Bryan Danielson Gives Worrying Insight Into Neck Issues

Bryan Danielson needs surgery.

After spending several months teasing the end of his full-time career, the conclusion finally came at WrestleDream. Heading into the match, Bryan Danielson promised to retire if he lost the AEW World Title to Jon Moxley, and that’s the stunningly violent story that played out.

Heading into the event, the star had been battling increasingly severe neck issues, admitting he’d been losing feeling in his arms during matches. Following WrestleDream it was noted there were no plans on AEW’s end for Danielson to come back, while he was set to undergo an MRI scan to determine the extent of the damage to his neck.

This was followed by a further report that noted Bryan Danielson was going to try stem cell treatment in order to avoid surgery and fix the injury. The treatment has become incredibly popular with wrestlers in recent years with Rey Mysterio undoubtedly extending his in-ring career as a result.

Bryan Danielson Gives Blunt Assessment Of Neck Injury

During the latest episode of the Nikki & Brie Show, Danielson opened up about his condition for the first time since being stretchered out of WrestleDream. The veteran said he deliberately wanted to leave the door open for an in-ring return, but because of the damage to his neck he feels like he has a “bobblehead.”

“I was very cautious to not say ‘retirement,’ except for the match where if I lost (against Swerve), I would retire. After that, it was all, ‘the end of my full-time wrestling career.’ We don’t know what’s going to happen with my neck, but it honestly feels like I have a bobblehead,”

Brie then went on to confirm Danielson would require surgery before he discussed the stark reality of retirement and how quickly the industry moves on.

“To me, at the end of the day, I realized this with my last retirement, which was forced. I didn’t want to retire, but they wouldn’t let me wrestle again. What I found is people are sad for a bit. Then, everybody just moves on and it doesn’t matter. The hardest part for it is probably for the person who does it,”

Throughout 2024, Danielson has remained adamant that he’ll continue to wrestle in the future despite his well-documented injury problems. However, any matches will be one-offs and he’ll no longer be a regular presence on television.

H/t to Fightful