Bryan Danielson Names Broken Arm During Okada Match As Worst Injury Ever Suffered

AEW superstar Bryan Danielson recently discussed to Sports Illustrated the injury he sustained during this year’s Forbidden Door 2 pay-per-view, where he faced Kazuchika Okada and emerged victorious despite a broken arm.

Danielson expressed his pride in not only finishing the match but also winning it. He admitted to telling the referee during the match that he thought he had fractured his arm. However, the severity of the injury didn’t fully register until after the match, even during the post-match press conference.

“Hindsight? I think I had more fun because of it. During the match, I turned to the referee and said, ‘I think I fractured my arm.’ I’m in the ring with someone whose English isn’t his first language, and we didn’t even know for sure what it was to communicate. Even after the match when I was in the press conference, I didn’t realize how bad the break was. This is where you look at what is really satisfaction. Satisfaction and pleasure are not the same thing. Satisfaction comes from doing something hard and accomplishing it. So the satisfaction came from doing the hard thing and seeing it through to completion.”

He emphasized that the satisfaction he felt came from accomplishing something challenging despite the injury. Satisfaction, he explained, differs from pleasure.

Danielson later acknowledged that the arm break was the worst injury he had ever experienced in his career. While he mentioned that he had suffered neck injuries and concussions, he noted that the arm break had a more immediate impact, preventing him from being there for his children in the way he wanted.

“Although I talk about the satisfaction of completing the match against Okada with the broken arm, it’s actually the singular worst injury I’ve had,” admitted Danielson. “My neck injury was worse, but that was the result of years of abuse on my neck. It’s the same with the concussions. No single concussion was worse than the break of my arm. And because of that, it put me at a point where I couldn’t be there for my kids the way I wanted.”

In light of Bryan Danielson’s recent comments about his injuries and the toll they’ve taken on him, what are your thoughts on the physical sacrifices that wrestlers make for their craft? Leave us a comment below.