Bryan Danielson addresses possibility of in-ring return
Bryan Danielson isn’t ruling out the possibility of an in-ring return, but his increased travel schedule has been a reality check for him.
In September 2025, Danielson took on a new role when he joined the AEW Dynamite commentary team on a full-time basis. It’s a job that Danielson enjoys, but being on the road every week has taken a toll on his injured neck. He told Undisputed that, before starting the commentary job, he was having “delusions” of wrestling a couple of times per year. The commentary role has made that less likely.
“The traveling is so hard on my neck,” Danielson said. “Once I started traveling again, I went back to sleeping four-and-a-half hours a night. There was a point around Forbidden Door [last August] that I had delusions of wrestling a couple matches a year. After traveling for commentary, I don’t see how it would be possible. And that’s without bumps.”
Danielson said he was having trouble sleeping for about a year after facing Will Ospreay at AEW Dynasty 2024. His neck pain would wake him up after only a few hours. Adam Copeland recommended a physical therapist that Danielson should see, which proved to be a “game changer” until Danielson started to get back out on the road for commentary.
“In April of 2025, Adam Copeland sent me to his physical therapist,” Danielson said. “He said the guy was a miracle worker. This guy worked on me for two days in a row, six hours each day.
“After the first night, I slept nine hours straight. After the second night, I slept eight hours straight. After that, I was sleeping seven or eight hours almost every night. That’s a game changer for how you feel.”
Danielson ended his full-time career in the ring in October 2024. Whether he’ll ever wrestle again remains to be seen. He would like to avoid ever having to undergo surgery for his neck injury.
“I don’t close it off,” Danielson told Undisputed about a potential return. “Maybe…
“The traveling itself is so taxing, so I don’t know. We’ll see.”
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.