WWE WrestleMania 32: If Daniel Bryan Returns, He Should Feud with Brock Lesnar
By Dean Siemon
Depending on whether Daniel Bryan can pass get medically cleared in time, his return to WWE could lead to a WrestleMania feud with Brock Lesnar.
It’s important to note the following as a disclaimer; I write this opinion column on a Thursday afternoon with the rumors still being discussed about a certain superstar’s future in the WWE. This focuses on what could be done if this superstar does indeed return to the WWE in time for the Royal Rumble, which could lead to a WrestleMania spot.
While we’re still hoping for a return this Sunday of Daniel Bryan, it should be discussed what the plans for the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion would be. There has to be a storyline that makes sense if Bryan is going to receive the full medical clearance to return to full-time action in the WWE.
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It seems the current champion Roman Reigns might be a bit busy with Triple H for the championship and there just so happens to be a particular Beast Incarnate that needs to have a dance partner. (Sidenote: The concept of Lesnar feuding with the Wyatt Family doesn’t bring any benefits to either side).
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Some fans have always talked about how it might be intriguing to see someone like Lesnar, a former heavyweight champion in the mixed martial arts world, face a technical wrestling like Bryan. The argument I’ve read in the past has claimed that it wouldn’t be believable for it to be a competitive match.
However, this is professional wrestling where gigantic towers have fallen in several memorable matches that included, but not limited to, Hulk Hogan defeating Andre the Giant and Chris Benoit eliminating the Big Show at the Royal Rumble in 2004. So if the match is done properly, they can make Bryan, at least, look competitive against the powerhouse Lesnar.
Storyline wise, pending medical tests, Bryan returns at the Royal Rumble after all of the months of his future being up in the air. It is likely to give him a long run in the match before he gets eliminated by Lesnar, which drops the ever-subtle hint of “I’m going to avenge my Royal Rumble elimination” thought process.
During the next episode of Raw, maybe Bryan has an in-ring confrontation with Triple H and the Authority. They go back and forth about Bryan wanting to be cleared and having the clearance by his doctors and the WWE trying to keep him out of action for legal reasons.
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Triple H, or Vince McMahon, can then announce that Bryan will have to prove he can handle being in the WWE on a regular schedule. This involves Bryan going through a number of physically demanding tests through the Fastlane pay-per-view before it is revealed that his final test comes at WrestleMania against Lesnar.
The biggest selling point is that both superstars have some background in the martial arts as Lesnar fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bryan having trained with professional MMA fighters to evolve his in-ring skills.
As for who wins the feud, it could be quite the difficult task to have Bryan win the match. But maybe he doesn’t have to. The match could portray how many times Bryan gets up from the suplexes, throws and the F-5 and having a number of near pinfalls and submissions (noteworthy considering Lesnar lost his UFC debut via a first round leg submission).
It could be the match where Bryan earns respect in a similar fashion to Steve Austin passing out from Bret Hart’s Sharpshooter at WrestleMania 13 in 1997. The goal is to make it entertaining and show that Bryan that, even in defeat, has the ability to still compete against the top-level talents in the company.
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The WWE could have him take a momentary break after the Road to WrestleMania run as a way to see how his body handled the full-time schedule and it could be a way to confirm that he’s able to handle returning as a regular WWE superstar.
But this is all depending on whether the WWE’s medical team gives the green light for Bryan to return; and for the sake of any of the above to come true, it would have to be this week.
In this writer’s opinion, this could be the “what if” scenario that can help the overall WrestleMania match card that has been impacted by key injuries.