WWE News: Daniel Bryan Says It’s ‘Borderline Painful’ To Be Around Wrestling

On February 8, Daniel Bryan retired from in-ring competition in professional wrestling. While doing so, he retired from the WWE as well. It was a solemn day in the wrestling world as Bryan was beloved by everyone that saw him wrestle. Even for those that didn’t, his “Yes” chant still went viral and is still used by sports organizations around the country. He left his mark on the world of sports by simply being himself. February 8 remains a sad day for WWE fans.

Since that day, Bryan hasn’t stepped foot in a WWE ring, nor has he appeared on television. Bryan said he wanted to step away from the business altogether. It was reminiscent of Edge’s retirement, who had to retire for health concerns. After celebrating Christian’s first-ever World Heavyweight championship victory, he walked away from the WWE for a long time. In fact, he showed up for a promo with John Cena over a year after his retirement to promote the Brock Lesnar match Cena had coming up that year.

Bryan is only a few months into his retirement, so expecting him to be involved in a big program, or even to make an appearance, was a long-shot. According to a recent article by the Inquisitr, Bryan is returning to the WWE for the first time to host the Cruiserweight Classic with Mauro Ranallo. It can’t be easy for the Aberdeen, Washington-native, as he has been doing power-lifting and finding ways to keep himself busy.

Despite the numerous projects Daniel Bryan is taking on, in a recent interview with the Daily World, he said that it is borderline painful to be around pro wrestling.

“It has been good, but it is weird, because my life had been so busy before retirement,” he said. “Now, you have all of this extra space and time. Because I was forced into retirement and not wanting to retire, I have to keep my mind away from wrestling. It is borderline painful. Okay, so how do you fill your mind when you have filled it with this one thing for so long?

“I’ve experimented with gardening. I love it, but you don’t love it like that,” he said. “A part of my mind hasn’t accepted it. I wake up sometimes with dreams of wrestling. This literally happened to me (the night before the speech). I was in Las Vegas and I flew in. I woke up this morning from a dream where I was going to wrestle and I’m not. I have to remind myself at times.”

It’s no surprise that it is tough for a guy like Bryan, who wrestled for 18 years. When someone is around an activity they love for so many years, it’s completely normal to feel attached when the time came to quit. For Bryan, it was very hard to walk away. He’s said that in interviews multiple times before. That’s exactly why he has remained distant from wrestling, especially the WWE.

Where does Bryan go from here? Since he can’t wrestle anymore, the WWE can still cash-in on him on Total Divas or spot appearances like the Cruiserweight Classic. It will be a treat for WWE fans, as Ranallo is the best announcer they have and Bryan knows most of the wrestlers in the tournament. He will be able to provide astute analysis, as well as give the fans excitement for the event.

After this tournament ends, will the WWE try to court Bryan into coming back to the WWE full-time in a non-performer role? It is highly doubtful, simply from of what he said in the quote above. It’s borderline painful for him to be around the WWE without actively wrestling. It’s unfortunate, because Bryan being a manager or GM in the WWE would be fantastic.

[Image via wwe.com]