It’s been a long, confusing, kind of depressing journey for fans trying to understand the exact nature of the injuries keeping Daniel Bryan out of action. When Bryan was pulled from action in April, most assumed it was because he reaggravated the neck injury that kept him out for most of 2014, but there were also rumors the issue was concussion-related. WWE’s new “we don’t talk about injuries” approach to talking about injuries meant we got no clarification from the company holding Bryan’s career in their hands.
Well, after months of speculation, Bryan himself finally laid out the entire situation in detail on Busted Open Radio. Turns out the issue is indeed concussion-related…
“Well it’s actually not a neck issue, my neck is completely fine. It’s more of a concussion issue. Everyone is more aware of concussions and that’s why, with WWE, I don’t see what they’re doing, as far as making me go through all these hurdles, I don’t see that as a negative. They’re protecting me and especially in this era of concussion awareness. Brie at first was like, ‘Hmm, I’m not sure, given your history.’ But when we met with the neurologist in Phoenix and we went through all the testing and he said, ‘OK, all of my testing is not just coming back good, it’s coming back excellent.’ As far as my brain right now, it’s at a level above most people who have never had a concussion my age. When you are looking at scores of like: Bad, poor, fair, good, great, excellent — it’s at those great-excellent levels. So all of that to say, [Brie] had gone from being very skeptical about it to being very supportive of me being able to wrestle again.”
Bryan also said he’s still slightly weak in his right arm, and that he may never be up to full strength. The injury he dealt with in 2014 may have done permanent damage to the nerves in his right arm, so even though his neck is fine, his arm will always be slightly weak (he says it’s about 85 percent of his left arm). Bryan also set the record straight on how his head injury occurred. Many suspected it happened in a pair of particularly rough matches Bryan had with Luke Harper and Sheamus shortly before he was pulled from action, but according to Bryan that wasn’t the case.
“It’s funny because Steve Austin reached out to me, and was like, ‘Those suplexes Luke Harper was doing, you need to cut that crap out.’ It wasn’t that. It was just a random thing, on the European tour. When I split my head open [in a Smackdown match with Sheamus] it was from headbutting Sheamus. Sheamus just has a really hard head.”
So, it sounds like Daniel Bryan feels he’s ready to return to the ring, but WWE still isn’t letting him. What happens if WWE never gives him the go ahead? Well, it Bryan says we will see him in a ring again, with or without WWE’s blessing.
“I told them, regardless of them, if they won’t clear me…we’re independent contractors, in theory, and I WILL wrestle again. I am cleared by the neurologist in Phoenix that I’ve been going to see. It’s not like he’s a quack doctor. He was the neurologist for the Super Bowl, who has no problems in clearing me with no limitations. But you also have to understand that WWE is not only looking out for my best interest, but they have to look out for their company as well, and I understand all of that too. There is nothing vindictive or anything, there’s just a lot of hurdles to go through at this point with getting cleared by WWE. I had a sit-down with Vince and Hunter about this and said, ‘Hey, this is my passion. I understand why you guys wouldn’t clear me but we only get, as far as we know, one life. And you’re not going to let me do my passion?’ “
It’s hard not to be worried that Daniel Bryan might be pulling a Kurt Angle and making bad decisions in the name of “passion,” but I think he came across as very clear-headed in this interview. If he says he’s in good enough shape to wrestle again, I’m inclined to believe him. You can watch the Busted Open interview below and then judge for yourself…
(Via Wrestling Inc. and Busted Open Radio)
