One of the most emotional moments in WWE in the last few years was Daniel Bryan announcing his in-ring retirement. He made the announcement in front of his home crowd in Seattle. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house and #ThankYouDanielBryan was trending all night.

Many fans didn’t buy it. They thought it was WWE being overly cautious. Bryan admits having had over a dozen concussions. We know what head trauma can lead to and why WWE has taken steps to ban moves that lead to concussions. Bryan still believes he can wrestle and continues to stay in peak physical position. However, so long as he’s under a WWE contract, he won’t get into a ring to compete.

But, the American Dragon’s contract expires sometime next year, leaving him a free agent. Bryan has revealed in an interview with Sports Illustrated that he still has that desire to get in the ring.

“I’m working on it,” said Bryan. “Wrestling is more of a creative outlet, and especially for somebody like me, I view it as my creative outlet. Not all WWE superstars and not all wrestlers view it that way, but that’s how I view it and that’s one of the ways my mind works creatively.”

What did Daniel Bryan mean?

This is an ambiguous statement, but the context is clear. Bryan has mentioned in the past that once his contract is up he’d like to return to the ring somewhere. I don’t think he needs to wrestle again. He’s done a lot of damage to his brain and his body already. He can stay with WWE and be connected to wrestling AND make a lot of money to provide for his wife and child. If he does decide to leave WWE, the line forms to the left on promotions that will want to sign him.

Adding to the intrigue, after Cody Rhodes won the ROH title, Daniel Bryan sent out this tweet hinting at a potential match…in a year and a half

Ring of Honor, New Japan, and even Impact would pay him untold sums of money to appear on their shows. But should we do it? I think not. He’s had a long, storied career. He has nothing to prove and no one to impress. But that isn’t what it is about for him. He loves wrestling. He loves the art and the sport of it. I can only voice my disapproval, but at the end of the day, he is the one that has to make the decision.

I just hope he makes the right one for him and his family.

Should Bryan stay out of the ring? Share your thoughts.

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