Photo credit: All Elite Wrestling

AEW's Bryan Danielson: 'I See These Next 3 Years as My Last as a Full-Time Wrestler'

Joseph Zucker

All Elite Wrestling star Bryan Danielson has set a tentative timeline for when he plans to wind down his in-ring career.

The former world champion said Tuesday on WFAN's Moose & Maggie, "I see these Next three years as my last as a full-time wrestler."

Danielson, 40, clarified he doesn't intend to retire altogether when those three years are up but that he sees this period as the last in which he'll be able to perform at a high-level week in and week out.

He went on to discuss the conflict he feels between balancing his career and home life, especially after having taken time off prior to his AEW move. His daughter, Birdie, recently started preschool:

"Her whole life, I've left almost every week, but me being home every night, she loved it and I loved it. Now, when I FaceTime her, she's like, 'Daddy, I miss your cuddles, mama doesn't cuddle me like you do!' and that kind of stuff. That was part of the idea of maybe stepping away until my son starts preschool, but then you wonder if I'm missing years of my productive career, and I might not be the same at 45 as I am at 40."

The dilemma may be particularly acute for Danielson since he has already had to briefly retire. He walked away in 2016 after experiencing health issues tied to concussions he had suffered throughout his career.

Because of that, fans have come to appreciate Danielson's presence a little more when he came back in 2018.

His comments Tuesday provide another reason to savor his AEW run before he inevitably takes a step back.

   

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