Bryan Danielson Discusses Injury Sustained In Will Ospreay Match At AEW Dynasty

Last month, All Elite Wrestling fans were treated to a dream match between "The American Dragon" Bryan Danielson and "The Aerial Assassin" Will Ospreay at AEW Dynasty. Before Danielson and Ospreay even locked up, they were greeted with an electrifying chorus of chants. By the end, however, the once positive "holy s***" exclamations had transformed into ones of concern, as Danielson went down with a neck injury. While speaking with Sports Illustrated, Danielson looked back on his Dynasty match with Ospreay, and the injury that came out of it.

"All the risky things were safe," Danielson said. "One of the things I wasn't worried about at all ended up hurting my neck the most. That was when I gave Will a Frankensteiner off the top and he landed on his feet. Luckily, no one was paying attention to me because what Will had done was spectacular. I went straight down on my head."

"I have a history of neck issues. Even just taking a shoulder tackle or body slam is hard on your neck. Then you add more complex moves, like the Storm Driver to finish the match, and if you hurt your neck early in the match, it doesn't bode well for you."

As Danielson mentioned, his latest neck injury occurred while attempting to nail Ospreay with a Frankensteiner. Ospreay ultimately landed on his feet; Danielson landed on his head, prompting a shooting pain to travel down his arm and a compression of several nerve roots. As a result of these issues, doctors recently informed Danielson that he'd soon need to undergo surgery. For right now, though, Danielson is intent on fighting through the pain and competing in his Anarchy in the Arena match at AEW Double or Nothing.