News

Tony Khan Explains Bryan Danielson’s Role After Full-Time AEW Run Ends

By John Canton • Published 1st December 2023
Bryan Danielson Tony Khan

Bryan Danielson will still have a future in AEW when he stops wrestling full-time, according to Tony Khan.

It was at AEW All Out 2021 when former WWE and ROH World Champion Bryan Danielson decided to become All Elite by making his AEW debut. After spending more than a decade in WWE as Daniel Bryan, Danielson was back to using his real name and competing for a different wrestling company.

Since joining AEW, Bryan Danielson has wrestled many of the biggest names in the company like AEW World Champion MJF, Kenny Omega, Chris Jericho, Jon Moxley, Ricky Starks and also defeated NJPW legend Kazuchika Okada at Forbidden Door 20203 in a dream match for many fans.

Bryan Danielson has publicly stated numerous times that 2023 will be his final year as a full-time wrestler after starting in the business in 1999 when he was 18 years old. As a husband to Brie Garcia (Bella) and father to a daughter & son, Danielson knows that his body has taken a beating in pro wrestling and he wants to be healthy for his family.

What Agreement Did Tony Khan Make With Bryan Danielson?

Ever since joining AEW, Danielson has gotten along very well with the company’s Owner, CEO & GM Tony Khan. They have spoken about how much they love the wrestling business and Khan has even said if anything happened to him to prevent him from running AEW, he would want Danielson to take over.

Unfortunately, Danielson couldn’t wrestle at the AEW All In London event in 2023 due to an injury. As for All In London 2024, that is right around the time when Danielson’s AEW contract will expire.

In an interview with The Athletic, Tony Khan noted that Bryan Danielson will still be involved in AEW most likely.

“Bryan and I made an agreement three years to the week before AEW All In 2024. The agreement was that Bryan would wrestle (full-time) for three years.

“Even three years in advance of the expiration of the agreement, I was already clawing for him to stay. He will stay with us in spirit and sometimes, occasionally, make sporadic appearances with us.

“But the end of the full-time run with us is going to be in 2024.”

Bryan Danielson has been dealing with a broken orbital injury, but he will return to the ring on AEW Collision on December 2nd when he faces Eddie Kingston as part of the Continental Classic tournament.