WWE icon wanted to reject worldwide fame for a career at Butlin’s-Alistair McGeorge-Entertainment – Metro

The wresting landscape could have been drastically different (Picture: Rex / AEW)

One of the most influential wrestlers in WWE and AEW history could have turned it all down for a career at Butlin’s.

Despite going on to become a multiple-time world champion, Bryan Danielson – best known to WWE fans as Daniel Bryan – has admitted he would happily have snubbed worldwide fame and keep performing in holiday camps across the UK.

‘I used to love doing the Butlins tours with Brian Dixon,’ he exclusively told Metro. ‘I would tell people, if Brian Dixon paid me a little bit more, I would have never left.

‘I would still be at Butlins now, just like, doing my thing!’

Danielson’s wrestling rival Nigel McGuinness previously opened up about his one-night-only appearance as a Fake Kane on the holiday camps, and Danielson has recalled his own early days on that circuit.

‘I wrestled many a Fake Cane on the Butlins tours,’ he laughed during a conversation in London before winning the AEW World Championship at Wembley Stadium in August.

Bryan Danielson, known to WWE fans as Daniel Bryan, would have happily stayed at Butlin’s (Picture: AEW/Lee South)

He added: ‘I’d go out there most of the time, I’d wear the American Dragon mask that I first kind of started in. And I’d sing the American National Anthem, but I’d forget the words… It was so much fun!’

Whereas McGuinness has recalled his Fake Kane moment as a lowlight in his illustrious career, Danielson has always been happy to embrace the silly side of professional wrestling.

‘it was weird, because the embarrassing things to me, are the things that are just plain bad,’ he explained.

‘Whereas Nigel would have thought playing Kane on the Butlin show is like, “Oh, this is the lowest point in my career”, if you would have told me to play Kane at Butlins, I would have been like, “Oh, this is great!” ‘

Nigel McGuinness hated his holiday camp appearance as Fake Kane (Picture: Kyle Stevens/Shutterstock)

Danielson would have happily dressed up as his future Team Hell No partner (Picture: WWE)

He recalled a similar moment at a non-Butlins event for legendary promoter Brian Dixon when he was facing former WWE star Gangrel and he had to deliver Rey Mysterio’s signature 619 move.

‘I’d never done a 619 before, and just because I was wearing a mask, [Gangrel’s] like, “Hey, I bet they’re gonna really love a 619, give me a 619,”‘ he said.

‘It was in the ring [when] he said that… I was like, I don’t know if I can do this. And off I go!’

He had to hit Rey Mysterio’s signature move (Picture: WWE)

Danielson admitted he was never ‘fazed’ by the moments that are ‘just king of fun’, but he’d be more embarrassed by ‘actually bad’ times in the ring.

Meanwhile, the wrestling legend’s connection with the UK goes deeper than the squared circle, as he’s also a keen fan of folk-punk singer Frank Turner.

‘So many of his songs are about being on the road,’ he explained. ‘It just feels internally, like it meshes well with what’s going on in my heart.’

Danielson has fond memories of the UK (Picture: AEW/Lee South)

Despite having fond memories from his time in the UK over the years – including pranking William Regal before a match in Birmingham back in 2011 – August was the first time he’d performed in the country since 2019.

‘In the UK, the fans are just don’t want to say better,’ he chuckled. ‘Let’s just say they’re really fun.

‘Wrestling crowds in general are fun, but when we’re in the UK, it tends to be more fun.’

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