In what was widely expected to be his final professional wrestling match as a full-time competitor, Bryan Danielson took the ring at his hometown arena, the Tacoma Dome, to the “Final Countdown,” a fitting one-hit wonder from the 1980s that has been the unofficial theme of his AEW World Championship reign.

After boldly declaring that 2024 would serve as his final year as a full-time AEW competitor, leaving plenty of years, matches, and money on the table in order to be a good father to his kids, Buddy and Birdie, Danielson made it official on the Dynamite after All In: when he loses the belt, his career was over.

Through thick and through thin, Danielson fought through a compounding series of injuries, taking on foes like Kazuchika Okada, Jack Perry, The Elite, and even his long-time Ring of Honor rival, Nigel McGuinness, as his health went down the tubes. And at WrestleDream, he faced off against his toughest task yet, Jon Moxley, the man who literally put his head in a bag at the end of All Out.

Bryan Danielson's loss left the Tacoma Dome speechless

Taking the fight to Danielson before the match even officially started, throwing down outside of the ring while “The Final Countdown” continued to play over the PA, Moxley repeatedly and relentlessly targeted the “American Dragon's” neck all over the arena. He hit Gotch-style Piledrivers, Deathriders, and more than a few Bulldog Chokes in an attempt to not only end the match on the spot but end any chances of Danielson wrestling ever again.

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As the match proceeded, Danielson fielded multiple comeback attempts, hitting Shotgun Dropkicks, Yes! Kicks, and a relentless series of Chops as his crowd chanted “Yes!” and other more creative slogans about kicking people in the head, but in the end, it just wasn't enough. Call it a consequence of his expansive injury list or the interference of Marina Shafir, but in the end, Moxley locked his foe down in a rear naked choke and dropped him to the floor, getting the victory via referee decision as Danielson rolled lifelessly into the corner of the ring.

As the crowd looked on in awe, Danielson was brutalized by his former faction once more, taking hit after hit from the entire group, including Wheeler Yuta, who decided to side with the Blackpool Combat Club instead of his fallen mentor. Private Party came out, Darby Allin came out, Jeff Jarrett came out, and eventually, the babyface locker room cleared out to shut things down once and for all, but in the end, the lasting image of the match wasn't Sting holding his hands up high in victory but instead Danielson being carted off in a neckbrace as the entire arena wept for the fallen “Dragon.”

What does the future hold for Danielson? Well, it's safe to say he won't be wrestling much, if at all, at any point in the immediate future, but considering how everything shook out, it's safe to say Danielson could return if he wanted to for another match in the future, or just as a non-wrestling personality like Christopher Daniels in 2024. But for now, the professional wrestling world is a little bit worse down one of the premier all-time talents the sport has ever seen.