Serious health update on Bryan Danielson after full-time retirement from AEW - Reports

AEW WrestleDream brought a new chapter of uncertainty to the career of Bryan Danielson. The veteran star dropped the World Championship to Jon Moxley amid serious health concerns, adding to the questions surrounding his future. Sources have now revealed a major update on Danielson and plans from the All Elite creative team.

The American Dragon was dethroned by The Purveyor of Violence in the 27-minute WrestleDream main event. The Blackpool Combat Club destroyed Danielson after the match to send him out on a stretcher, and his full-time in-ring career ended due to the match stipulation. Danielson's health had been a recent focal point, and he dealt with significant issues during the match with Kazuchika Okada 10 days prior.

Danielson is currently scheduled to undergo an MRI in the near future, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. The procedure will help Danielson and his doctors decide what the future holds for the 43-year-old.

Doctors will also determine if Danielson needs neck surgery. The MRI will reveal the damage done to his neck since the last MRI he underwent not too long ago, which confirmed damage all the way down Bryan's neck. His in-ring future will depend on the level of damage, whether it's the same as it was when he underwent the last MRI, or if it has worsened, and if so, by how much.

There's optimism that Danielson will not need surgery, and that stem cell treatments will help him heal up to the level he needs to be at. Danielson will need to go back under the knife if stem cell therapy does not work. If and when Bryan is able to return to the ring will depend on how well everything goes with doctors and the aforementioned procedures.

It was reiterated how AEW officials, and Danielson himself, have always considered the WrestleDream match to be the end of his full-time career, and not the end of his career overall. However, the former WWE Champion has stated that he wasn't sure if he'd ever wrestle again once dropped the championship.

Surgery would obviously keep Danielson out of the ring for a lengthy period, if not for good. Sources recently reported that there are no concrete plans for Danielson to return to the ring as he's focused on his family and his health. However, it was noted that the door is not closed on more matches for the ROH Hall of Famer.

Why Jon Moxley is AEW World Champion

Darby Allin won his second Royal Rampage match back in the summer to earn a guaranteed future title shot. He was set to challenge for the AEW World Championship but lost the title opportunity when suffering a Grand Slam loss to Jon Moxley.

Tony Khan's original plan for AEW WrestleDream 2024 was for Allin to dethrone Bryan Danielson of the World Championship. However, The Wrestling Observer adds that officials wanted to use Moxley and The Blackpool Combat Club to try and generate fan interest in the overall product.

The decision was made to put as much heat on Moxley and his crew as possible, to help boost interest, so AEW officials changed directions at WrestleDream. This led to Moxley defeating Danielson instead of Allin.