Bryan's Future

[Jack-Hammer]

Over the course of this year so far, there've been various Daniel Bryan threads in regards to how he's being used, how he should be main eventing WrestleMania again, how he shouldn't be main eventing WrestleMania, what WWE needs to do with him, etc. and it's generated no shortage of theories.

According to a report from earlier today via PWInsder, the reason why Daniel Bryan's spot isn't as high profile this year or WrestleMania is due to WWE officials being concerned about his health. The report alleges that Bryan chose to undergo a unique form of rehabilitation for his injury last year and there is a strong fear within WWE that his injuries could become reoccurring issues due to the rehab he did. There's concern that the rehab Bryan chose is not a long-term permanent fix and just a short-term fix that could cause the problems to relapse. Furthermore, Bryan's situation was compared by one source to Kurt Angle having several non-invasive surgeries on his neck years ago but over time Angle ended up having a lot of other issues stemming from the neck injury. The article also suggests that it isn't that WWE officials don't view or consider Daniel Bryan to be a big part of the company, they're just uncertain as to exactly what's what concerning his neck issues.

Now, I'm not entirely certain what sort of rehab Bryan underwent, I forget exactly who the physician is that Bryan saw for this rehab, or the details surrounding it. I only remember that he said that what he was doing prior to undergoing this new form of rehab simply wasn't producing results. Now since his return, Bryan doesn't look to have slowed down whatsoever and a good many of us have raked WWE over the coals for him not being in the title spot for WrestleMania this year despite that he's the most over babyface in the company.

At the Royal Rumble and in the weeks afterward, I know that I hadn't really stopped to think about the position WWE management was in. According to Bryan himself, the night he announced his intent to enter the Royal Rumble was the very same day he was given a green light by doctors to return to action. So here we are, a few weeks before the official beginning of WrestleMania season and the most over guy in the company announces that he's been cleared to compete after spending three fourths of a year undergoing surgery and therapy to treat a neck injury causing him to lose strength and sensation in one of his arms. Realistically, as much of a fan of Bryan as I am, I can understand the hesitation. I'm not saying that this report is correct, but it does make a lot more logical sense than Vince just deciding to skip over the top babyface in the company. When dealing with any issue involving the nervous system, there are numerous unknowns, guess work and a lot of "we'll just have to wait & see" scenarios.

I'm guessing, and that's all this is, that if Bryan holds up through the rest of 2015, he'll find himself back in the main event spot next year, possibly for WrestleMania. With the situation being what it is, Bryan possibly winning the Intercontinental Championship and having a long, strong run as champion might honestly best thing for him right now. From a business perspective, I can see if WWE's mind set is that it'd be a shame to rush him back into the main event scene, put the title on him and have to strip it from him if his neck problems began flaring up shortly afterward. As I said though, if he holds up through the rest of this year, I think it'll have been long enough to satisfy those concerns. There's no way of knowing how his neck will be in a few years, so Bryan may well be of the opinion that he needs to get all he can while he can.

 

[Wald]

Jim Ross has actually made mention of there being concerns about Bryan's long term health a few times on his blog, he does it in his roundabout way of saying he doesn't know for sure but maybe there are but he does mention them.

Honestly I can see WWE's point to an extent, particularly I could see why they would put him in a multiperson match instead of against someone like Brock Lesnar. I could also see Vince and the company being annoyed at Bryan for opting for this mysterious rehab though. If they advised him to do one thing and he did something else there could be a bit of annoyance about that, especially if they think they've seen this all before with Angle.

 

[TheICChampion]

I dunno, it kinda seems suspect that they're worried about his health when they're sticking him in a ladder match where it's very likely he could get re-injured. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a huge Bryan fan but that's what it seems like to me. He's more likely to get injured in this match than if he were fighting for the WWE title, regardless of whether or not he would end up facing Lesnar. Seems like it's an easy excuse to keep Bryan out of the main event. Same with Ziggler, as well as Barrett.

 

[John McCass]

If the noted issues are correct then, my advice is to keep Bryan out of the main event scene. Yes, it produces many problems whenever a "On the Push" guy deals with injury. It hurts, both the fans and the company. We become frightened to hell that the guy will retire and the management suffers problems in booking shows. It always creates a void in the ongoing scenario. Last time when Bryan was injured one year ago, the main event became a mess up. Since then, the World Title has been fluke. Sure, Lesnar won it but his title run was disappointing. They have dealt with this kinda issue long ago with Kurt Angle. Putting the most over babyface in midcard is a good choice if he is dealing with career threatening injuries and is on a short term health. At this point, if Bryan has not enough confirmation for his health then, he must find his spot in midcard so that, it doesn't makes a big void if he is injured again (sadly).

