When do we start chanting ‘no?’
Two weeks ago, former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan announced on the Money in the Bank pre-show that the neck injury that put him on the shelf and caused him to vacate the championship was more serious than previously thought, and he’d be going in for another surgery. He didn’t know when he’d be back, but he promised that he would, and that when he came back he’d be better than ever.
It might be time to start getting worried about that.
According to Dave Meltzer at the Wrestling Observer, Bryan’s not only undergoing multiple surgeries on his neck … he’s also considering surgery on his SHOULDER. All those compounded surgeries and sad, matter-of-fact statements about him not having any strength in his arms adds up to Bryan being out indefinitely.
The update on Bryan is that he may now also require shoulder surgery, as a full exam has revealed a lot of different shoulder and neck issues. At this point, because of uncertainty as to whether he’ll need surgery and what surgery it could be, he’s out of plans and there is no estimate on when he’ll return. The plan seemed to be the Roman Reigns ascension to being the top guy at WrestleMania 31 whether Bryan was hurt or not, but now the TV is built around Reigns as the major badass.
I’ve picked on Bryan a lot in Best and Worst of Raw columns since his injury, but here’s the truth: I’m doing that to deflect the heavy, heavy sadness of my favorite pro wrestler of all time being on the shelf forever. What happens if Bryan never comes back? What does it mean if the man worked for over a decade to achieve his dreams, only to burn out at his brightest? I know that objectively it doesn’t mean much — WWE’s a business, after all, and the wheel keeps turning — but holy shit is it depressing.
Everyone here at With Spandex wishes the guy the speediest imaginable recovery, and God, if he never recovers, we wish him a life without wincing in pain every time he moves.
