Bryan Danielson describes scary injury concerns during AEW Dynamite match

Bryan Danielson admits he lost power during his recent AEW Dynamite match with Kazuchika Okada.

On the 5th Anniversary Edition of AEW Dynamite on October 2, Bryan Danielson faced Kazuchika Okada in a Champion vs. Champion match. While Danielson’s AEW World Championship was on the line throughout the match, Okada’s Continental Championship was only in contention for the first 20 minutes of the bout.

In the end, Danielson was victorious, but since it took him 32 minutes to defeat Okada, he was unable to win the continental championship.

In a new interview with Anthony Sulla-Heffinger for Uncrowned, Bryan Danielson admitted that he started losing strength in his legs during the match, an indication that his ongoing neck problems were once again rearing their ugly head.

“In the middle of the game I started to lose strength in my legs. There’s a point later in the game where I try to kick him and I can’t get my kicks off. This is something I have the body mechanics to do because I’ve been doing it for so long, but here I am and I can’t turn my hips for this kick.

When I got to the back, I immediately went to the trainer and they worked on me for about 30 minutes. They said it was from the neck brace. We come to a point where we physically see the signs. I didn’t sleep well because I had stabbing pain in my arm.”

Bryan Danielson is “mentally ready” to retire

Bryan Danielson has made it clear that his time in the squared circle is coming to an end, and in the interview he goes on to say that his current physical condition makes the decision easier.

“It would have been really hard to finish wrestling if I was feeling great, right? I love it so much, I still love it so much. I go out there and it’s a rush, when I’m out there I don’t feel any pain. On Wednesday I just noticed it and that’s when I realized I didn’t have the strength in my legs that I normally have. That’s where it gets pretty difficult.”

Danielson also compared his impending retirement to when he was forced to step away from competing in WWE in 2016.

“I can tell the difference [in retirement scenarios] just by my emotional state. It was this big, discouraging moment when they told me I couldn’t come back [in WWE]. It was like that part of me almost died. With that said, I honestly feel like I’m mentally ready, and that’s partly because of my physical difficulties. Then, Brie [Garcia, Danielson’s wife] and I was married but didn’t have kids yet, so we didn’t have the life like we have now where I love coming home and being with my kids.”