It’s a real shame that so much of the promo work done by AEW stars goes on YouTube because there’s just not enough time for it on TV. Bryan Danielson should basically have a weekly space in this column; every time he gets on the mic, be it in the ring, backstage, whatever, he reminds us why he’s the best wrestler in the world. But I had to shout-out the promo segment he did with Eddie Kingston following their match at AEW Revolution, which didn’t make the broadcast, but is nonetheless one of the most compelling things I’ve ever seen in wrestling.

This segment was being passed around a lot on Monday after the PPV, so I won’t do any play-by-play here. If you’ve seen it, you know what I’m talking about, and if you haven’t seen it, go watch it. The entire feud between Danielson and Kingston was about respect, with Danielson being forced to shake Kingston’s hand if Kingston beat him. In that context, what Danielson does in this promo, particularly after Eddie finishes his bit and walks out of the room, is truly remarkable. He says that there was a moment during the match when he realized, not only that Eddie deserved his respect, but that Eddie had deserved his respect for a long time, and it was Danielson who was at fault for not giving it to him sooner. More than that — in that moment, thinking about what Eddie had gone through to become the person he is today, Eddie inspired Danielson to “see through my own bulls***” and confront the fact that he’d been wrong. From refusing to shake Eddie Kingston’s hand, Danielson is now using Eddie as his inspiration to continue working on himself and become a better man, and part of that is acknowledging that he’d always been wrong about Eddie, he just couldn’t see it before.

Just absolutely amazing, top-shelf, world-class stuff in terms of storytelling. This, to me, is wrestling at its best: when the babyface’s guts and determination and sheer refusal to lie down and die are so utterly profound that the heel leaves the match a changed man, the fire in their opponent unlocking something within them that they’d forgotten about, or perhaps shoved aside. At AEW Revolution, Bryan Danielson fought Eddie Kingston, and in fighting him, learned something crucial about himself, and found the inspiration to be better. That’s awesome. That’s what AEW needs more of, to me — not big free agent signings or “five-star matches” (whatever that even means) but stories that we can relate to, that we care about, and characters who grow and change. That’s why it’s such a damn shame that this promo aired on YouTube and not TV, and not even in its own YouTube video, but as part of a package of Revolution reaction promos. Put this on TV, Tony. This what you’re missing. This is what you need.

Also, Bryan f***ing Danielson forever. We are not prepared for that man being gone.

Written by Miles Schneiderman