Bryan Danielson Confirms When He'll Stop Wrestling Full-Time

Bryan Danielson's time as a full-time wrestler may come to an end soon – but that won't be the last time you'll see him in a ring. Danielson has had an amazing and successful career in Ring of Honor, WWE, and now AEW. He's won numerous world championships and delivered classic matches, solidifying his status as one of the best technical wrestlers ever. But the 41-year-old knows he can't keep performing at this pace forever.

"I'm not gonna be a full-time wrestler for much longer," Danielson told Ron Funches on his podcast. "When my AEW contract is up that's pretty much me being done being a full-time wrestler. But I like the way that some people like Terry Funk and Jerry Lawler and those kinda guys do it where they just do it for fun and they don't do it all the time...as long as I have fun doing it and as long as I experience joy while doing it, it's something I want to continue doing for the rest of my life."

Danielson knows better than anyone how life can change in an instant. In 2016, he was forced to retire from in-ring competition due to multiple head injuries. That experience made him realize that there's no way of knowing when his last match will be. So he approaches every match and personal moment since his return with gratitude.

"You can even extrapolate that to 'you don't know when the last time you're gonna see your kids is,'" he said. "And all that does, rather than be morbid about it, is to not take things for granted. That every time that I get a chance to wrestle, it's beautiful. Every time that I get to wake up with my kids and make them breakfast, and put them to bed at night is beautiful too."