Liger and Minoru Tanaka. The American Dragon debuted for the company in 2002 and won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championships alongside Christopher Daniels.
Now at Wrestle Kingdom 18, Danielson makes his New Japan comeback in a highly anticipated match. The American Dragon faces off against Kazuchika Okada in an eagerly awaited rematch. The two world class talents met for the very first time at Forbidden Door 2. The joint promotional PPV saw the American Dragon beat Okada via submission.
What pro wrestling goal did Bryan Danielson want to achieve?
During a recent interview with NJPW to promote the match Danielson talked about his return while revealing one of his early professional wrestling goals.
“I’m really excited,” Danielson said. “New Japan, when I started wrestling, that’s where I always wanted to be. Like when I envisioned myself as a professional wrestler, I didn’t envision myself being a big star in the United States. What I really wanted to do was be a big star in Japan. The idea of being able to go wrestle in Japan with the best wrestlers in the world in a wrestling style that I like most, that was really appealing to me.”
“Then I don’t know what happened. I was at training a the Inoki Dojo, and I was going regularly on tours. I went on like eight tours in 2004 for New Japan, and me and Curry Man had won the IWGP Junior [Tag Team] Championships, and then all of a sudden I just stopped getting booked. It was really frustrating, and for a long time, I was like, ‘What do I gotta do to get back to New Japan?’ Then here we are, almost 20 years later. I’m going to Wrestle Kingdom in the Tokyo Dome.”