There comes a time in every WWE superstar’s life where their career has rounded the turn heading toward the end. A few years ago, Daniel Bryan’s career was resurrected after a long medical retirement. After two years of being back in the ring, he is again getting ready to take time off — this time for paternity leave.
Bryan revealed on The Bellas Podcast that WWE was giving him “six weeks of maternity leave” once he and wife Brie Bella welcome their second child later this year.
He continued on to say that after his leave, it would not be long until his contract was up. He shared that he’s hit the point in his life where being a full-time wrestler is no longer for him. With the injuries he has suffered throughout his career combined with the birth of his second child on the way, fans may not be surprised by this move by Bryan.
It was in February of 2016 that Bryan medically retired from the ring due to neck and back issues, in addition to the 10 concussions he suffered while wrestling. For years he worked at getting healthy and trying to find doctors that would medically clear him for a return to the ring, but he kept getting shot down. On March 20, 2018, he was back in the ring for the start of the second run of his career.
Now, fans may begin wondering just how much more of him they will get before he decides to retire again.
While Bryan loves professional wrestling, he has started thinking of the next phase in his life.
“We (Bryan and Brie) have been talking about what we do from there, but to me…in my mind…it’s almost… Well, I think I’m just done being a full-time wrestler, you know what I mean?” he said.
Bryan shared that he would be content with wrestling once a month or “once every couple of months” after his second child is born. This would be along the same lines as what guys like Brock Lesnar and Edge are doing. Lesnar has been a part-time wrestler for years, while Edge’s recent return is limited due to WWE not wanting to take any chances with his health.
With WrestleMania 36 around the corner, Daniel Bryan is not yet scheduled for a match on the card but it may still happen. Fans are going to have to take in every second that he’s in the ring since time off for the fan-favorite superstar is coming up soon, and the end of his career may not be too far behind.
