Bryan Danielson got fans talking following last Saturday’s AEW Collision, where he did a promo about how he promised his six-year-old daughter that by the time she turns seven, he would stop wrestling full-time. He never said he would retire from in-ring action but that he was looking to work a more reduced schedule.
This announcement comes after he returned from a broken arm in June. It was an injury that prevented him from being with his children the way he wanted, and he called it the worst injury he’s ever had because of that.
While speaking with Sports Illustrated, Danielson talked about wanting to wind down his career.
“I don’t think I’ll ever reach a point where I declare I’m absolutely done,” said Danielson. “I want the ability to show up when I want to show up. Terry Funk is someone I always admired. He retired a million times, but he loved it so much he couldn’t help but keep doing it. And he did it when he wanted. For me, it might be a couple times a year, or it might be years between matches.”
Danielson added, “In my mind, it’s around August of next year. My daughter will say, ‘Daddy, are you going to be done wrestling when I turn seven?’ And I’ll respond, ‘Well, not exactly when you turn seven, but I’ll be on the home stretch.’”
Danielson noted that he didn’t get to do All In because of the injury, so he wants to be part of it next year. His daughter turns seven in May, and if AEW does another WrestleDream PPV in Seattle next October, then that could be where he starts to slow down.
His contract expires shortly after his daughter’s seventh birthday. He noted that he started to realize over the last year that he was getting hurt after every big match and didn’t want to wrestle at the expense of his long-term health.
With injuries stacking up, he started questioning what’s the point of taking the risk when his kids want him at home.
“I always thought I’d wrestle until the day I die,” said Danielson. “But it’s not going to be this regular, weekly wrestling. I don’t even know if it’s going to be wrestling at big shows. I’ve always wanted to wrestle for DEFY in Seattle. How easy would it be for me to call the promoter and pop in some weekend? They wouldn’t even need to promote me. I could come in, surprise people, and do my thing.”
