Daniel Bryan admits “it was really weird” when he ended his WWE retirement in 2018

Daniel Bryan (aka Bryan Danielson) opened up on coming back from retirement during his time in the WWE in 2018. The American Dragon also revealed his mindset before returning.

After achieving great heights in the WWE for a few years, Daniel Bryan was unfortunately forced to retire in 2016 due to a neck injury. Fortunately, Bryan got medically cleared to compete just two years later in 2018, as he returned to action in a match at WrestleMania 34, where he teamed with Shane McMahon.

During an interview with Chris Van Vliet on Insights, Bryan Danielson opened up on returning from retirement in 2018 after being trained by Shawn Michaels and how he was not nervous:

“When I came back in 2018, it was really weird. Because I was trained by Shawn Michaels, he told the whole class, The day that you stop being nervous before you go out there is the day that you need to retire, right? When I came back from being forced to retire, I thought that first match I’d be nervous, and I wasn’t. I was just happy, and I never really got nervous before a match again," Bryan admitted. [H/T chrisvanvliet.com]

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Daniel Bryan on being nervous during an AEW match

Daniel Bryan made his move to AEW in 2021 and has been known as 'Bryan Danielson' ever since. In the same interview, Danielson disclosed how he was nervous before his match against Kazuchika Okada at Forbidden Door 2023:

"There was one match that I was nervous for, and that was the match I had with Okada at Forbidden Door in 2023. The only reason why I was nervous is because it was a five-hour show, we were on last and we had to follow Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay. I watched that match and I was like, Oh no. Then there’s still two more matches, and then me and Okada have to go out there," Bryan revealed.

Danielson is currently in the regular commentary role in AEW after retiring from full-time wrestling.