Summary

MJF compared Bryan Danielson to Tom Brady while discussing their 60-minute Iron Man match from AEW Revolution 2023.

He said Danielson is currently "soft retired," but suggested that status may not last because of Danielson's drive to keep competing. Danielson has not worked a full-length match since October 2024, though he has still appeared physically during AEW programming, including a Busaiku Knee to Wheeler Yuta at AEW All In Texas.

In late 2025, Danielson also said neck pain was making weekly travel difficult during his AEW commentary run.

Quote from MJF

"That’s like a Tom Brady-level. I would say he’s Tom Brady level. He’s definitely GOAT status. He’s like soft retired right now. I don’t know if he’ll ever come out of retirement. He’s a sicko so he probably will, because he can never get enough, much like Brady, and he’s definitely — if you talk to wrestling fans and you say, ‘Who’s one of the greatest wrestlers bell-to-bell, all-time, GOAT?’ They’ll say Dragon."

Bryan Danielson's AEW status after MJF's comments

MJF's description puts Danielson in a familiar AEW holding pattern, absent from full matches but still important enough to be protected for major moments. If Danielson's neck and travel situation improve, his next full in-ring appearance would immediately become a major AEW story because of how long he has been away from full-length bouts.

Another implication is timing. A deliberate return window would let AEW position Danielson for a high-impact feud or marquee match rather than bringing him back in a lower-stakes slot. The broader trend of wrestlers leaving the door open to one more run also surfaced recently when Corey Graves said he does not expect to wrestle again soon, but would consider the right offer.

Sources

As reported by Fightful.