Bryan needs to prove that he can hang on permanently by going successively for an year or two. If Bryan passes the year long test then, they should consider putting him back in the main event. It should be a helluva moment when he wins the World Title yet again. He is loved by most of the fans and I don't think he will have a problem being a mid card champ. We were begging for the mid card straps to become relevant once again. Bryan is the guy who can make it possible. And, I don't think its possible for the company to keep Bryan away from the World Title considering his popularity. The Guy is tremendously talented and has charisma slightly less than Cena and more than everyone on the current roster. Speaking of midcard belts, I don't find a problem in Bryan being the IC champ or US champ. We were clamoring for the elevation of more guys. So, if the main eventers get involved in the midcard, it would be one hell of a chance for the midcarders to shine. Bryan can ascend the title to legitimacy it once held.

Speaking of his future, I believe we haven't seen much of his career. There are many ups and downs to come. This guy will go down as a legend.

 

[Navi]

According to a report from earlier today via PWInsder, the reason why Daniel Bryan's spot isn't as high profile this year or WrestleMania is due to WWE officials being concerned about his health. The report alleges that Bryan chose to undergo a unique form of rehabilitation for his injury last year and there is a strong fear within WWE that his injuries could become reoccurring issues due to the rehab he did. There's concern that the rehab Bryan chose is not a long-term permanent fix and just a short-term fix that could cause the problems to relapse. Furthermore, Bryan's situation was compared by one source to Kurt Angle having several non-invasive surgeries on his neck years ago but over time Angle ended up having a lot of other issues stemming from the neck injury. The article also suggests that it isn't that WWE officials don't view or consider Daniel Bryan to be a big part of the company, they're just uncertain as to exactly what's what concerning his neck issues.

If the WWE were so concerned about his health and well being, and were suspect of the treatment he sought for his neck injury, then quite honestly, why is he back in the ring period. You can't force someone to get what they I guess would consider proper treatment to fix it, but they can also tell him they are paying him and if he wants back in the ring, then get it done right.

I know that sounds a bit harsh, but we have watched Bryan come back and it's like he never left. The guy is a machine. Reigns was getting gassed after a few minutes when he returned, and he wasn't out nearly as long as Bryan was. So I don't know what he did, but it's working for the time being.

I'm not 100% sure that this isn't bullshit on the part of the WWE to cover their asses and make themselves look better. They never wanted him in the main event to begin with, but they couldn't control the fan reaction to him. It was organic and real, fans of both genders, all races and ages love him. They have connected with him on a level unseen in a long time. The WWE underestimated that and have been fighting a losing battle against it ever since, and they will continue to fight it. Pushing others will just have more fans rally behind Bryan.

Also Bryan has said many times he loves wrestling, and you can tell. It's the one thing he is passionate about, so I'm not understanding why he wouldn't get fully healed before coming back into the ring. He's taking a huge chance on ending his career prematurely, and none of us want to see another Edge.

So not quite sure what to make of this. Part of it might be true, part might be the company trying to save face, but one thing is for sure, you can't put a time limit on an injury like he has. He could be fine for 1, 2, 3 years, all it would take is one false move and he's in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. I would hate to see that happen to him, like someone else said, if he's allowed to have the career he's destined to have, he'll leave this sport a legend.

 

[Pedigree1]

If reports are true about this,its a damn shame. WWE management must be in a tough situation knowing how popular and white hot Daniel Bryan is,and if he is not in every ME spot the crowd boo's..

Daniel Bryan if his health is going down the tubes fast,he has got to get the most out of this as fast as he can.. If Bryan skipped the year long neck surgery and went the Kurt Angle rout and came back as fast as he could,Im not sure how smart that is.. I know Daniel Bryan loves to wrestle and loves to entertain us,he is a magnificent performer..

You would hope the WWE medical staff of today especially him being involved in this sundays ladder match they would know all the dangers of the ladders match.. I hope he gets the IC title this sunday and goes on a lengthy run with it,brings legitimacy back to the ic title..

