EXCLUSIVEBryan Danielson reveals 2024 will be his 'LAST full-time year in the ring' and explains what he plans to do in AEW once he hangs up his boots... but the 42-year-old says he is still holding out for a Wembley showdown with one legendary rival
- Danielson was forced to retire at age of 34 after suffering multiple concussions
- He has since said he doesn't want to officially retire but he won't wrestle full-time
- Bryan Danielson was 'the face' of an AEW committee that FIRED CM Punk
Bryan Danielson has shed light on his retirement plans and what life could look like after a 24 year career in wrestling.
The 42-year-old AEW star has hit the headlines in recent weeks for his role in releasing CM Punk from the company.
Danielson has been serving on a committee which includes AEW General Counsel Chris Peck and an outside attorney.
Now, the former WWE wrestler has said it has given him an idea of what role he can take on as he hangs up his boots at the end of next year.
Asked by Mail Sport's Alex McCarthy about his retirement, Danielson replied: 'Yeah, 2024 will be my last as a full-time wrestler.
Bryan Danielson has revealed that next year will be his final as a full-time wrestler
'After being forced to retire I don't ever want to, necessarily in my mind, say I'll never wrestle again.
'You take UK wrestler Johnny Saint right? I think it was 2009 I got to wrestle him, he's a legend in my mind and in the wrestling community but by the time I wrestled him he had to have been close to 70.
'He did a six person tag team tournament and I don't want to discount the idea that I could keep doing these, you know less physical matches, as I get older.'
Commenting on his role in the AEW committee, he added: 'It's not something I get paid for. I'm just like the other wrestlers in the sense of I don't have a contract outside of being a wrestler contract.
'But I was honored to take on more when they asked me to take on more roles backstage. That sort of thing that's something that I'm kind of looking at, going forward as far as like, what other things could I do besides being in the ring that could help? So yeah, so it's been good.'
The American fighter has said his generation of fighters have an 'affinity' with Wembley
Danielson has hinted at wrestling his rival Nigel McGuiness in an epic showdown at Wembley
But, it appears Danielson is not so ready to hang up his boots as he confirmed he is still holding out for a Wembley showdown with a legendary British rival.
'Maybe one day I can get a rematch with Nigel McGuiness at Wembley. I know Nigel was really big on it last year but I at the time I wasn't sure if he could hang with me.
'Now, he has worked his ass off and got himself in great shape, since then my health has a little bit deteriorated, so now I see that as a real possibility.
'He and I had some incredible matches that comparatively few people saw right like when you're talking about like the matches we had in 2006 through kind of 2009, the Internet wasn't what it is today.
'Or generation has such a nostalgia for Wembley and especially UK wrestlers, especially Nigel, has talked about the summer slam in 1992 and as an American I never even thought I'd see Britain, so I've just marvelled at this thing.'
