Subhojeet Mukherjee on August 12, 2024
Bryan Danielson, recognized as one of the top professional wrestlers globally, is set to conclude his full-time in-ring career this year. He has now confirmed he is more acceptable to a life without wrestling.
For several months, Danielson has been outspoken about his plans to retire from full-time wrestling in 2024 to devote more time to his family. While a specific date or event for his final match has not yet been confirmed, fans remain curious about how Danielson will ultimately conclude his wrestling career.
Danielson has frequently talked about his wrestling future and his desire to spend more time with his children. On a recent episode of The Nikki & Brie Show, he mentioned that he’s ready to retire. He shared that after three years in AEW without winning a championship, he’s considering a career vs. title match, where losing would mean retirement. He feels prepared for this next step in his life.
“So I’ve been in AEW now for three years and I’ve never won a championship. The story is, I’m wrestling this match, it’s career vs title. If I lose, I’m forced to retire. It’s something I’m ready for, I’m kind of ready to be done.”
Danielson explained that he wants to be home more, especially since his children, like his daughter Birdie, are at a stage where they want him around. He noted that as children grow up, they become more independent, and he wants to be present during these formative years.
“I’d rather be at home. I don’t wanna miss out. There’s this small portion of our kids lives where they actually want us there, right? I see it with my friends and my sister and all of that kind of stuff. All of the sudden, Birdie, she’s seven now, she’s going to turn into a teenager and she’s gonna have other things. Now, she wants daddy there all the time and so it’s like, I wanna be there for that.”
Danielson also talked about his recent injury struggles and how his body has been breaking down. Danielson mentioned the possibility of needing neck surgery soon and reflected on how his life might be easier to envision without wrestling. Over the past year, he’s dealt with herniated discs, a torn labrum, a broken arm with nine screws, and fractures in his orbital bone.
Despite his love for wrestling and a career spanning twenty-five years, he’s finding it challenging to continue given his physical condition. He acknowledged his blessed life and continued passion for the sport but emphasized that other priorities are now more important to him.
“Also it’s like, my body is broken down. The odds are I’m probably going to have to have neck surgery before the end of the year. I’ve got all of those kind of things. This pro wrestling thing, it’s been incredible and it’s hard to imagine my life without it for the past twenty five years but it’s a lot easier to imagine my life going forward without me wrestling. It’s hard for me to imagine me keeping doing this, especially with the last year. I’ve had herniated discs in my back, tore the labrum in my shoulder, then I broke my arm which required nine screws, then I had two fractures in my orbital bone. I just recently hurt my neck really bad and that was in April, so it’s all of these things. When I started AEW, I was like, I’m invincible! Then it turns out maybe I’m not so invincible. It does but I’m not saying to feel bad for me. This is a blessed life, it really is. It’s fun and I still love it 25 years in, it’s just now I have things that are more important to me.”
The American Dragon has also addressed his post-retirement plans in AEW. As already stated, Danielson put his career on the line against Strickland at All In, so we’ll have to see if he will lose and end up retiring.
What do you think of what Bryan Danielson had to say? Do you feel he will retire at AEW All In? Let us know in the comments section below!
August 12, 2024 9:43 am
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