Bryan Danielson has admitted that he actively tried to get fired while he was working on Talking Smack.
Talking Smack debuted in August 2016 and quickly developed a cult following among WWE fans. While the show was headed up by Renee Paquette, it was co-star Bryan Danielson, known as Daniel Bryan at the time who often stole the headlines.
The former WWE Champion had recently had to retire due to concussion related issues, and was attempting to carve out a new wrestling-related career outside of the ring. The result was a show that blurred storyline and real life, offering WWE fans a glimpse into the machine.
It now appears that the blurring of reality was a very deliberate ploy of Danielson’s part. During an appearance at Starrcast V on a special episode of The Sessions with Renee Paquette, Danielson revealed that he tried to push the boundaries as far as he could as he was actively trying to get fired.
“A little bit of a nightmare for me. I enjoyed it in the sense of sometimes I was trying to get fired, so bringing up fisting on Talking Smack…”
The American Dragon went on to reference his constant nods to “Big Hog” James Ellsworth, something he was told not to do.
“Please don’t talk about James Ellsworth having a huge hog, and I would just bring it up constantly because I was so frustrated at not being cleared to wrestle that I was ready to go. Sometimes they would bring me to TV just to do Talking Smack.”
Bryan Danielson recently returned to action on AEW Dynamite where he was defeated by Daniel Garcia. The former WWE Champion had been out of action since Double or Nothing.
If you use any of the quotes from this article please give a h/t and link back to Inside The Ropes.