Bryan Danielson Health Update: "My Neck Is Trashed" (AEW News)

While AEW President Tony Khan recently talked about how he's hopeful that Bryan Danielson might one day be able to wrestle again, the American Dragon himself has now provided an update on his current health status.

Speaking to Jamal Niaz for Metro over the weekend - Bryan in attendance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England to watch the Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Connor Benn boxing match - Danielson admitted he has no desire to wrestle right now, and that his neck is "wrecked".

"I have no inclination right now and no desire to wrestle. The last six months of my career built up to [AEW WrestleDream against Jon Moxley]. I look at it now as a blessing, because the six months leading into my last match were so hard, and my neck was so bad. And I mean, there's things that I couldn't physically do."

Danielson then specifically referenced his match against Kazuchika Okada on Dynamite back in October when discussing his physical limitations:

"What that story should be in that scenario is I'm pushing and pushing and pushing and pushing him, trying to get this fall done in the first 20 minutes. That should have been the story, but my legs just couldn't do it."

As for the current status of his neck, Bryan said it's "wrecked" and that, while he's making progress, "that still doesn't mean I won't have to get neck surgery. I'm trying to avoid it."

Previously, it was reported that Danielson was undergoing stem cell treatment in an attempt to avoid neck surgery. While it's still uncertain whether he'll ever be able to return to the ring right now, neck surgery would likely mean a definitive end to the 43-year-old's in-ring career.

Bryan Danielson spoke to Fightful back in December, where he explained how his health is his priority over prolonging his wrestling career, noting how he'd be fine with that trade-off of never wrestling again if it means he could live comfortably without having to get neck surgery.

As it stands, the potentially final match of Danielson's career saw him lose the AEW World Title to Jon Moxley at WrestleDream last October. 2024 had long been announced to be the end of Bryan's full-time in-ring career, with he hope that he'll be able to work an extremely limited sporadic schedule in the future. Whether the Washington native will lace up his boots again at some point down the line, that remains to be seen, but first and foremost, the health of the legendary Bryan Danielson is what needs to come first for Bryan and his family.