A few weeks back, when AEW still employed CM Punk, Ricky Starks competed against The Second City Saint in a match for the “Real AEW World Championship” on Collision. Punk and Starks had been at odds since the finals of the Owen Hart Cup Tournament, so to ensure a fair and contained match, WWE Hall of Famer Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat was enlisted to be the special guest referee. Following Punk’s victory over Starks, the young AEW star shoved Steamboat into Punk, incapacitating him, and proceeded to take Steamboat’s belt off and beat him with it.
It was a brutal scene, and one we were told was Steamboat’s idea, but it wasn’t the end of the feud between Starks and the legend. On tonight’s Collision, Starks called out Steamboat for a Strap Match at tomorrow night’s AEW: All Out pay-per-view. Steamboat came to the ring to let Starks know that a dragon was indeed signed on the dotted line to take on the former FTW Champion tomorrow night, but it wasn’t him. This is when “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson made his way to the ring to confirm he’ll be taking on Starks tomorrow night.
Danielson’s return comes as a surprise to many, as the former WWE World Champion suffered a nasty arm break at Forbidden Door in his match against Kazuchika Okada. The injury was worse than expected, and many expected him to be cleared a month from now or more, but it appears he is ready to go. Their bout joins AEW International Champion Orange Cassidy versus Jon Moxley and TNT Champion Luchasaurus versus Darby Allin on Sunday night’s card.