AEW's Bryan Danielson Wanted To Wrestle Again But Says Those Ideas Were 'Delusions'

In this business, no in-ring talent likes to hear or utter the "R-word": Retired. In the case of "The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson, he remains on the fence about it. While recognizing the ongoing injuries that have plagued him throughout his career, including some which once positioned him to retire before due to concussion-related issues in WWE nearly 10 years ago before his triumphant comeback, it seems the more Danielson travels, the harder it is on his body, more specifically, his neck. In an interview on "Insight" with Chris Van Vliet, Danielson described the back-and-forth contest his mind and body have over the idea of another in-ring run.

"I had these delusions about, like, okay, maybe I can get back to doing a little bit of wrestling or whatever it is. Now I see there were delusions," Danielson said. "I hate the 'R-word' because I was forced to retire before...so I never consider myself fully retired...I, effectively for the Bryan Danielson that I used to be, yeah, that guy doesn't exist anymore."

While many admired the "Final Countdown" run he had before Jon Moxley and The Death Riders took it all away from him at WrestleDream 2024 (storyline-wise), Danielson did have another in-ring appearance afterward. However, to avoid neck surgery for as long as he can, the technically proficient athlete prefers to stay a student of the game, but this time in another role, as AEW's newest commentator. As the newest voice and analyst of "Where The Best Wrestle," he would rather be part of that than stuck in surgery turned recovery, and away from the industry he's called home since 1999.

"I have degeneration from C1 all the way down to T2, so it's cervical [the entire neck]. I'm on the cusp of needing surgery, right? It's like this weird line...I'd like to avoid surgery as much as possible," the former AEW World Champion explained about his lingering neck injuries. "So, my last neck surgery...I never fully recovered from it, in the sense of, like, getting back the strength gains and the mobility and all that sort of thing."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Insight with Chris Van Vliet" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.