"Since I was forced to retire, I do that in my matches" - Bryan Danielson reveals secret ritual

Bryan Danielson shocked the world when he returned to the ring in April 2018 after suffering what was believed to be a career-ending injury in April 2015. The former Daniel Bryan left WWE in May 2021 and five months later he debuted with AEW. Ahead of tonight's major dream match, Danielson has just revealed a secret in-ring ritual.

The American Dragon is set to face Will Ospreay later tonight at AEW's inaugural Dynasty pay-per-view. Despite their lengthy careers, Danielson and Ospreay have never locked up in the ring but that will change tonight in St. Louis after the two have feuded since before The Aerial Assassin returned to the company as a contracted talent earlier this year.

Bryan Danielson spoke with Sports Illustrated to promote Dynasty and revealed a ritual he's done during each match since returning from retirement. It was noted that tonight's bout is important for multiple reasons, including the fact that the 42-year-old will cherish this memory as he wraps his in-ring career up.

"I’ll close my eyes during the match so I can feel what wrestling him [Ospreay] feels like. Ever since I was forced to retire, I do that in my matches. Soon, I’m not going to feel that on a regular basis. I want to capture it in my memory. All I’ll have to do is close my eyes, and I’ll be there," Bryan Danielson said.

Will Ospreay is going into Dynasty with a five-match winning streak since returning to AEW. He's defeated Konosuke Takeshita, Kyle Fletcher, Katsuyori Shibata, Powerhouse Hobbs, and Claudio Castagnoli.

Bryan Danielson's last AEW singles match was a Dynamite win over Lance Archer on April 3, but over the last two weeks he and Castagnoli have picked up Collision tag teams wins - over Fletcher and Hobbs on April 13, then over Fletcher and Takeshita last night.

Potential AEW Dynasty spoilers on Bryan Danielson and others

The inaugural AEW Dynasty pay-per-view will air live tonight from Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Missouri.

The final betting odds have been released for Dynasty, and they hint at a major title change. The Young Bucks are currently favorites to win Ladder Match for the vacant World Tag Team Championship, meanwhile, Bryan Danielson is the underdog going into the pay-per-view.

The full Dynasty card and all updates can be found on Sportskeeda Wrestling. The event will begin tonight at 7 pm ET with the Zero Hour pre-show.

Three matches have been announced for the pre-show - Matt Sydal vs. Trent Beretta, Shane Taylor Promotions vs. Orange Cassidy and Katsuyori Shibata, plus the Winners Take All match between ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions Bullet Club Gold and AEW World Trios Champions The Acclaimed.