In a recent interview with Besa Gordon, former AEW World Champion Bryan Danielson shared his thoughts and emotions as he prepared for a highly anticipated title defense at WrestleDream in his home state of Washington.

Danielson expressed the significance of returning to the Tacoma Dome, the very place where he first experienced the magic of live wrestling as a child. ‘Yeah, I'm super excited. Coming back as AEW World Champion to my home state, and coming back to the Tacoma Dome specifically because that's the first place I ever saw live wrestling when I was nine years old. So this is, like, nostalgic." he shared.

The interview delved into Danielson's ongoing neck injury and its impact on his career, as well as his complex relationship with his WrestleDream opponent, Jon Moxley. During the interview, Besa asked about the state of his friendship after Moxley's recent attacks on the former champion: “Are there any friends in wrestling.” Besa asked Danielson, who said, “So you think there should be friends, right? I mean, I've known Jon Moxley for, gosh, I want to say, since 2007… You're talking 17 years. I've known this man, and we became good friends. Obviously, we were a group for the last couple of years in AEW, so we trained together and worked together. But then, when your friends turn your back on you, that can be tough, but throughout human history, friends turning their backs on each other is a common story from the beginning of time.”

Despite the physical and emotional challenges, Danielson remains focused on defending his championship and delivering a memorable performance for his hometown fans. He also touched on his future plans, reiterating his promise to his daughter to step back from full-time wrestling once his reign as champion ends. However, he hinted at a continued involvement in the industry, stating, "There's always more to accomplish...from an artistic perspective."

Unfortunately, Bryan did not come out with a win over Jon Moxley at WrestleDream, resulting in in losing this title, making Jon Moxley the new AEW World Champion, and forcing Bryan into retirement from being a full-time wrestler. 

Besa concluded the interview with a message of support, "I cannot wait to see what you end up doing next because you're not going to go away fully."

Did you watch WrestleDream? What do you think about Bryan going into retirement?

Photos by Jordan Somers on behalf of Converge Media