Bryan Danielson has given a concerning health update as he continues time away from the ring.
AEW WrestleDream saw the day come that many fans expected but were still not ready for. Losing the World Championship to Jon Moxley in the main event, The American Dragon took flight as a full-time wrestler for the final time.
While Danielson has stated that his full-time career has come to an end and that he will still compete sparingly, a new interview seemingly indicates that any return to the ring won’t be happening anytime soon.
Appearing on The Nikki and Brie Show, Danielson told his wife Brie Garcia that he did not want to use the word retirement while alluding to ongoing neck issues:
“I was very cautious to not say ‘retirement,’ except for the match where if I lost (against Swerve), I would retire. After that, it was all, ‘the end of my full-time wrestling career.’ We don’t know what’s going to happen with my neck, but it honestly feels like I have a bobblehead.”
Continuing, Brie confirmed that Danielson will require neck surgery, with the former World Champion opening up about how hard it is to retire from professional wrestling:
“To me, at the end of the day, I realized this with my last retirement, which was forced. I didn’t want to retire, but they wouldn’t let me wrestle again. What I found is people are sad for a bit. Then, everybody just moves on and it doesn’t matter. The hardest part for it is probably for the person who does it.”
It is unknown when or if Danielson will return to the ring.
AEW Star Still Wants Match With Bryan Danielson
Although Danielson’s in-ring future remains a mystery, many stars from the world of wrestling would still love a match against the former World Champion. In a previous interview, a member of the AEW roster stated that they wanted Bryan Danielson to be a part of their own retirement match.
H/t to Fightful.