During a recent interview with The Magic Of Wrestling, AEW commentator Nigel McGuinness shared his thoughts on the potential in-ring future of his long-time rival, Bryan Danielson. McGuinness stated that he does not believe the “American Dragon” will return to active competition.
McGuinness began with a tongue-in-cheek assessment, suggesting that his own recent return to the ring might be the only thing that could motivate Danielson to lace up his boots again. “I think the only reason he might do that is because he sees me do it, and once again jealousy becomes a factor and he realises ‘I was never as good a wrestler as Nigel when I was full-time, now I could come back…’ so I don’t think so,” he said.
On a more serious note, McGuinness speculated that Danielson is content in his retirement and has likely made a promise to his wife, Brie Garcia, to stay out of the ring. “I think he’s enjoying his life with his kids. He has probably made some sort of promise to his missus in that regard, that would be my guess,” he said. “He doesn’t want to get on the wrong side of her as well, she clearly wears the pants in the relationship.”
Ultimately, McGuinness believes Danielson’s focus has shifted away from performing and towards a role that McGuinness himself has mastered. “I don’t see it happening,” he reiterated. “I think he’s trying to really transition and steal one more thing from me when it comes to commentary, so I don’t see it happening.”
Bryan Danielson wrestled his retirement match at AEW All In in August 2025. He is currently sidelined with a serious neck injury and has been looking into ways to let it heal while avoiding surgery. Since stepping away from the ring, he has taken on a role as a special guest commentator on AEW programming. There is a nearly two-decade-long rivalry between the two men, which began with a series of classic matches in ROH in the mid-2000s.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit The Magic Of Wrestling with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
