Daniel Bryan announced today, via Twitter, that he will retire due to injuries.
Due to medical reasons, effective immediately, I am announcing my retirement. Tonight on Raw, I'll have a chance to elaborate. #gratitude
Bryan’s announcement that he would be retiring on Raw has shocked the world in much the same way that former WWE star Edge’s surprising retirement surprised everyone back in 2011. It just isn’t fair to Bryan that a seemingly in-his-prime superstar can be entertaining millions one day and then be forced to retire the next.
Although Bryan had remained adamant about wanting to get back in the ring and has even been given the green light by multiple non-WWE doctors to wrestle again, the WWE had remained steadfast in its desire to keep Bryan on the sidelines, perhaps a result of recent developments in ongoing concussion-related lawsuits that the company is currently facing.
Through it all, Bryan made it clear that even if he’s wrestled his last WWE match, he would continue his in-ring career elsewhere once his WWE days are over. Unfortunately, it appears that Bryan has reached a point where he sees the writing on the wall and realizes that wrestling anywhere is no longer an option.