If he can stay healthy there is no reason why he won't ME next year WM for the WWE WHC.. But what about 2 years from now?? 3 years from now?? Your neck is nothing to mess around with

 

[L@RISANO]

I've suspected as much for a while.

The guy came back from a career-threatening injury, and thus, I am pretty sure WWE weren't going to just throw him straight back into a match with a guy whose most used move is to throw a guy over his head with somewhat 'reckless' abandon and have him land on that same neck again and again and again...


Indeed, he has been placed into a Ladder match, but it is a Multi-person ladder match which might go on for say 20-25 mins or slightly longer and he'll have time in between to rest,etc.
Yes, on the face of it, the Ladder match looks more dangerous than a 1-on-1, but given it has 6/7 other guys in it, it'll allow to him to do his stuff in bursts without overly taxing himself... as opposed to a 1-on-1 match with the Beast Incarnate, where he'd be taking loads of punishment for practically the same amount of time with not much chance of an 'off-camera' rest break.


I guess WWE will monitor Bryan closely for the next few months(with or without the IC title) and see how he holds up before attempting to make him a huge focus of the show as was done pre-injury.

 

[mral82]

Daniel Bryan's Future is Shades Of Chris Benoit all over again just go back and look at their Similar Paths as Both we In World Title Matches 1 WM aka 20 and 30 retro and now in a Multi-Man Ladder Match. I can see Daniel might get another run as World Champ or he might not and stay Upper Mid-Card and Float into the Main Event here and there. So hopefully Bryan loses as when A TITLE CHANGES HANDS WAY TOO MUCH IT LOSES CREDIBLITY. Plus Wade hasn't really been giving a Fair Chance as he was also Stripped of the I-C Title. I think Daniel just needs to keep to basics and his 5 Moves OF DOOM persay and don't do any spot monkeyiess crap.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

This doesn't pass the smell test, IMO.

First, the issue Bryan had was a pinched nerve that was causing weakness throughout his arm, and the original plan was to have Tommy John surgery to repair it and relieve the pressure. Instead, he opted for something called MAT: Muscle Activation Technique, which from a little bit of reading, deals with rehabbing how the muscle contracts and relaxes. It's not like they shot him up full of drugs that is simply causing more damage as he continues to wrestle. You don't magically go from a totally useless arm to full strength without having recovery.

Second, he's not the first athlete to do this. Guys like Peyton Manning and Frank Gore have sworn by this for some time. It may be a new therapy, but it sounds grounded and non-invasive, and has other advocates from other sports, so what's the concern? I haven't seen anyone take the ball out of Manning's hands yet and say "Ya know, that new MAT thing you do to heal up...we think it's gonna hurt you in the long run, so we're gonna bench you."

And finally, there's another guy in the WWE who's been injured several times, seems to rush back, and suffers no backlash from the front office for having maybe rushed, and that's John Cena. Go figure. How many times has Johnny boy rushed back after an injury to help save a PPV for the WWE? I can think of at least two. And each time, Cena was launched right back to the title.

So no, I don't buy the faux concern the WWE front office has for Bryan's recovery. He went from having little use in his arm to a full recovery, and moving in the ring like he never left, and that's...a bad thing? A ticking time bomb? I mean, obviously he's using some magic steroid juice a la Bane in the Batman comics to hulk up and it'll cause him to implode one day, right? No. This is just BS.

 

[OYDK]

I don't buy the report tbh. First of all, I'm highly doubtful that WWE would be publicizing the hell out of the fact that Daniel Bryan is not feeling 100% comfortable going into Wrestlemania, if it weren't a work. It's one thing to have doubts about one's physical health, but if the multiple reports of Bryan feeling numbness and tingling in his arms are true, I can't see WWE allowing him to compete, ESPECIALLY in a ladder match. The excuse that this nagging injury is the reason why Bryan was put into the IC Ladder match instead of the main event against Brock is a weak one. Sure, Brock's a rough worker, but falling off a 10-foot ladder has to arguably do more damage to the neck and back, no? I see this as a ploy to make him more of an underdog heading towards a Mania IC title win.

If the reports are true, it's ridiculous to even have him competing at Mania. If they were not 100% comfortable with bringing him back at the Royal Rumble, why did they? He wasn't going to be in the main event anyway, and WWE knew that.

