It's surreal to think that in 3 months, it will mark the second anniversary of Daniel Bryan's clearance to return to the ring. By the time WrestleMania season comes around, it will have been two years since his in-ring return.
Time certainly flies in WWE and Daniel Bryan's transition back from retirement started rough, but he proved why he's among the very best in the world, even having a heel run for about 11 months or so.
On The Bellas Podcast in a fairly recent episode, Daniel Bryan revealed that he doesn't have too long as a full-time wrestler. He said:
“My retirement from full-time wrestling which will be coming up sooner rather than later in the next couple of years
New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE
It's sad but seems to be the right decision to make given that matters surrounding his health are still fragile. He always needs to go for a medical evaluation after every single match to make sure that he's ok. Here are a few reasons why he plans to retire from full-time wrestling in two years.
Also read: Edge's in-ring return being discussed backstage
#5. Family life
Nikki Bella was the first in that family to confirm her full-time retirement from wrestling due to various injuries. Brie Bella, on the other hand, has the door open to her return but has been busy with her podcast, her wine collection, and her designer collection as well.
She has a lot of things going for and Daniel Bryan knows that a long-term run on the road will make him lose out on many precious years of his daughter Birdie growing up. Ultimately, it's all about family and we have to respect any wrestler's wishes for wanting to spend more time with them.
Family will always be more important and that's a fair reason to call it quits.
#4. He's on borrowed time
The reality is that many Superstars in WWE are going to have a much shorter career than we anticipate. With regards to Daniel Bryan, it has been clear for a long time now that he's on borrowed time.
The fact that he was able to even make that comeback and achieve what he did speaks volumes of his mental strength but what he never told anyone apart from the necessary people is that he is likely on borrowed time.
He knows that there's only a certain extent up to which he can wrestle full time and stay healthy. At some point, it may catch up and Bryan knows that the longer he stays as a full-time wrestler, the higher the risk of him suffering a serious life-threatening injury.
As a result of this, two years is probably the window that he has given himself and WWE as his shelf-life as a full-time performer. If he goes beyond that, it could be argued that he would be pushing his luck.
We have seen many instances before of superstars going on way longer than they are physically capable of and in a few tragic instances, it ended sadly.
Also read: 6 big mistakes WWE made at Hell in a Cell 2019
#3. WWE doesn't want him to push his luck
WWE was the biggest obstacle when it came to Daniel Bryan's in-ring return. He had gone to all corners of the United States of America and consulted some of the biggest CTE and Neurological experts. From every single one, he was medically cleared to compete.
Also read: Renee Young responds to CM Punk return rumors
However, Dr. Joseph Maroon, WWE's Doctor based in Pittsburgh, was the one who refused to clear him. Daniel Bryan openly stated that he held nothing against WWE for doing so, understanding that their main concerns were his health and they didn't want to be responsible for him suffering a potentially life-threatening injury in the ring.
Moreover, the company has the PR factor to think about, which is very important whether people agree or not. It wouldn't be a very good look for WWE if they cleared him to return only for him to prematurely retire again.
Perhaps this is why they run a test on him after every match and ensure that he's perfectly fine. WWE simply doesn't want to push his luck and probably was on-board with the decision of him being a full-timer for two more years.
#2. Not too much left to achieve
Daniel Bryan is a multi-time World Champion in WWE. His last reign with the title was his longest, which is a bit surprising, but he probably would have had longer reigns had it not been for his continual injuries.
Apart from a few odd things like the Royal Rumble and King of the Ring, Daniel Bryan has achieved virtually all there is to do in WWE. He has reached the mountaintop, he has main-evented WrestleMania and at this point, it appears as though he's less in it for the championships and more for his legacy and love for wrestling.
This is great for fans because we get to see Bryan take on many dream opponents and get into all kinds of different feuds. His heel run, for example, was something that nobody expected to see. People forget that Bryan is still at his very best and can pull out some new tricks from the bag that we are yet to see. That's what makes him a one-of-a-kind talent.
#1. Other pursuits
Daniel Bryan has a job for life in WWE if he wants to. Having a great wrestling mind, he can be a backstage agent or even a trainer - a role that he will undoubtedly thrive in. However, he has various other passions and pursuits outside of wrestling that he would like to try out and in all likeliness, it could simply be that he wants the time to pursue these things.
It would be a much safer role from a physical standpoint and he can stay at home or in a stable place with his family without having to constantly be on the road. When you're on the road with WWE, it's a grueling schedule in its own right and it's easy to burn out. It's passion and love for the business that keeps people like Bryan going but ultimately, that can only go so far.
Hopefully, he takes up a nice trainers role when he's done and begins coaching in the Performance Center. He's a wizard in the ring and would be perfect to help pass on his knowledge to the next generation. Even a role as an analyst or commentator would be perfectly suited to him.
Also read: 5 reasons why WWE told The Undertaker he "wasn't needed" for the SmackDown FOX Premiere
Also read: 5 ways Paul Heyman has drastically changed Monday Night RAW
Follow Sportskeeda Wrestling and Sportskeeda MMA on Twitter for all the latest news