Former WWE and AEW World Champion Bryan Danielson has admitted he may never wrestle again.
Bryan Danielson retired as full-time professional wrestler following his AEW World Championship loss to Jon Moxley at AEW WrestleDream last October. With only the full-time aspect of his legendary career coming to an end, some fans are eager to know when The American Dragon will return.
Danielson made a surprise appearance at the AEW All In Texas ticket on-sale party earlier this week and spoke to media, including Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful. During their interview, Danielson shared a surprising revelation about his in-ring future.
The multi-time world champion admitted that there’s a 50% chance that he’ll never wrestle again. It all depends on if he decides to get neck surgery, which would allow him compete again but could lead to life-long complications.
“My priority is my health. I think the odds of me wrestling again, ever, are probably 50/50 at this point. My desire is to not get neck surgery, and so if I could–this idea of ‘living comfortably,’ if I could live comfortably without neck surgery, but it means that I wouldn’t get to wrestle again, I think I’d be okay with that trade-off.
I had neck surgery before and it wasn’t a good experience, and it kind of messed up my spine in the upper area for the rest of my life, like now my spine is altered. So it’s like ‘okay, if we can get to a point where I’m a little bit more comfortable without needing neck surgery but they say you can’t wrestle anymore, I think that’s a fair trade-off. I had a good run kid.”
In another interview, Bryan Danielson said there wasn’t “no chance” of him getting back in the ring, but hinted that it was unlikely to happen.
What’s The Latest On Bryan Danielson’s AEW Contract Status?
Before winning the AEW World Championship at All In 2024, it was reported that Bryan Danielson was working for AEW without a contract. Furthermore, he did not sign a new deal with the company during his reign nor when he lost the title to Jon Moxley.
With his appearance at the All In Texas ticket on-sale party, some fans speculated that it could be a sign that The American Dragon had re-signed. However, Danielson noted this was not the case to Sapp and that he was simply invited to the event by Tony Khan.
h/t to WrestlingInc