Bryan Danielson failed to beat MJF for the AEW World Championship in a 60-Minute Iron Man Match at Revolution this past Sunday. The score was tied between the two at 3-3 after the hour time limit, prompting Tony Khan to send the match into sudden death. It looked like “The American Dragon” was going to endure all of Max’s cheating attempts, only to get smacked in the face with an oxygen tank the medical team had brought down to the ring when the match initially ended. Friedman then locked Danielson in the LeBell Lock, and even though Danielson was initially starting to power out of it Max never broke the hold and eventually forced a submission.
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While Friedman gave a victory speech in a backstage interview that aired on Dynamite, Danielson’s post-show comments were full of tears and regret. He explained, “When I woke up, my first instinct was to f—ing fight. And as I was fighting, I realized I can’t feel my arms. And my left leg didn’t have any strength anymore. And when Max said after the Iron Man Match I wouldn’t be able to play with my kids it dawned on me. He was right. I was putting myself before my family. More than tapping out, that made me more ashamed than anything else. It’s time for me to go home.”
That last line posed a big question for fans — what’s next for Danielson? There’s no indication that he’s retiring from in-ring action or heading back to WWE, but his future in AEW is now unclear. Here’s what fans have been saying since Danielson’s heartfelt promo:
