Daniel Bryan spoke with Sports Illustrated about his current medical status, concussions and more.
On his current condition he said the following:
“I’d like to return to the ring tomorrow,” said Bryan. “It’s not an issue of how I feel—I feel great—it’s an issue of getting cleared. That’s a process that is somewhat out of my hands. I’m trying. I don’t want to push, push, push. I’ve made my statement to WWE, but they’re going to listen to their doctors. I’m trying to do it as soon as possible, but they’re looking out for my best interests, so I’m trying to be a little bit patient with them.”
On his desire to return to the ring following the last few years being plagued with injuries:
“I really don’t know life without wrestling,” said Bryan, who stressed that he is in an excellent condition in terms of his health. “I’ve taken all these neuropsychological exams, and my brain, right now, is healthier than most people my age who’ve never even had a concussion.”
On comments made by Bret Hart saying that his career was over:
“Everybody’s situation is different,” said Bryan. “Bret’s situation was different than my situation. With my history of concussions, the WWE wants to protect me, so I’ve had to take a lot of neurological testing. I’ve been cleared by my neurologist in Phoenix, who was the neurologist for the Super Bowl. So it’s just a matter of getting cleared by WWE doctors. Obviously they’re concerned for my health with the history that I’ve had.”
Bryan discussess the process to get cleared from a concussion:
“They take a baseline test when you are 100% healthy, testing your neurological capabilities,” said Bryan. “The first thing you do after a concussion is take another impact test. It’s a pretty thorough process. The issue for me is that, after the concussion, my symptoms stayed a little longer than they should have. Typically the symptoms only stay about a week, but mine stayed for over three.”
Daniel Bryan discusses wrestling with a detached retina In Ring of Honor, his greatest inspirations and more. You can read the full interview by going here.
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