“We will not share these images”

A few weeks ago he experienced a late career highlight at London’s Wembley Stadium, and now Bryan Danielson’s story has taken a shocking new turn.

At the major event AEW All Out, the “American Dragon” was betrayed by two long-time companions after his first title defense as world champion – in a disturbing manner. (NEWS: All the latest news about AEW)

Danielson defeated young star Jack Perry – son of the late actor Luke Perry – in the co-main event of the show in Chicago. Danielson was then initially the victim of an attack by the masked Killswitch from the group The Patriarchy, who, on behalf of his mentor Christian Cage, tried to soften Danielson up so that Cage could win the World Title match that he had earned at All In and could redeem at any time.

Instead, Danielson’s colleagues from the Blackpool Combat Club – Jon Moxley, Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta – entered the scene, initially to help Danielson. But then, first the exceptional Swiss technician Castagnoli and then Moxley surprisingly turned against their old friends.

The two ended a mutual relationship that stretched back almost two decades. Danielson, Castagnoli and Moxley (in WWE: Daniel Bryan, Cesaro and Dean Ambrose) were colleagues in the independent leagues before they moved to the bigger stage.

Moxley – who had already shown a new, dark side immediately after All Out – completed his heel turn with the attack and went so far as to put a plastic bag over Danielson’s head as if he wanted to suffocate him.

It was an intense moment, the likes of which had not been seen on a major wrestling stage for a long time, although it had a famous role model: In 1989, the great hate feud between icons Ric Flair and Terry Funk started in WCW when Funk, who died the previous year, put a plastic bag over the “Nature Boy”.

Young Yuta seemed unaware of the plot, following them in shock and taking care of Danielson while Moxley and Castagnoli left the scene with their new ally Pac and Marina Shafir. Castagnoli, Yuta and Pac won the league’s Trios Titles at All In in Moxley’s absence.

The shocking scene involving Danielson was not the only brutal sight of the evening: things also got intense in the main event of the hate feud between former world champions Hangman Page and Swerve Strickland, which had been fueled during the week by Page setting fire to Strickland’s newly repurchased birthplace.

The “Unsanctioned Lights Out Cage Match” between the two was fought with appropriate bad blood, with a stapler, a brick and finally a syringe being used, which Page hit Strickland and then with a chair. The referee stopped the match after this particularly nasty move and declared Page the winner.

AEW – which has often taken depictions of violence to extremes in the past – caused discussions with the scenes as to whether the actions presented went too far. After the plastic bag shocker, the league also put the brakes on itself and announced on X that it would not repeat the scenes on social media.

“Due to the violent nature of the attack on Bryan Danielson, we will not share the images here.” AEW does not condone such actions.” However, it is unlikely that Moxley’s action was not part of the agreed script. The following post can also be read as a stylistic device of the staging to emphasize the violence of the action.