Bryan Danielson Discusses Biggest Changes He’s Seen In Wrestling Since He Started In 1999

Bryan Danielson was recently interviewed by ABC Action 6 News, and he discussed a variety of topics, including the biggest changes he’s seen in wrestling since he started 1999, how wrestlers are having longer careers, and much more. Here are some of the highlights (via Wrestling Inc.):

Bryan Danielson on the biggest changes in wrestling from when he first started in the business in 1999: “So I think the biggest change is from a wrestler standpoint, it’s the focus on health amongst wrestlers and the decreased drug use, like when it comes to steroids, painkillers, all that kind of stuff. You look at AEW, I don’t think Kenny Omega drinks or doesn’t drink very much. I don’t think the Young Bucks drink or drink very much. CM Punk is straight edge. I’ve never drank in my life. You have all these top guys who not only not do steroids, do not do painkillers, or whatever it is, they don’t even drink. Obviously, there’s nothing wrong with drinking, but, that’s a huge culture shift from what wrestling was. And I think a lot of us saw the decline of past wrestlers and the early deaths.”

On how the changes help wrestlers have a longer career in this era: “You talk to a lot of the guys, and a lot of them now have kids, and what their goals are. We want to be healthy, not only healthy dads, but we want to be healthy grandparents. So that’s a major culture shift and it’s a major cultural shift in the sense of how we take care of ourselves. When I first got into wrestling, you would see guys do a couple squats and then just go out there and wrestle. Now, I’ll start warming up an hour before my match. But you see the same thing in the NFL; you see the same thing in the NBA. That’s why Tom Brady is able to perform at such a high level (at age 44) or LeBron James is able to perform at such a high level at (36 years old.) We’re all taking care of our bodies and our minds better so that we last longer, but so that we’re healthier when we’re done wrestling.”