Bryan Danielson Wrestling Japanese Legend In First-Ever Singles Match On AEW Collision

Bryan Danielson has been having a great time wrestling all the dream matches he possibly can before he stops being a full-time wrestler later this year. In 2024 alone, he has faced Kazuchika Okada and Zack Sabre Jr. in Japan, Yuji Nagata and Hechicero in AEW, and was recently confirmed to be travelling to CMLL with the Blackpool Combat Club at the end of March.

However, he will get the chance to mix it up with a Japanese legend on the February 24 "AEW Collision," as he takes on Jun Akiyama. The match was announced on the February 16 "AEW Rampage," and was later confirmed by Tony Khan on X. Akiyama made his name as the honorary "5th Pillar" of the "Four Pillars of Heaven" in All Japan Pro Wrestling throughout the 1990s, and has won World Championships in companies like AJPW, Pro Wrestling NOAH, and DDT. This match may be a first-time dream match on the surface, but it will also play a factor in the on-going feud between Danielson and Continental Crown Champion Eddie Kingston.

"The Mad King" has stated in the past that Akiyama is one of his wrestling heroes, and has even faced the Japanese legend in AEW before, defeating Akiyama on the "Zero Hour" portion of the Full Gear pay-per-view in 2022. The reason why the match has been booked for the February 24 "Collision" is because the show will not air this weekend. "Collision" has been pre-empted by coverage of NBA's All-Star Weekend on TNT, and will return to its regular timeslot next week.