As sad as it is to see Daniel Bryan make his retirement official, his “Yes!” to retirement means we will get to have him around a long time. Medicine and pro wrestling have come a long way, and we should all be thankful the WWE has become so hawkish about head injuries. Thanks to the work of Chris Nowinski and others, a man like Daniel Bryan can see the real danger to his life and make the wise choice. No, we won’t see another Daniel Bryan Wrestlemania moment, but Daniel Bryan will be healthy enough to enjoy watching his kids grow up, and we will enjoy seeing his smile and hearing him share stories for many years to come.
Of course if you really, really want to see more Daniel Bryan, you can. Any of his greatest moments are enshrined on the WWE Network, and there are many more you can discover courtesy of Ring of Honor, CHIKARA Pro Wrestling, The Wrestling Road Diaries documentary, and others. Do a Youtube search for Bryan Danielson or American Dragon, and see what you missed before Daniel Bryan’s emergence on NXT.
Thank you, Daniel Bryan, for the incredible impact you had on the business. See you down the road.