When current AEW star Bryan Danielson left his long-time role in the WWE, he wrote an open letter in The Player’s Tribune. His letter spoke to the fans, the company, and Vince McMahon.
While not mentioning McMahon by name, he offered the long-time WWE head some praise while referring to him as “the Big Man. “I won’t say much, but thank you for the conversations, the life lessons (about both what to do and what not to do), and the best hug I’ve ever received. I wish more people could see you how I see you,” he wrote at the time.
A lot has changed since 2021, and the public perception of McMahon is nowhere near where it once was. After former WWE staffer Janel Grant accused McMahon of sex trafficking earlier this year, it caused him to fully step away from the company’s operations for the second time. Since then many, including some within the WWE, have spoken against McMahon and attempted to distance themselves from him.
In a recent interview with Gorilla Position, Danielson was given an opportunity to reflect on his previous comments made about McMahon, and how things have changed for him personally.
While Danielson made an important emphasis that the biggest struggles surround those who are victims of wrongdoing, he described how our perceptions of others can change over time as well. He also took the time to mention John Laurinaitis, who is also a defendant in the McMahon lawsuit and is Danielson’s father-in-law.
“First and foremost, I want to say people that have been hurt are in a way worse position than I am,” Danielson said. “My empathy goes to them. There’s not a lot I want to say about it, honestly, because it’s not just the Vince piece, but my father-in-law [John Laurinaitis], or maybe ex-father-in-law, as far as that kind of stuff goes. You think of somebody in some way, and then something happens and it changes. And that’s always hard. But like I said, as hard as that may be for me emotionally … It’s way worse for people who have been victimized by people in power.”
