Major Update On Bryan Danielson's Return To AEW
One of AEW's top stars is making his way back to competition after being sidelined due to reported concussion issues. "The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson announced during AEW's panel at San Diego Comic-Con that he is officially cleared to return to the ring and will be facing Daniel Garcia of The Jericho Appreciation Society on this Wednesday's Fight for the Fallen edition of "Dynamite."
Danielson hasn't wrestled since the Anarchy in the Arena match that took place at the AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view this past May. The reported concussion issues that caused him to take time away from competition have been an ongoing battle throughout his career and were the main reason he announced his retirement in 2016 after multiple concussions led to seizures and a brain lesion. Danielson would later reveal that not only were the health scares responsible for his retirement announcement, but he also had lied to WWE about part of the findings from his doctor visits. The multi-time WWE Champion would make a triumphant return in 2018 and gives us several new memorable characters like the "New" Daniel Bryan, that emphasized environmental issues while deeming the WWE Universe "fickle," and his more rough, rugged persona since arriving in All Elite Wrestling.
Said injuries would cause Danielson to miss out on the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view, where he was initially scheduled to face Zack Sabre Jr. one-on-one. He would subsequentially miss the big Blood & Guts match in the same week, forcing Tony Khan to bring the substitute, Claudio Castagnoli, to AEW television earlier than he originally anticipated. Tony noted he didn't want Danielson back in action until he was "feeling 100% at 100% of the time", which was the cause for several missed shows.
Bryan was previously entangled in budding feuds with Eddie Kingston and Chris Jericho. It will be interesting to see if that is the same path Tony Khan puts him on upon returning, which one could assume is the case, as his first match back is against a member of the JAS.