Bryan Danielson Admits Wrestling Dream Won’t Come True
Bryan Danielson’s career will end without one major honour.
As he closes on the end of his full-time career, Bryan Danielson has been in a reflective mood. While he prepares for one of the biggest matches of his life in AEW, NJPW’s G1 tournament is currently dominating headlines in Japan.
For several years Danielson has been open about his desire to compete in the tournament, and a deal seemed to take a step closer after he faced NJPW star Zack Sabre Jr in February. But despite his best efforts, the 2024 tournament is going on without him.
In a new interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, Danielson revealed he told NJPW management that he wanted to be involved after his match with Sabre Jr.
“Over the winter, I told Gedo, the booker in New Japan, ‘I would love to do the G1 this year!’ I’d just wrestled Zack Sabre in Japan [in February]. I was so excited. It all happened in the heat of the moment. I would like to think it would be possible. I don’t limit possibilities in my mind. But it seems unlikely,”
Danielson went on to reiterate that he’s struggling with his neck, before explaining that he’s come to terms with never competing in the G1.
“My neck isn’t doing real great right now. So there’s my health. But even if Tony [Khan] freed me up for the entire summer and said, ‘Go do the G1,’ I wouldn’t want to leave my wife and kids for that long. I don’t think my wife would think it was good for my health, either. I’ve always wanted to do the G1. I don’t know if that’s going to be in the cards for me, and that’s OK,”
Bryan Danielson Struggling with Injury
Meanwhile, it’s been reported that Bryan Danielson is under “heavy restrictions” from AEW as he prepares to meet Swerve Strickland at All In.
The star’s recent comments about being banged up are more than just a storyline, with AEW doing everything it can to get him to Wembley Stadium in one piece. At the event, Danielson will challenge Swerve Strickland for the AEW World Championship in what will be one of the final matches of his full-time career.