The main reason I think these reports are embellished is because we're hearing a lot of this from Bryan's own mouth. When was the last time you heard an active WWE wrestler speak out on a nagging injury heading into Mania, that wasn't a work? This leads me to believe that the E is prompting Bryan to play-up the neck angle. Bryan even says in one of the interviews, he loves teasing the neck, so that kind of tells me something as well.

 

[Dave]

Yeah, there's only so many times you can give a middle finger to the fans before they just up and leave. And Daniel Bryan is so over at this point that it really is sending some fans heading for the exit door. But when you think about it this report really does make a lot of sense. I remember watching Total Divas and he was trying everything to not get the surgery. Eventually, he had to cave in and get it done to prolong his career. But if he's so determined not to do things conventionally then it is perfectly possible, in my opinion, that he would do the suggested rehabilitation for his injury. I can belive this. But does it really male a difference to most fans? Nope.

Here's the thing, if Daniel Bryan is cleared to compete by doctors, then the WWE should have any hesitation in putting him where he deserves to be on the card. I'm sure that Daniel Bryan knows the risks of being a wrestler and he is perfectly happy to run those risks to wrestle where he is supposed to be.

I did have a thought that this might be the case a month or so ago when he lost to Roman Reigns. I didn't think it was a confidence issues from the WWE but it did seem to me like they didn't want to put Bryan in the ring with Lesnar. Think about it, what is the biggest offence in the arsenal of Brock Lesnar? German Suplexes. How would Bryan's neck hold up after being dropped on his upper back and neck 30 times in a match? I just didn't think it was a proper fit for Bryan at this point. And of the WWE put him in the main event as Fastlane, then you have to think that they still have the confidence in him to be in the main event of other PPV events. To that end, I agree with the OP. I don't think that the WWE have forgotten about Daniel Bryan at all. I think they are wrapping him in cotton wool and seeing how he does over the next few months. Who can say what would have happened if he hadn't have gotten injured last year but I know that it rocked the plans of the WWE. I'm sure they have to certain he's not going to relapse before putting any confidence in him in the main event.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I'm guessing, and that's all this is, that if Bryan holds up through the rest of 2015, he'll find himself back in the main event spot next year, possibly for WrestleMania.

That's the hard truth of it. Time and consistent performance might do the trick for Daniel as far as how the company uses him, although it might not be in his own best interest.....because no matter how long he goes, neck injuries are nothing to fool with, and the fact is he'll always be at risk of serious injury.

WWE's position in stalling his push is understandable. Take someone like Rey Mysterio. Because it's not our money that's being spent, it's easy for us to say that WWE shouldn't have been trying to adjust (or rid themselves) of Rey's contract because it wasn't his fault he got injured so often. While it might not be his fault, the fact is that a performer being paid his full salary while sitting on the sidelines is a total drain on company resources; he's contributing nothing, and whether it's his "fault" or not, it louses up the company's plans and lowers the balance in their bank account.

The thing is, while Rey's injuries would heal over time, Daniel's might not .....ever. I don't know the extent of the neurological damage he's suffered .....or how the more serious, longer procedure would protect him more than the short version he elected, but if the damage and potential for permanent injury is as serious as all that, Daniel might be wise to choose the path of Adam (Edge) Copeland, who knew that tempting fate by continuing to wrestle would be like playing Russian Roulette with his own body.

Wonder what Brie thinks of all this.

 

[MCMG]

The sudden nature of his return meant making plans would have been difficult. I mean, they probably had the entire card set before his return. Perhaps that even had an effect on Stardust/Goldust and Miz/Mizdow because you have to include Bryan and you have to give him a big match.

From what it seems, he is moving around fine. There might be long-term problems but that could happen to anyone. Some of the best of all time have had awful injuries but have been brought back in prominent roles. Bryan should be no different because he is one of the top guys.

I'm not really sure I buy the idea the WWE are worried about his injury. Sure they want to be cautious but not to the extent they don't put him in major feuds. I honestly just think his return was sudden and they didn't want to change their plans for Mania. He was on Jericho's podcast and the way he talked made it seem there was a chance he may never wrestle again. Or at least not for a long, long time.

He is back and that is fantastic news. Since his return he has been main-eventing a significant amount of shows. Indeed, after Mania, he might well be given a big feud but it's too soon to say. In the long-run, it is impossible to tell. Someone like Edge wrestled for a long time after his first big neck injury. Maybe Bryan does the same but obviously the WWE will need to be willing to give him time off on a regular basis.