Bryan Danielson got fans talking after last Saturday’s AEW Collision, where he did a promo about how he promised his six-year-old daughter that he would stop wrestling full-time by the time she turned seven. He never said he was retiring from ring action, only that he wanted to work a more limited schedule.
This news comes after he recovered from a broken arm in June. It was an injury that prevented him from spending as much time as he wanted with his children, and he called it the worst injury he’d ever had as a result.
Danielson expressed a desire to end his career in an interview with Sports Illustrated.
“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 stated that because of his injury, he was unable to participate in All In this year and hopes to do so next year. His daughter will turn seven in May, and if AEW holds another WrestleDream PPV in Seattle next October, that could be the point at which he begins to slow down.
His contract will expire shortly after his daughter turns seven. He stated that over the last year, he became aware 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 piling up, he began to wonder why he was taking the risk when his children wanted 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.”
