Timetable For Bryan Danielson's AEW Return Revealed
The American Dragon is expected back in an AEW ring this October.
AEW is currently without one of its top stars. This past June at AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door, Bryan Danielson suffered a broken arm en route to his main event victory over Kazuchika Okada. The injury could only be described as a freak accident, as it occurred while Danielson was taking an elbow drop, a maneuver that targets the chest. Initial diagnosis labeled the injury as a fracture and gave Danielson 6-8 weeks for his recovery timetable, but further analysis revealed it to actually be a break, meaning the American Dragon would be on the shelf for much longer.
Latest on Bryan Danielson's AEW Return
The American Dragon is nearing his AEW comeback.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Bryan Danielson is "expected back in October." It's unclear as to if this means he will be back on AEW TV in October or if he will be wrestling again next month.
"There is a little more clarity as to when Bryan Danielson will be back from his injury," AEW President Tony Khan said in early August. "I'm very excited to get Bryan back. I don't want to put a timetable because it's a challenging injury and a tough recovery, but I'm very confident Bryan will be back later this year. Bryan, I'm very confident you'll see in a matter of months."
If this timetable goes unchanged, this would mean that Danielson would be back come AEW WrestleDream, a newly-announced AEW pay-per-view created to honor the late Antonio Inoki. AEW WrestleDream goes down on October 1st in Danielson's hometown of Seattle, Washington.
Despite the setback, Danielson remains in high spirits. During a recent podcast appearance, Danielson noted that he enjoyed testing his limits in the ring immediately following the injury.
"He did an elbow drop to me off the top rope. It ended up breaking my arm. I wrestled another ten minutes with a broken arm, which the doctor said made it worse. That said, I find a certain joy in doing things that are hard," Danielson said last month. "Even though it probably caused me a little bit more damage, I got more value out of it that it happened versus if it had not happened."
Bryan Danielson's Pronounced AEW Role
Outside of the ring, Danielson is a big piece of the larger AEW puzzle. Alongside Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho, Danielson is looked at as a locker room leader and is credited with helping boost morale when it was reaching all-time low levels in Fall 2022.
Beyond his implied leadership role, Danielson works closely with Khan in creative.
"Bryan and I have had a very close relationship since he came to AEW," Khan said in a prior interview. "He's one of the most intelligent people I've ever known. He has a great mind, and I love talking to him about stories, matches, ideas and psychology. I work with a number of people closely to bounce ideas off, and Bryan has been involved with us in the office more than ever lately. He had some very complimentary things to say about our relationship and working together, and to receive that type of praise from someone I respect so much, those are quotes I'd want on my tombstone."