Bryan Danielson's AEW Contract Expires Before ALL IN: London

Is Danielson headlining Wembley Stadium without a contract?

By Liam Crowley

Bryan Danielson's swan song has begun. Back in 2023, The American Dragon announced that 2024 would be his last year as a full-time wrestler, noting that he was going to step away from the ring to spend the majority of his time with his family. Over the subsequent months, Danielson began to check off major milestones, battling Zack Sabre Jr. in their dream technical bout, fighting Kazuchika Okada in the Tokyo Dome at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 18, and competing for CMLL at Arena Mexico. Still ahead of him is a headlining bout at AEW ALL IN: London, as he is scheduled to challenge Swerve Strickland for the AEW World Title inside Wembley Stadium.

Bryan Danielson's AEW Contract Expires Before ALL IN

TONY-KHAN-AEW-BRYAN-DANIELSON
(Photo: AEW)

It appears that The American Dragon will fly into Wembley Stadium on a handshake deal.

In an extended cut of his AEW Dynamite interview, Bryan Danielson revealed that his "wrestling contract" with AEW is set to expire on August 1st, over three weeks before AEW ALL IN: London.

"That's true," Danielson said when asked if his AEW contract expires next month. "August 1st, actually. Next Thursday, my wrestling contract is up, which also happens to be my son's fourth birthday."

Danielson specifying "wrestling contract" indicates that he has another AEW deal that will remain active after August 1st. Danielson has long been praised for his leadership in the AEW locker room and has received applause from AEW President Tony Khan for his involvement in fleshing out AEW storylines. Similar to CM Punk, who was under both a talent and a "consultant" contract, Danielson likely has his on-screen and behind-the-scenes roles divided into two contracts.

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"I'm not trying to use my contract to be like, 'Oh, I'm gonna get all the money. Somebody give me all the money.' Yeah, my contract is up August 1st," Danielson added. "When I signed this contract, me and [my wife], we talked about how this would be the last wrestling contract I was gonna sign. Part of me is wondering what life is like after this. Part of me is excited about that. But right now, even though Wembley is after this, I still have to focus on that. That's got to be kind of my focus."

Danielson headlines AEW ALL IN: London on Sunday, August 25th.

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