Bryan Danielson Says He Landed on His Head in Will Ospreay Match, MRI Confirmed It Was Time to Step Back

Bryan Danielson is opening up about the real reason he decided to take a step back from in-ring action—and it all traces back to his brutal match with Will Ospreay at AEW Dynasty 2024.

While speaking at Starrcast, Danielson admitted his neck, which had already been a long-term issue, deteriorated rapidly after that match. Though he’s made limited AEW appearances since losing the AEW World Title at WrestleDream, Danielson knew something was wrong and it started with a mistake he blames himself for.

“After the Ospreay match, I knew it was time to step away from the ring. My neck has been bad for 10-plus years. I had a neck surgery in 2014. My neck never really came back to where it was before. I was always kind of in a little bit of pain, and then after I wrestled Will — Will is such an incredible athlete, and I am such a stupid man… He can do things that nobody I’ve ever wrestled can do, and because he can do things that nobody I’ve ever wrestled can do, I put myself in a position where I didn’t actually know what I was doing and didn’t ask him what I should do, and so then I landed on my head, and then from there, my neck just got progressively worse.”

That match wasn’t the only red flag. After his Owen Hart Cup bout with Shingo Takagi, Danielson got an MRI—and the results made him rethink his future entirely.

“I’d gotten an MRI right after the match with Shingo that was in the Owen Hart Cup last year and the MRI was not great, and yeah, I questioned whether we should even do what we were going to do.”

The physical pain started affecting his personal life, including his ability to sleep. Danielson reached a breaking point, realizing he had to prioritize his health and his family.

“It was at that point and then I stopped being able to sleep for more than three or four hours at a time and then it just got to a point where I was just like, ‘Okay, I can’t go on like this…’ I have two relatively young kids and when you talk about, okay, where you put your focus, where you put your attention is the most important thing in your life, right? Am I putting my focus and my attention on these kids who need me and who need to be loved by me?”

Bryan Danielson’s words are a reminder of the toll professional wrestling takes—and how even the best know when it’s time to put family and health first.

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