When Bryan Danielson takes the ring at WrestleDream, it might just be the final time as a full-time professional wrestler.
Now, sure, some of that is to tell a compelling storyline; fans want to see a true babyface hero fight like his life and career depend on it, and adding that sort of stipulation to every match adds considerable weight to all of them. With that being said, based on his comments to Justin Barrasso of Undisputed, it sure sounds like Danielson's body is hanging on by a thread, too, with his next loss potentially placing him on the shelf for good.
“The reality is, no matter what happens at WrestleDream, I don't have much time left. October 4, 1999, was my first-ever wrestling match. In relation to those 25 years, I have a relatively short amount of time left,” Danielson declared. “And any match can be your last at any given time,” Danielson noted. “When I was forced to retire due to concussions, I didn't think my last match was going to be tagging with John Cena against Claudio and TJ Wilson. That ended up being my last match for three years. So any match can be your last match. And whether this is my last match as a full-time wrestler or not, I know that time is coming soon.”
Asked if he will be okay to compete at WrestleDream, or if his injuries will limit what he can do in the ring, Danielson noted that he is cleared, even if his wife and trainer are worried about how he will hold up against a fighter like Jon Moxley.
“Is our trainer worried about it? To an extent, yes. Am I worried about it? To an extent, yes. Is my wife concerned about it? Very much so,” Danielson noted. “But there's been times in my career I've been more concerned. My overall health for the long term is the biggest thing. Right now, everything is fixable. In the short term, it's all about whether I can perform at the level I want to perform at. I know I can. I'm exactly where I want to be, fighting someone I want to fight–I know the answer is yes.”
While Danielson has been a consummate champion through this current storyline in AEW, it's not like things have been easy going, as, per the “American Dragon,” even his most recent match with Kazuchika Okada featured some issues were incredibly concerning for his long-term health.
Bryan Danielson could barely wrestle Kazuchika Okada on Dynamite
Discussing the end of his career in an interview with Anthony Sulla-Heffinger of The Uncrowned, Danielson revealed that, during his match with Okada on Dynamite, he had trouble throwing his signature kicks, which baffled the “American Dragon” 25 years into his professional career.
“Midway through the match, I started losing strength in my legs. There's a point later in the match where I'm trying to kick him, and I can't turn over my kicks,” Danielson explained. “That's something that I have the body mechanics to do because I have been doing it for so long, but here I am, and I can't turn my hip over for this kick. When I got to the back, I went to the trainer right away, and they worked on me for like 30 minutes. They said it was stemming from the neck stuff. It's getting to a point where, physically, we're seeing the signs. I haven't been sleeping well because I have been having this shooting pain down my arm.”
Goodness, if Danielson really can't throw kicks and is waking up in incredible pain nightly, maybe it is time he hangs up his boots for the foreseeable future, as, even if he's as good as he ever was mentally, his body seemingly can no longer hold up.