The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, especially in professional wrestling. There’s a reason the words, “card subject to change” appear on every wrestling poster you’ve ever seen. Plans change, issues arise, and people get hurt. That was the case when World Wrestling Entertainment presented their Extreme Rules event. One of the advertised matches for the card was WWE Intercontinental Champion Daniel Bryan defending against the former champion, Bad News Barrett. It never ended up happening, and perhaps it shouldn’t have been booked in the first place.
Daniel Bryan has been hurt for quite some time now, and has been working through the pain despite the risk of aggravating his injuries. To their credit, WWE has done their best to protect him by keeping his matches limited to mostly tag team encounters, but should he even be active if he’s hurt? More importantly, should he even have come back?
Daniel Bryan has what’s known as a fighting spirit, meaning when it comes to pro wrestling, he will give all of himself, every time, consequences be dammed. He’s had this fighting spirit his entire career. In 2006, while competing for Ring of Honor Wrestling and defending their World Championship, Daniel separated his shoulder in a match against Colt Cabana. He took little time off and continued to wrestle until he lost that championship months later. In 2007, his retina detached in a match with the monstrous Takeshi Morishima. An injury like that is a career ender for some, but not for Daniel Bryan. He had a quick surgery, then went to war with the Japanese destroyer.
This fighting spirit would come into play again last year, after a whirlwind journey to become WWE World Heavyweight Champion ended with a serious neck injury. Bryan would later reveal on Chris Jericho’s Talk Is Jericho podcast that during this time he waited as long as he could before deciding that time away from the ring was necessary. He wouldn’t return to action for months as fans, and Bryan, anxiously awaited his medical clearance.
Once he came back, Daniel showed no ill effects of his surgery, but underneath the surface, more trouble was brewing. Shortly after competing for, and winning, the WWE Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 31, Bryan was either set up in tag matches or taken off shows all together in an effort to protect him. Less than six months after his return, Bryan is back on the shelf. It must give pause to fans, WWE, and Bryan himself about the very real possibility of retirement for a man who headlined WrestleMania last year.
With head and neck injuries becoming real career killers in the last 10 to 15 years, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Daniel Bryan hang up his boots. In the last few years guys like Edge, Christian, and others have walked away when they might have had a few good matches left. They’ve adjusted and Bryan could too. Even if Bryan felt like the wrestling business is all he knows, he could still have a place in WWE.
Outside The Ring
Daniel Bryan is considered by many to be one of, if not the best technical wrestler in the world. If you have someone like that on your roster, wouldn’t you want to utilize their skills and knowledge for the benefit of other stars who could need it? There’s an old saying that goes, those who can’t do, teach. It would make perfect sense for WWE to reassign Daniel Bryan as a trainer at the WWE Performance Centre. Not only does Bryan have years of experience, but it’s a job he has done before. Some will remember that for a period of time, Bryan was the head trainer of the Ring of Honor Academy, so he could easily transition to the change. Plus he wouldn’t be lonely, as his former ROH friend Sara Del Rey is coaching the women in NXT. Somehow the two working together to train the next crop of WWE superstars is an exciting prospect.
Daniel Bryan isn’t known for being much of a talker, but there’s no denying that he knows how to connect with the crowd, and his YES chant has caught on in big ways. If WWE wanted to continue using him on screen, there could be potential in having him in a non-wrestling on screen role. I’ve espoused before the benefits of having Bryan as General Manager for Raw, with his popular catch phrases being used to make his decisions feel like true people power. There’s also the possibility that with his YES and NO chants that he would make an excellent cheerleader, and perhaps even a good manager. Zeb Colter hasn’t been seen in months, and Paul Heyman won’t be around forever. If Bryan wants to learn to be the best manager he can, he will find a way. He just needs an opportunity.
Of course, there are other avenues within WWE that don’t follow the traditional route. With the WWE Network, Daniel could serve as the host to any number of WWE shows they wish to present. Bryan is already a sort of a television star from his time on Total Divas, it would be easy to build on that foundation and give Bryan his own show to host. WWE has been partnering with several other podcast programs to do live interview specials, and I’m still amazed that WWE has yet to break into the world of podcasting. Daniel Bryan is media savvy and a guy the WWE Universe innately trusts. He could be the missing piece to this podcast puzzle.
