Daniel Bryan’s comeback is one of the most heartwarming stories in the history of sports entertainment. After being forced to retire in 2016 because of head injuries, he made his in-ring comeback last year looking better than ever.
His return could be short-lived, however, as he’s already planning his retirement from full-time competition in the near future. As quoted by WrestleTalk , he recently told the Bellas Podcast about his intention to step away from the squared circle.
“My retirement from full-time wrestling which will be coming up sooner rather than later in the next couple of years, that probably won’t mean retirement for [Brie Bella] for how busy you are. It will probably be me taking on more of the parental role, and so depending on jobs and that sort of thing, that’s been a nice switch in society that can happen.”
It’s worth noting that Bryan only announced his intention of retiring from full-time wrestling, so it’s highly possible that he will remain a wrestler on a part-time basis. His decision also appears to have been inspired by his family life with Brie Bella, as he wants to be around to raise their children.
Desperate times. Unlikely alliances. @WWERomanReigns & @WWEDanielBryan are on the same page heading into their battle with @ERICKROWAN & @LukeHarperWWE THIS SUNDAY at #HIAC ! pic.twitter.com/JW3S8ek7d9
— WWE (@WWE) October 5, 2019
Now that he’s been given the chance to perform at a high level again, he seems to be more at peace with stepping away from wrestling. When he finally does decide to hang up his boots, it will be on his own terms.
At the same time, if he continues to wrestle part-time, his appearances will feel more special and WWE can promote him as a star attraction. One of the biggest criticisms thrown towards WWE is the overexposure of superstars, so having one of their most popular performers only show up every so often will keep him exciting in the eyes of the fan base.
If Bryan’s career is almost over, fans will be sad to see him go. Since making his comeback, he has reinvented himself as a heel and even won the WWE Champion. In recent weeks, though, he’s gradually been moving towards another babyface turn after being betrayed by his old tag team partner, Erick Rowan.
At tomorrow’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, he’ll team up with Roman Reigns to take on Rowan and Luke Harper. The feud stems from a series of attacks on Reigns that were committed by Rowan, but Bryan was implicated until his former partner attacked him and came clean about being the true culprit.
