Bryan Danielson undergoes surgery, out ‘until later in the year’

AEW confirmed today that Bryan Danielson has had surgery to repair a broken orbital bone. 

Danielson sustained the injury in a match against Andrade El Idolo on the October 21 edition of AEW Collision. However, he still wrestled the following Wednesday in a tag team bout on AEW Dynamite. 

A report from Sports Illustrated earlier this week stated Danielson would need surgery, something AEW was originally hopeful he could avoid. Tony Schiavone then revealed on today’s AEW Control Center that Danielson has now had the surgery and is expected to be out until “later in the year.” 

“He’s undergone surgery,” Schiavone said on the show. “He’ll be out until later in the year.” 

Danielson’s injury puts his possible participation at NJPW Wrestle Kingdom into question. This was addressed earlier in the week on Wrestling Observer Radio by our own Dave Meltzer. 

“It may be touch and go if he had surgery for January 4,” Meltzer said. “Hopefully, he can do it. Hopefully, he can finish the next however many months it is. He didn’t put a timeline on exactly when next year he’s going to be done. In theory, his contract would be over in September. Obviously, Tony could extend it but he’s not going to be a dirty guy in this situation if Bryan wants to be finished.”

In AEW storyline, Danielson’s injury was caused by either an Orange Punch from Orange Cassidy or the Rainmaker from Kazuchika Okada that Danielson took last Wednesday. Following the bout, Danielson was seen clutching his face as medical personnel attended to him. His Blackpool Combat Club teammate, Claudio Castagnoli, has said he’s out for revenge when he challenges Cassidy for the AEW International Championship on tonight’s show.