Bryan Danielson gives major update on his future after his full-time retirement from AEW
The full-time AEW in-ring career of Bryan Danielson unfortunately ended 45 days ago. While dealing with health issues, Danielson began his retirement storyline more than one year ago, and that wrapped at WrestleDream. New details on how Danielson is doing and what the future holds for him have now surfaced.
The American Dragon was forced to retire as a full-time competitor after losing the AEW World Championship to Jon Moxley at WrestleDream. Danielson openly discussed his neck and overall health in the lead-up to the match and confirmed that he was at peace with potentially retiring.
The former WWE Champion is expected to wrestle some matches in the future, but coming out of WrestleDream it was said that his main goals were family and fixing his neck, not wrestling again. However, the source added that the door remains open for his in-ring comeback.
Danielson and his wife Brie Bella (aka Brie Garcia) discussed his situation on the latest episode of The Nikki & Brie Show. The Hall of Famer confirmed that her husband still needs to undergo neck surgery, but no timeframe was disclosed.
The American Dragon addressed confusion over what his status was after WrestleDream, noting that there was still uncertainty surrounding his neck as it feels like he has a bobblehead.
"I was very cautious to not say 'retirement,' except for the match where if I lost [against Swerve Strickland], 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," Bryan Danielson said. [H/T to Fightful]
While Danielson still needs surgery, it was recently revealed that the ROH Hall of Famer is hoping to avoid an operation by undergoing stem cell treatments. Danielson's neck has been in bad shape for a while, but he's still hopeful that he can just do rehab and avoid surgery.
Tony Khan reveals how close he is to Bryan Danielson
Bryan Danielson shocked the wrestling world in September 2021 by debuting for AEW, just days after leaving WWE. Since then, the former Daniel Bryan has been one of the Tony Khan-led company's top talents while helping out behind the scenes.
Khan mentioned how Danielson was his best friend while speaking during the Full Gear post-show media scrum this past weekend. The revelation was made when Khan was asked about Jon Moxley's vision for the company.
"Even though Bryan Danielson is probably my best friend in the entire world, the fact is I've worked with Jon Moxley a long time too, and even though I don't agree necessarily with what happened to Bryan Danielson, I miss him every day. I miss working with him every day. Jon Moxley is so great for this business, and we need Jon Moxley. I have to accept what happened," Tony Khan said. [From 01:31:17 to 01:31:43]
Bryan Danielson has had just one championship reign with AEW, and that was his recent 48-day reign as World Champion. He also won the 2024 Men's Owen Hart Cup to secure the title shot.