Wrestling fandom was shocked Monday afternoon by news that former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan would be announcing his retirement from the ring. Since being put on the shelf with a concussion last April, Bryan's future had very much been up in the air. According to numerous reports, Bryan's own doctors had cleared him for active competition, but WWE physician Dr. Joseph Maroon would not sign off on Bryan's return to the ring. Many hoped that the impasse would be solved if Maroon relented, but ultimately it wasn't to be and new tests Bryan went under last week have proven conclusive that his brain has suffered from the amount of concussions he's suffered and he shouldn't wrestle again. Undoubtedly, retirement is best for Bryan's long-term health - last year's concussion is the most recent of many, and neither sports organizations nor their stars can continue to deny knowledge of the effects of such injuries. Still, it's sad to see such an abrupt end to a career that had reached such great heights - not only had Bryan garnered a reputation as one of the most talented wrestlers of all time, but a mere two years ago, he was standing victorious in the main event of WrestleMania. Bryan wasn't the first superstar to see his career cut short due to injury or sickness, and sadly, he won't be the last. Many other men and women have been forced to leave the spotlight earlier than they'd hoped - some probably expected to have several more years to contribute on top of the card, making big money. Others never quite reached that level. Like Bryan, these ten wrestlers will not only be remembered for their talent, but for what else they possibly could have accomplished.
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
