Tommy Dreamer & Thunder Rosa Assess The Physical Toll On AEW Champ Bryan Danielson

The health of Bryan Danielson has been a repeated topic of discussion over the last year, especially as he's faced a number of injuries. One of the biggest concerns lies within the issues surrounding Danielson's neck, which has caused the veteran performer to experience numbness and shooting pain down his arm. On a recent episode of "Busted Open Radio," former AEW Women's Champion Thunder Rosa and ECW legend Tommy Dreamer assessed the physical toll that Danielson has endured, specifically as he heads into what could be his final full-time-level match at AEW WrestleDream.

"He was very open in a lot of the interviews that he's recently done and talks about, especially on the [Kazuchika] Okada [match]," Thunder Rosa said in reference to Danielson's interview with "Uncrowned." "There was a part that I read where he says that he was kicking Okada, but he couldn't feel his legs and he couldn't feel the movement. Because our bodies are so used to doing certain things, he could just keep going.

"Then there was another occasion where his arm fell asleep as he's hitting his opponent. They explained to him that a lot of this pain and a lot of this numbness comes from his neck. And as he's mentioned, he has had a lot of neck problems. So now, as you mentioned earlier, we think this is going to be his last match because of how injured he is at the moment."

According to Danielson, his neck issues are so bad that he will likely need surgery before the end of the year. In the meantime, though, Danielson reigns as the AEW World Champion under the vow that if and when he loses the title, he will step back from full-time action. With this in mind, Thunder Rosa asked Tommy Dreamer what he'd do if he were pinned in the same situation as Danielson.

Rather than living and trying to push through a surplus of pain, Dreamer noted that he would immediately wrap up his wrestling career. "Once I start feeling like all these exercises that I have to do [to relieve the pain] sometimes aren't working, it's like, 'Alright, it's time to call it a day,'" Dreamer said.

Dreamer also pointed out that as performers get older, recovery after big matches is much more extensive, both in time and effort. Additionally, constant traveling can also take a toll on one's body, especially as they age.

"Bryan's looking at his 'one day' [of fixing his neck] real, real soon," Dreamer said. "It's sad too because you want our wrestlers to one, you want us to stay young forever, but two, you want to see them perform all the time. You're like, 'Stop telling daddy not to go to work, Birdie. We want him.' But we understand that there's the real life of this too." 

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.