Bryan Danielson sees the end is near.
After his victory over Brody King in the main event of Saturday night’s “Winter Is Coming” special edition of AEW Collision on TNT from the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, TX., “The American Dragon” spoke about his looming in-ring retirement.
“Usually you guys catch me while I’m meditating, but I wasn’t meditating because I was getting yelled at by Doc Sampson,” he said. “I know when I get back to the locker room, I’m gonna be getting yelled at from my wife. When I get home tomorrow, my daughter is gonna see me and cry. My son, he’s going to say, ‘Argh! Matey!’ and then try to hit me in the eye, but I know what’s coming. My wife’s going to ask me, ‘Why?’
“The answer is also a question,” he continued. “‘What are you going to do with this one wild and precious life?’ For me, I’m going to fight. That’s what brings me joy. That’s what makes me feel alive and I’ve got it for less than a year now. I can feel the end coming, but the end’s not yet. I’m still in the game. I still have a chance to make it to the semifinals of the Continental Classic. Do you know how long I’ve wanted to be in a tournament like this? With these men, somebody like Brody King, just going after me knowing I’m hurt and going after me with everything that he’s got. Do you know how much I love that? It might hurt but I love this.”
Also during the post-match interview, the Blackpool Combat Club member spoke about his upcoming Continental Classic tournament showdown against fellow BCC member Claudio Castagnoli.
“Next week, me and Claudio, a man that I’ve known for over 20 years. Do I think that he’s going to go after my eye given that we’re friends, given that we’re teammates? I damn well hope he does. Because that’s how we train in the BCC. Because I don’t want to win this with people going half-assed. If you’re getting in the ring with Bryan Danielson you better give it everything you got because, Claudio, next week, I’m bringing everything I’ve got.”
Check out the complete video of the Bryan Danielson post-Collision interview below. H/T to Fightful.com for transcribing the above quotes. Also below is special off-air footage of Danielson addressing the crowd in the ring after Collision went off the air.
EXCLUSIVE: No matter what state he is in, @bryandanielson is bringing everything he's got in the #AEWContinentalClassic#AEWCollision pic.twitter.com/YukqzHW6d2
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) December 17, 2023
