No one (except Ric Flair) wrestles forever. Everyone hangs up their boots at some point, or at least takes a step back from their grueling in-ring work — something Bryan Danielson is almost ready for.
On the Sept. 9 episode of AEW Collision, Danielson said that he is almost ready to end his full-time wrestling career, as he had promised his daughter that when she turned 7, he would begin to wind down his in-ring work. It means one of this generation’s top talents only has so much time left to frequently dazzle in the ring, which might be why a dream match between him and Zack Sabre Jr. will happen at WrestleDream in October.
While Danielson’s time as a full-time performer is winding down, count Jon Moxley as someone who doesn’t think the former WrestleMania headliner will ever stop wrestling. He discussed his Blackpool Combat Club teammate’s future in an interview with ESPN Cincinnati 1530 (h/t Fightful for transcription):
I find it hard to imagine a world where a healthy Bryan Danielson stops wrestling at all, but I definitely feel like he’s a hundred percent serious saying he wants to wind it down and not be wrestling as frequently, on the road and being away from his kids every week. I one hundred percent buy that, it’s true. I find it hard to imagine him actively being [for sure] he’s never going to wrestle again, I find that hard to imagine, not saying it couldn’t happen.
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Moxley also recognized how fortunate everyone is to witness Danielson’s wrestling, likening his greatness to Terry Funk and Michael Jordan’s careers.
We’ve seen people be here one day, and their careers are over the next. Every time you get to see these greats wrestle — Terry Funk was here a couple weeks ago, now he’s not. Any time you get to see these greats wrestle, you should really stop and pause and think about how fortunate you are to be seeing this. Once Michael Jordan retired, you can’t turn on the TV and watch Michael Jordan play basketball anymore. You got a chance to see Bryan Danielson on Dynamite, you know, stop and pause and really enjoy it while it’s here, because you’re enjoying something special.
Danielson’s time as a full-time performer might only last for a few months, so fans of his now have an opportunity to embrace his work before he leaves weekly wrestling television.