Bryan Lloyd Danielson was born in Aberdeen, Washington, on May 22, 1981,[7] the son of therapist Darlene and lumberjack Donald "Buddy" Danielson.[8] His mother was pregnant with him for over 10 months.[8] He has an older sister named Billie Sue.[8] His father's job moved the family to Vernal, Utah, then to Albany, Oregon, before they returned to Aberdeen.[8] His parents divorced over his father's alcoholism when Danielson was a child, though they remained on good terms.[8] During his childhood, Danielson was shown a professional wrestling magazine by a friend, and has been a fan of wrestling ever since.[9] He considered himself shy and antisocial as a child and teenager, but still competed in sports such as football and track and field.[8][10] To help his mother support the family after his parents' divorce, he and his sister both delivered newspapers as children, and later worked at McDonald's as teenagers.[8] For a brief time in high school, he lived with his father in Castle Rock, Washington.[8]