Due to brain problems related to dozens of untreated concussions, Daniel Bryan retired from pro wrestling at the age of 34. There's a lot I could say, but Dave Meltzer said it so good in his daily column that I'm pasting it here instead:
Daniel Bryan to announce retirement
by Dave Meltzer
I wish the best of luck to Bryan Danielson tonight in his retirement speech hope everyone wishes the best for him in his post-wrestling career. To me, Bryan Danielson was both a model pro wrestler and far more than that, a very intelligent and very honest human being.
He reached the highest rung in this profession in 2014 even when his look and size based on previously established standards of the business would have said it was impossible. Unlike many, his rise to the top was entirely fan-driven, and I hope all those fans understand that whatever decision he has made is based on what he believes is the best for him in the long run.
It will be a long time before people fully understand the contributions he made to this industry, which is a far better place because of his involvement. There were things dating back to 2001 that he was involved with that changed the underground foundation of the industry, and over the past few years, significantly changed talent evaluation at the highest level of the industry.
Change is slow, to be sure, but this is a different industry and he played a huge part in it. When you really look back, from an influence standpoint, he triggered a number of changes and his contributions are actually enormous.
