BREAKING: Daniel Bryan Has Been Cleared to Return to the Ring by WWE
Nearly two years after his emotional retirement, Daniel Bryan has been cleared to return to in-ring action.
The last time Daniel Bryan wrestled was on April 16, 2015. Nearly one year later, Bryan announced his retirement on February 8, 2016, on Monday Night Raw in what was one of the most heart wrenching and emotional segments in the history of the show. From that point forward, it seemed like we would never see him compete in the ring again. Initially, Bryan seemed content with the decision, but not long after, it came out that he was consulting with multiple doctors and was hoping to make an in ring return.
This return was beginning to look less and less likely with WWE, and the rumblings began about Bryan returning to the independent scene upon the expiration of his contract later this year. In the meantime, Bryan was doing quite well in his role as SmackDown Live GM. While not performing in the ring, he was still able to perform and remain a significant part of the show. Nonetheless, the desire for an in ring return seemed to never leave him. Today, that has become reality as WWE announced on their Twitter account that Bryan has been cleared.
The article on WWE.com has indicated that Bryan was cleared by three independent doctors before finally being cleared by WWE’s doctor, Dr. Joseph Maroon. The extensive evaluations have seemed to satisfy his demands, and Bryan will now be an active wrestler again.
BREAKING: @WWEDanielBryan has been medically cleared to return to in-ring action! https://t.co/9GE9KfpeEV
— WWE (@WWE) March 20, 2018
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One thing that this makes clear is that WWE definitely has plans to use him in an in-ring capacity very soon. I fully expect to see some sort of match put together on tonight’s edition of SmackDown Live.
With that being said, there are questions that still remain: Is this a very limited clearing? Will Bryan be working a reduced schedule? How often will we see him wrestle? What was it that finally changed their minds?
From a storyline perspective, what does this mean for Bryan’s role as SmackDown Live GM? I would venture to guess that he will be working in a similar capacity to Kurt Angle, wrestling occasionally while still being an on screen character.
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With that being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if Daniel Bryan was slightly more active due to his age. Regardless, SmackDown Live is going to be very interesting tonight. I, for one, will be tuning in with great interest.