Will Injuries Alter Daniel Bryan’s Career In WWE?

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Daniel Bryan was the toast of the week as the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion announced last Monday that he will be returning at the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per view on January 25. Bryan is returning after undergoing neck surgery and dealing with issues in his arm. 

The “Yes!” man is coming back.

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I will be the first to admit that I was never a fan of the Daniel Bryan character. The biggest gripe I had with the Bryan character is that it was not the character that was over with the WWE Universe. The past six months have proven that it was the “Yes!” chant that was over with the WWE Universe and not Bryan himself.

That being said, I am sucker for comeback stories.

That would be why I was excited along with the rest of the flock when Bryan announced his intentions to return at the Royal Rumble.

But, along with that excitement came concern.

Concern over how Bryan’s career projects in the WWE after the injuries.

In the past, WWE has been very cautious with injury-prone superstars. That was the case for Dolph Ziggler before his push was re-ignited due to his allegiance with John Cena. Though, there still has been serious doubt over whether or not Ziggler would ever hold the WWE World Heavyweight Championship again.

Will Bryan follow the same path as Ziggler?

When it comes to in-ring talent, there is no question that Ziggler is the better superstar.

However, given the popularity of the “Yes!” chant, logic would suggest that Bryan will receive a better push off his injuries than Ziggler after his string of concussions.

But the determining factor in whether or not Bryan’s career will be altered will be whether or not the superstar is inserted back into the WWE World Heavyweight Championship picture.

It is worth noting that Bryan never did lose the title after winning it at Wrestlemania 30. Because of his neck injury, Bryan was forced to vacate the title.

One thing is certain, as long as Brock Lesnar is the champion, Bryan will not be in the title picture. As much as Bryan versus Lesnar would be the David versus Goliath match that WWE loves to use, the company won’t risk further injury to Bryan by putting him in the ring with a mercenary.

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Having said that, Lesnar’s title reign appears to have an end in sight. If not at the Royal Rumble, Lesnar will almost certainly drop the title at Wrestlemania 31. There also is a sense of certainty that Seth Rollins will be champion within the early months of 2015.

That would be where Bryan could enter the title picture.

Rollins is The Authority’s golden child and would be a perfect opponent for Bryan considering his feud with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

Bryan is back and so is the debate over his place among the WWE roster.