When Daniel Bryan returned to WWE at the beginning of 2018 from what was believed to be a career-ending injury, it was a moment of genuine emotion that was felt throughout the entire wrestling industry.
Daniel Bryan did spend 3 years on the shelf between 2015 and 2018 due to his neck injuries leading to nerve damage and his struggles with concussions. However, when he returned in 2018, he cited his wife, Brie Bella, as a driving force. Now, it appears Bryan will soon be looking to give back to Brie as he says his full-time career as a wrestler will be winding down when his current WWE contract expires.
Speaking on The Bellas Podcast, Daniel Bryan revealed that WWE has agreed to give him six weeks off for paternity leave when Brie Bella gives birth to their second child in the summer of 2020. Daniel Bryan would then go on to say that he's not sure he wants to continue as a full-time wrestler once Brie gives birth again and would note that following the completion of his current contract with WWE, he can see himself in a scenario where he only wrestles once a month or once every other month.
Credit to Fightful for the following transcription:
"WWE has been great. They're going to give me six-week paternity leave, which so few places in the US do that. So I'll get to be home those first six weeks. After that, it's not long until my contract is up. We've been talking about what we do from there. To me, in my mind, it's almost like, I think I'm done being a full-time wrestler. I love being a dad. I will always love wrestling and I will always want to do wrestling. But when I say 'always want to do wrestling,' that means maybe once a month or once every couple of months."
Daniel Bryan's love for professional wrestling has been a frequent topic of discussion ever since Brian was forced into retirement in 2016. Daniel Bryan freely admits that he came very close to leaving WWE and exploring other options just to be allowed to compete in the ring once more. When WWE cleared him in 2018, everything changed. Currently, Daniel Bryan has a three-year contract, which he signed in 2018 upon returning to action.