Bryan Danielson Reveals Scary Details of Health Issues Before First Retirement

Bryan Danielson has revealed that his current neck issues are very similar to his issues leading up to his career-defining WrestleMania XXX victory and subsequent retirement.

The AEW World Champion recently had a lengthy interview with Justin Barrasso of Undisputed. He talked about things such as how his priorities in life have changed, the AEW title belt being one of the heavyweight he’s ever held and more.

During the interview, Bryan recounted the similarities between his famous WrestleMania victory and his win at All In 2024 including things such as having a great opponent and the support of fans.

Another thing that’s unfortunately very similar for Bryan is his battle with health issues leading up to the big event. He remembered how in December 2013, only months before the Show of Shows the doctors had told him that a neck surgery was inevitable:

“I was able to get through WrestleMania. I’d been getting this horrible, shooting nerve pain down my right arm. But as long as I still had strength in my right arm, that meant I didn’t need surgery yet."

While Bryan Danielson was able to get through the big Mania match despite hiccups, the former WWE star’s symptoms worsened right after. He remembered the time he didn’t even have the strength in his arm to turn on his car:

“So I won the title, and the day before my first title defence, which was like a falls-count-anywhere match, I got into my car to make the drive. When I went to unlock my car door, I didn’t have the strength to turn the key and unlock the door. That was a bad sign.”

Bryan noted that his current health issues are very similar and that he’ll have to undergo surgery sooner or later, it’s just a question of when:

“So the neck issues are very similar. Sooner rather than later, I’ll need neck surgery. I’m not losing strength, so I don’t need it just yet.”

The current AEW star defeated Randy Orton and Batista in the main event of WrestleMania XXX to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. His reign however was cut short due to injuries. While Bryan continued wrestling for another year, he had to take time off frequently due to his condition and he eventually stopped wrestling altogether for 3 years.

Nigel McGuinness has challenged Bryan Danielson for a match at the upcoming AEW Grand Slam event from Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York on September 25, 2024. The match is currently not confirmed because Bryan’s health status is up in the air.