Update On Bryan Danielson's AEW Status (AEW News)
Tony Khan addresses Bryan Danielson's AEW status.
With plentiful rumblings over the in-ring future of Bryan Danielson in recent months, Tony Khan has now addressed Danielson's AEW status.
Speaking on the Way of the Blade podcast (via WrestlingNews.co), Khan talked about Bryan's importance to AEW and addressed the possibility of the American Dragon lacing up his boots again in the future.
"I still work with Bryan Danielson. He’s still a big part of my office. He’s not on the show, and he’s been injured and maybe retired for good, but he’s never said he’s done for good, and I hope that there’s some possibility he will be able to return to wrestling from the injuries and the way he left, but he’s still a part of AEW, so I’m still very fortunate to work with Bryan. I talk to Bryan almost every day. He’s got a great mind for wrestling, and he’s somebody that I’m really pleased and blessed came into AEW and got involved with us. He’s a great person in and out of the ring, and he’s a great leader in AEW.”
So, you're telling us there's a chance...
As alluded to by Tony Khan, the way Bryan Danielson left was at the hands of the Death Riders, losing the AEW World Championship to Jon Moxley at WrestleDream back in October. Post-match, Danielson once again had his head put in a plastic bag, this time with Wheeler Yuta turning heel and fully aligning with Mox, Claudio Castagnoli, Pac, and Marina Shafir. With that, that brought an end to the full-time career of Bryan.
Will Bryan Danielson Wrestle Again?
While WrestleDream was the end of Bryan Danielson's full-time in-ring career, Danielson previously laid out his intentions to work a limited part-time schedule from here on out, working a select few matches per year as and when there was a suitable reason to lace up his boots.
Unfortunately, Bryan told Fightful in December that it's currently 50/50 whether he'll ever be able to wrestle again, with him undergoing stem cell treatment as he attempts to avoid neck surgery that would almost certainly bring an end to his wrestling career.
Should Danielson be able to at some point resume his in-ring career, albeit on a sporadic basis reserved for the right occasion, there's clearly plenty of meat still on the bone for the Washington native to do something with the Death Riders, particularly Wheeler Yuta. Given the stacked AEW roster, too, there are also plenty of talents who could do something special with Bryan in the right situation - whether that's familiar faces from his past, or fresh faces who he's never faced before.