Daniel Bryan Full Interview Breakdown: Neck Injury, Concussions, and AEW Commentary

Daniel Bryan sat down with Chris Van Vliet for one of the most open and emotional interviews of his career. The former WWE Champion spoke with complete honesty about his neck injuries, the long list of concussions that changed his life, and why his current role in AEW looks so different from his past.

He also shared personal stories about his family, his time in WWE, his move to AEW, and how he truly feels about retirement. This interview gives fans a real look at the man behind the Yes Movement, and the journey that shaped him both inside and outside the ring.

In a long and honest interview, the former WWE Champion spoke about his painful neck issues, his many concussions, his move to AEW, his work on commentary, and how he really feels about retirement. He also shared some funny and deep stories about his family, his time with The Miz, and the famous Yes Movement.

Daniel Bryan said he is close to another neck surgery and knows his body is done

Danielson explained that he has degeneration from C one down to T two. In simple words, his whole neck is in bad shape.

He is right on the edge of needing another neck surgery. His last surgery never gave him full strength and mobility back. That is why he wants to avoid a new one if he can.

Life at home makes it even harder. His young son is very playful and often jumps on him. When he had a broken arm, his son kept landing on it by mistake. Danielson laughed about it in the interview but also said that if he ever has neck surgery again, protecting that area around his kids will be almost impossible.

Because of all this, he had to face a hard truth. At one point he still had dreams of wrestling a little. But once the travel picked up, he realised those dreams were not realistic anymore.

Is Daniel Bryan retired

When asked if he is fully retired, Danielson said that he hates the word retired.

He was forced to retire in WWE once before and that left a scar on his mind. He never wants to feel that way again. So he prefers to say that the version of Bryan Danielson that fans remember at his peak simply does not exist anymore.

He admitted that he could see himself doing light fun matches in small places, not on television and not with his old intense style. But he does not think fans would want to pay to see a slower version of him in big main events.

So in his heart, that top level wrestler is gone, even if he will never fully close the door with the word retired.

Daniel Bryan The long history of concussions and scary seizures

Danielson revealed that he has thirteen documented concussions. He believes the real number is likely much higher.

In the early years of his career people in wrestling used to say you just got your bell rung. Many concussions were ignored. Over time doctors learned much more about brain damage and that changed how he looked at his own past.

He also admitted that he suffered post concussion seizures, including one that his wife Brie saw with her own eyes. She made him promise that after the next concussion he would tell the company everything and stop hiding these issues.

When he finally told a neurologist, the doctor put that information in the official report, which of course went back to WWE. That report, plus a scan that showed an abnormal spot on his brain, played a big part in his forced retirement.

He explained that the word lesion sounded terrifying to him at first, like a cut on the brain. Later he learned it was more of an abnormal pattern and not a literal cut. Still, with his history, WWE and their head doctor did not want to take that risk.

Danielson said he understands why they made that call, even if it broke his heart at the time.

Why Daniel Bryan left WWE for AEW

Daniel Bryan revels why he left WWE for AEW First, he still had a deep passion for wrestling. He wanted to push himself one last time and see if his body could handle a more athletic sports based style. He had watched matches like Cody Rhodes against Penta and felt drawn to that kind of pace.

Second, he wanted a lighter schedule for his family. At that time AEW mainly ran shows on Wednesdays. WWE house shows and pay per views would have meant constant travel and less time at home with his two kids. The AEW schedule looked much more family friendly.

He went into that deal fully aware that it would likely be the last wrestling contract of his life.

Daniel Bryan versus Bryan Danielson

In WWE the name Daniel Bryan became a character that fans loved. In AEW he uses his real name Bryan Danielson.

He said that Daniel Bryan is more of a pure character while Bryan Danielson is closer to the real person but still not fully real. When he talks about violence for example, that is part of the character. In real life he is not a man who looks for fights.

One big thing he stressed is how he always adapts to the audience in each place.

In Ring of Honor he wrestled in a way that fit that crowd. In WWE he adjusted to what the WWE audience enjoyed. In AEW he again changed his match style to suit the fans there. In British holiday camps he focused more on pure entertainment for families who were not even wrestling fans.

He feels that wrestling in all those places expanded his mind and skills. By the end of his AEW run in the ring he believes he was the best he had ever been mentally at putting matches together.

Daniel Bryan on The real story behind the Talking Smack segment with The Miz

Fans still talk about the heated Talking Smack segment where Miz yelled at Daniel Bryan about his style and his injuries.

Danielson revealed that he and Miz actually planned that segment together. They checked with each other first about which lines were fine to use. The original idea was for Danielson to punch Miz at the end to blur the lines even more.

During the promo Miz was so good that Danielson changed his mind. He decided it would be stronger to just walk away and let Miz soak in all the focus. Nobody else, not Renee and not Maryse, knew what was coming. Many people backstage thought it was a real argument.

Danielson said he loves creating moments where fans are not sure if what they saw was real or part of the show. For him that brings back a little of the old magic of wrestling.

How Daniel Bryan prepares for AEW commentary and what he has learned

Now that he is on commentary, Danielson treats it as a craft he has to learn.

On show days he walks around in the back and talks to wrestlers about their matches. He spends time in Tony Khan’s office to understand the main stories that AEW wants to tell that night. He also writes a lot of notes, even if he does not use most of them on air.

He has a huge respect for professional commentators. They have to call the action in the ring, push storylines, hit ad reads, know the time for commercial breaks and throw to backstage segments, all while keeping their energy and focus.

He listens to advice from people like Taz, Excalibur and Tony Schiavone. He also studies older commentators such as Jim Ross and Gordon Solie to see how they balanced play by play with storytelling.

Even with the stress, he says he is grateful for this stage of his career and for the chance to learn a completely new skill inside wrestling.

Family life and what really matters to Bryan Danielson

One of the most touching parts of the interview was when Danielson spoke about his family.

He said he feels extremely blessed to have grown up in a house where he knew he was loved. His mother raised him with very little money, worked two jobs, went to college and still gave him time and care. He only realised how hard that was after becoming a parent himself.

Now he wants to give the same feeling of love and security to his own children. He feels that even if he and Brie fail at everything else, if their kids know they are loved, that will be enough.

He also shared that Brie would only return to wrestling in a special situation and most likely as a team with her sister. Part of her would like their kids to see her in that strong light as well, not only as a mother at home.

Danielson practises gratitude every day. He feels thankful for his family, for nature, for real face to face conversations and even for the chance to still work in wrestling in any form.

Final thoughts

This interview showed a very complete picture of Bryan Danielson.

He is a man who still burns for wrestling but clearly understands his limits. He is dealing with serious neck damage and a long history of concussions. He knows that the version of himself who once main evented WrestleMania and wrestled at a wild pace is gone.

At the same time he is calm, funny, thoughtful and full of love for his family and for the art of wrestling. Whether fans remember him as Daniel Bryan in WWE or Bryan Danielson in AEW, this talk proves one thing.

He will always be one of the most honest and passionate voices in the wrestling world.