While it’s been nearly a year since Bryan Danielson wrestled his last match, it appears “The American Dragon” will be a mainstay on AEW programming moving forward.
Over the weekend, AEW owner and president Tony Khan announced that Danielson will be joining the commentary team for AEW Dynamite on a full-time basis.
After disappearing from AEW television for the better part of the last year, the 44-year-old had reemerged for sporadic cameos on commentary in recent months before Khan formalized the role.
Starting this Wednesday,@bryandanielson The American Dragon will join the
Wednesday Night #AEWDynamite
commentary team full-time!Welcome back Bryan on Dynamite this Wednesday Night,
+
See you on@TNTdrama And/or HBO Max
8pm ET/7pm CT
For Saturday Night #AEWCollision
TONIGHT!!— Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) September 6, 2025
Best known for his run as Daniel Bryan in WWE, Danielson first joined AEW as a free agent in the summer of 2021. After spending three years as a wrestler in the company, he won its world championship at last year’s All In event before losing it to Jon Moxley in a match in which his status as a full-time competitor was on the line.
While Danielson has previously expressed a desire to wrestle occasionally, he is also dealing with a neck injury, which could ultimately require surgery. Speaking to Fightful earlier this year, the Aberdeen, Washington, native expressed at least some doubt as to whether he’ll ever wrestle again.
“My priority is my health. I think of the odds of me wrestling again ever are probably 50/50 at this point because my desire is to not get neck surgery,” he said. “If I could live comfortably without neck surgery, but it means that I wouldn’t get to wrestle again, I think I’d be OK with that trade-off. I’ve had neck surgery before and it wasn’t a good experience.”
As for his commentary career, Bryan Danielson is as much of a natural in the broadcast booth as he was in the ring, which is certainly saying something for one of the best pro wrestlers to have ever lived. And regardless of whether he’s ever able to wrestle another match, his presence on AEW broadcasts will certainly be a welcome one moving forward.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.