Over the past few months, Daniel Bryan has been telling pretty much everybody who interviews him that he feels great, and intends to wrestle again, even if WWE won’t allow him in the ring again due to concussion issues. In a recent interview with Sport 360, he reiterated his stance.
“WWE might be thinking that but I feel great. I feel like I’m ready to wrestle. If they called me to wrestle tomorrow I would. It’s just a matter of getting cleared. I’ve had a long history of concussions, so they are a bit hesitant to get me back.”
In most recent interviews, Bryan also talks about having his own doctor, who has tested him and cleared him to compete. Bryan elaborated on what those tests are, and what he’s learned about concussions throughout his recent trials.
“We [WWE] have an impact test which they have in a lot of sports. It’s a 15 minute test that measures your brain function. Now I have even more extensive tests. I did a two hour neuropsychological exam. This means if they think I have a concussion, they would first have me check with the doctor, then have me doing the impact test, to make sure it’s up to par with my previous impact test, then do a neuropsychological evaluation, which is a two hour pen and paper test.
They have all these ways to check my brain function. What they are finding out about concussion, is not the amount of concussions you have, it’s about how your brain heals after it. Learning all this has made me confident in my ability to recover.”
Even if Bryan does return one day, he’s hung up for at least the short term, so what’s he been filling his days with now that he’s not wrestling?
“Wrestling is the way I express myself creatively, not being able to do it has made me frustrated. I’ve tried to transition this into gardening but it’s not the same. I’m working on it though!”
I now desperately want a WWE Network special where Daniel Bryan quietly chants Yes! to his zucchini while wearing a floppy straw hat. He grows the Best Watercress in the World!
via Sport 360