Still, there are other possibilities for Bryan that don’t happen to be in front of the camera. WWE is a massive global entity, and they’re continuing to make inroads to other countries around the world. Bryan is a world traveler who is intelligent, charming, and upstanding. He would make a fantastic ambassador for WWE, whether it be in new international markets or maybe helping finding potential candidates for the Warrior Award. Bryan’s underdog status makes him the perfect WWE representative for those who have overcome insurmountable odds to achieve greatness. One only needs to see his time with Connor Michalek last year to know Bryan’s compassion is very real, and making a positive impact is important to him. His YES chant could become more than a catch phrase, it could become a rallying cry for those that need someone to champion their cause.
Back in the Ring
Although all of these options are hypothetical’s in which Daniel’s in ring career is over, there is a very likely possibility that Bryan could continue wrestling for years to come, with a few adjustments. WWE has done their best to protect Bryan while hurt by putting him in multi man matches. If he can’t recover to the point where he can be a successful singles star, then perhaps Bryan could rejoin the tag team ranks and do his best to elevate that division. With his former partner Kane seemingly set to become a fan favorite again, why not reunite Team Hell No? Both men could be nearing the end of their careers, this would put less of a burden on them physically, while still being active. Kane isn’t the only option for Bryan in terms of partners however. It may be better for Daniel to hook up with a young guy who could not only benefit from his experience but do the heavy lifting for their team. Many have speculated that new sensation Neville could be the man to take over Daniel’s underdog status, who better to learn from? If WWE wanted to introduce Hideo Itami in an impactful way, having him team up with former partner Byran could give him a great introduction.
There is also the possibility of an in ring career for Bryan outside of WWE. The WWE performance schedule is absolutely gruelling, and it could be a big reason why Daniel’s return to the ring has been stalled with complications. It is incredibly taxing on one’s body. Bryan was a star before he came to WWE, and if he chose to walk away from them, he would still be a star. If Daniel wants to continue his career for another five to ten years, his best option might be to leave WWE and operate on a schedule a bit more accommodating to his body. Bryan is the kind of performer that wants to give 110% every time he wrestles, and if his body is truly breaking down, then a more independent schedule may allow him to continue making money while putting in the energy to his craft at the pace he can physically handle. No matter if it’s Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Ring of Honor, Lucha Underground, overseas tours, or all of these promotions, Daniel Bryan would be a star.
Although these scenarios could very well be in the future for Bryan, it is as likely, if not more so that he just needs more time to recover. The human body is a marvellous miracle, incredibly intricate and despite its durability, can also have very fragile parts. Neck and shoulder injuries have to be taken seriously, otherwise you end up where Daniel Bryan is right now. Perhaps Daniel’s biggest enemy in all of this has been his greatest ally in the past, that being his dedication, passion, and desire. He wants to be in the ring so badly that he didn’t wait long enough to properly heal. No one can fault him for this, but obviously he isn’t ready to be back on the full time WWE schedule. With that in mind, he might just need more time. Most major neck surgeries we have seen from past WWE superstars have lead to the competitors being out for over a year. Daniel Bryan came back in just 7 months. When Edge was out with a neck injury in 2003, he wrote a book and continued to work on things like acting. This has served him very well in his post wrestling career. Bryan is already working on a book, so perhaps he needs to find another passion while away. Something to not only keep him occupied while he heals, but also prepare him for the very real eventuality of life after wrestling.
Daniel Bryan: Breaking Point
I am a big fan of Daniel Bryan, and as a fan of Daniel Bryan almost nothing would make me happier than to see him come back to the WWE and perform. That being said, as a fan of Daniel Bryan the thing that would make me happiest would to have him live a long, healthy life, one hopefully as pain free as possible. There is a common fear among pro wrestlers that if they take too much time away from the ring that they might lose their spot or be forgotten. That’s a legitimate fear, as the wrestling business is a fickle mistress, and the same is true of those pulling the strings, and buying the tickets. Roman Reigns is the perfect example of a guy whose time away crippled his momentum. It is easy to get caught up in that mentality, but one must not lose sight of the bigger picture. Daniel Bryan used to use the catchphrase “Snap or Tap”. Maybe it’s time Daniel tap out, because the alternative isn’t pleasant to think about.
