Bryan Danielson says he is at peace with the end of his in-ring career. The fulfillment comes from the severe pain he endured during his final six months as a full-time competitor. In a recent interview, he stated he is now “ready to be done.”
The issues began with a serious neck injury from a match against Will Ospreay at Dynasty in April 2024. The injury caused Danielson to lose feeling in his arms. The pain became so significant that by July 2024, he was unsure if he could physically make it to his last scheduled match.
His full-time career officially concluded at WrestleDream on October 12, 2024. He lost the AEW World Championship to Jon Moxley by chokeout in what might be his final match.
“With the last six months of my wrestling career, being in as much pain as I was, that kind of put me in this thing of like, ‘Okay, you know what? I think I’m ready to be done,’” Danielson told theaminshow.
He contrasted this experience with his first forced retirement.
“When I was forced to retire before, I wasn’t ready to be done,” he explained. “Now I have… you go home and you have that full parenting life and all that kind of stuff. It’s a whole other thing, right?”
Danielson remains with AEW as a member of Tony Khan’s backstage team. He recently became physically involved during a segment at All In, but he quickly clarified that he is “not back.” He admitted that he was only cleared for a few specific spots and joked that Doc Sampson thought he was an “idiot” for his actions.
With his neck still “wrecked,” Danielson is comfortable with the possibility of never wrestling again. He now feels he has nothing left to accomplish in his career.
“I’m very fulfilled by my career. I’m very fulfilled by my life right now,” he said. “And I get to stay involved in professional wrestling, which is something that I still love to this day.”