Bryan Danielson reflects on ‘very pleasant’ 2025
Bryan Danielson’s first year since retiring as a full-time wrestler was a “very pleasant” one.
Appearing as a co-host on the latest edition of the Nikki & Brie Show, Danielson reflected on what the past year has been like. When asked about big moments he had in 2025, Danielson said this year was more about spending time with his family. He’s gotten to coach his son’s T-ball team and teach his daughter how to ride a bike.
“I don’t have any specific moments that were just like, ‘Oh, wow, this’ or ‘Oh, wow, that.’ It’s just been a very pleasant year,” Danielson said. “I was done full-time wrestling and got to be, like, I got to coach Buddy’s T-ball team. I get to be home more with the kids regularly doing stuff. This happened — I think this happened this year — finally teaching Birdie to ride her bike. It was because I was able to be home more and physically do it with her. And then one of my favorite things ever is just riding bikes with her now…
“With Buddy, it’s just been so much fun because he started to get really into the things that I’m into. Like, he loves martial arts, and he loves wrestling, and he loves that sort of thing. And sometimes it turns sour real quick. But, yeah, those have been great things.”
Danielson added that he’s also been able to spend more time with his mother due to being home more often.
“The general pleasantness of my life has greatly increased, just being at home with everybody,” he said.
Danielson did not wrestle any real matches in 2025, but he has been on the road more often lately since becoming a full-time commentator for AEW Dynamite. He started in that role in September, and the travel has been difficult on his injured neck.
It remains to be seen whether Danielson will ever wrestle again. In 2026, the thing he’s looking forward to most is watching his children progress at the activities he’s been doing with them.
“I look forward to doing more things with the kids,” Danielson said. “Especially as they get older, they’re getting, I mean, they’re just getting so independent and able to do these — like some of the hikes that I was able to do with Birdie and Buddy this last year. And even in this coming year, I think they’re going to be able to do more longer bike rides.”
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.