"I want to wrestle until I'm old!" - Daniel Bryan reveals admiration for veterans like Jerry Lawler & Terry Funk
Daniel Bryan has revealed his admiration for older wrestlers like Jerry Lawler and Terry Funk, and says he would prefer to wrestle into old age as opposed to retiring completely.
In an interview with SoloWrestling, the former WWE Champion when into detail about his retirement plans, or lack thereof, and explained he never wants to give up the pro wrestling business entirely.
"I don’t think I’ll be a full time wrestler for that much longer… I never even envisioned the idea of retiring. I want to wrestle until I’m old! And when I say old, I mean REALLY OLD! I love wrestling! A lot of times I’m inspired by people like Jerry Lawler and Terry Funk and even some European wrestlers like Johnny Saint who will still go out there and wrestle in their sixties, maybe even seventies. Not because they need the money, and not because of this or that. They do it because they love doing it. Right?"
Daniel Bryan says he may "change his style" as he gets older
Daniel Bryan would go on to admit that he may need to change his style if he intends to continue wrestling as he grows older, much like the veterans he metioned above.
"Obviously as you get older your style has to change. When I’m fifty I won’t be able to wrestle how I do right now, and right now I can’t wrestle like I did when I was twenty-five, right? So you have to change and evolve. But I still have this deep down passion for this. And I enjoy it so much. It’s hard for me to accept this idea of, like, “I’m never gonna do that again…” Why?! You know? Even if it’s at some hall in front of seventy-five people, I’d still go out there and do it for fun! You know? It’s something that I really love. So the idea something like a full time retirement is boring to me."
Daniel Bryan is currently one of the favorites to win the 2021 Royal Rumble match