Daniel Bryan is one of the most beloved wrestlers in WWE history, and certainly in the past decade. When he retired on the February 8, 2016 edition of Raw due to concussion issues, he turned a positive into a negative by talking about how grateful he was for all that he had in his life and all he had accomplish. It’s 18 months later, he’s got a three-month-old daughter Birdie with wife Brie Bella and Bryan has done a good job as the General Manager of Smackdown Live for the last 11 months. We sure miss him on Talking Smack, though!
Anyway, Bryan isn’t that old at 36 years of age because wrestlers often times can go into their 40s, so there are always questions from fans wondering “what if” he is able to come back. Back in March on Talking Smack, Bryan had a classic interaction with The Miz where Miz berated him for not being able to wrestle. Bryan had this interesting line: “I can’t (wrestle) or they won’t let me. We’ll see in a year and a half.” The “year and a half” bit was in reference to his WWE contract expiring, so that would mean around September 2018 in case you’re wondering. Since then, Bryan hasn’t really commented on a possible in-ring return, but his wife Brie did.
Brie appeared on the From the Top Rope podcast this week and spoke about her husband’s desire to wrestle again and even mentioned treatments Bryan has undergone to help deal with his concussion history. Thanks to Pro Wrestling Sheet for the quotes.
“From that moment, which was pretty much two years ago, he has been doing every kind of testing to every kind of experiment you can imagine for the brain. And he actually found one, it’s this oxygen hyperbaric chamber or something.”
Brie added that if the doctors say it’s okay, then she will support it.
“I told Bryan, ‘You do have a daughter, so always remember that. But if the doctors finally give you the green light,’ I go, ‘Go! This is your dream and passion. You have one life to live and I will never hold you back.'”
“Because I love to wrestle, and I would hate if someone told me you can’t do it. And if WWE doesn’t allow it, then I said, ‘Go somewhere else. It’s all on you.’ Obviously he would love to be able to get back in that WWE ring, but I know for a fact my husband is going to find his way back to the ring. He honestly is.”
If Bryan were to leave WWE it would likely be because their doctors may not clear him ever. There would be a lot of risk in allowing him to wrestle again and if WWE is concerned then moving on seems like a strong possibility for Bryan. Whether it’s New Japan, Ring of Honor or elsewhere, there’s no question that a Bryan Danielson (remember, Daniel Bryan is a WWE name) return to the ring would be a huge attraction outside of WWE.
Matt Jackson of the Young Bucks chimed in on the news and made it clear the Young Bucks want to wrestle Bryan.
https://twitter.com/MattJackson13/status/897965257275998208
I’m a huge Daniel Bryan fan, and I’m sure a lot of you are. If he were to return, I would be nervous watching any match because you never know what might happen. It reminds me a bit of Shawn Michaels returning from SummerSlam 2002 from a four and a half year absence after major back surgery. I was nervous watching him, but he managed to work another eight years and retired in the main event at WrestleMania in 2010.
Bryan’s injury is different and it’s also serious, so if he ever gets cleared let’s hope he proceeds with caution. Now that he has a daughter, he has more to think about than just himself and needs to focus on his entire family. Ultimately, the decision is up to Bryan and his doctors, but we know he has his wife’s support.
