Bryan Danielson got a lot of people talking following his promo on last week’s episode of AEW Collision.
On the show, Bryan said that he told his daughter that he would be done wrestling when she turned 7, and with her current 6, he hinted this would be his final year as a wrestler.
Bryan spoke to Sports Illustrated after the show, where he clarified his stance on his in-ring future after his promo on Collision.
He said:
“I don’t think I’ll ever reach a point where I declare I’m absolutely done. 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.
Continuing on, Bryan said that he’s looking to slow down around next August, saying that he would like the chance to appear at All In at Wembley Stadium next year after missing this year’s event.
He 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.’
“I didn’t get a chance to do All In this year. I would like that chance next year. We have a show, WrestleDream, this October 1 in Seattle where I’m wrestling Zack Sabre Jr. If we have another next year in Seattle? Maybe it will be then. My daughter turns seven in May, so it’s a good time to close down the shop.”
Bryan has only wrestled a handful of matches this year, two of which being his Iron Man match with MJF at Revolution, and his dream match with Kazuchika Okada at Forbidden Door.
After both matches, Bryan was left injured, and he has reflected on the injuries being the moment he realised he should slow down.
He said:
“There is the realization that over the past year, I’m getting hurt after every big match I have. That’s a sign. I love wrestling, but I do not want to wrestle at the expense of my long-term health. I did the Iron Man match with Max, and then I didn’t wrestle again until Anarchy in the Arena, and even that was a lot of smoke and mirrors. Then I wrestle Okada and I break my arm. The injuries are starting to pile up. At what point is that worth the risk? Especially when my kids want and need me at home.”
Bryan is set for a dream match with Zack Sabre Jr at the upcoming WrestleDream event in Seattle on October 1.
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