Bryan Danielson Finding It Easier To Imagine His Life Without Pro Wrestling

Bryan Danielson recently appeared on The Nikki and Brie Show (co-hosted by his wife) to talk about his impending retirement - although the exact timeline of such a decision remains shrouded in mystery, especially with Bryan's upcoming title vs. career match at AEW All In on the horizon.

Bryan potentially gave some clues regarding his decision, as he stated that he's finding it increasingly easier to imagine his life without wrestling. The full quotation reads:

"So I’ve been in AEW now for three years and I’ve never won a championship. The story is, I’m wrestling this match, it’s career vs title. If I lose, I’m forced to retire. It’s something I’m ready for, I’m kind of ready to be done.

"I’d rather be at home. I don’t wanna miss out. There’s this small portion of our kids lives where they actually want us there, right? I see it with my friends and my sister and all of that kind of stuff. All of the sudden, Birdie, she’s seven now, she’s going to turn into a teenager and she’s gonna have other things. Now, she wants daddy there all the time and so it’s like, I wanna be there for that.

"Also it’s like, my body is broken down. The odds are I’m probably going to have to have neck surgery before the end of the year. I’ve got all of those kind of things. This pro wrestling thing, it’s been incredible and it’s hard to imagine my life without it for the past twenty five years but it’s a lot easier to imagine my life going forward without me wrestling. It’s hard for me to imagine me keeping doing this, especially with the last year. I’ve had herniated discs in my back, tore the labrum in my shoulder, then I broke my arm which required nine screws, then I had two fractures in my orbital bone. 

"I just recently hurt my neck really bad and that was in April, so it’s all of these things. When I started AEW, I was like, I’m invincible! Then it turns out maybe I’m not so invincible. It does but I’m not saying to feel bad for me. This is a blessed life, it really is. It’s fun and I still love it 25 years in, it’s just now I have things that are more important to me."

Danielson is set to headline AEW's upcoming Wembley Stadium pay-per-view on August 25. He takes on AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland, and according to the match stipulation, will be forced to retire if he loses.

A recent report has indicated that 'Hangman' Adam Page is set to resume his feud with Strickland at the following pay-per-view (All Out on September 7), although what this means for Bryan vs. Swerve remains unclear for now.

H/T Fightful.