March 20, 2018 will go down in history in the world of professional wrestling because it’s the day that Daniel Bryan was officially cleared to return to in-ring competition for the WWE.
Daniel Bryan not only told the fans that he was ready to come back, he also proved it at the end of WWE SmackDown when he was attacked by Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Bryan blew away even my own expectations by delivering most of his signature moves but also selling a massive beat-down. He even took a Powerbomb on the ring apron which really shows me that Bryan is back and his health is nothing to be worried about.
All signs are pointing to a tag team match at WrestleMania with Bryan teaming up with Shane McMahon to take on KO & Zayn, but what do we have to look forward to after? These are my top three dream matches that are now possible between Bryan and individuals that he’s NEVER wrestled against in any company.
Credit: WWE.com
Kurt Angle
Angle vs. Bryan is a matchup that fans have always wanted but never thought would be possible. This match has the potential to be fantastic based on their in-ring styles. Add to that the long history of both, their characters, and the fact that they’re both currently the GM’s of Raw & SD and you have a recipe for an instant classic.
Angle and Bryan are actually in fairly similar positions. At one point not too long ago, Angle was not cleared to compete in a WWE ring. That all changed in 2017 when he wrestled multiple times in matches that were pretty darn good. Since Angle is scheduled to wrestle at ‘Mania again this year, there’s no reason to believe that him vs. Bryan isn’t a total possibility in 2018. There’s an obvious built-in storyline with both being GM’s of their respective brands but this match could be amazing with or without that.
Imagine how awesome it would be to see all of those suplexes, reversals, submission attempts, top rope dives, and false finishes in this match. This could be one of the most technically sound matches we’ve ever seen. The only downside whatsoever is the fact that Angle is on the downslope of his career while Bryan could very well be in his prime (it’s hard to know for sure until we see his next match).
If it were up to me, the finish would see Bryan reverse an Ankle Lock into a YES Lock for the submission victory to solidify him as the top grappler on the current main roster.
Source: WWE via Twitter
Shinsuke Nakamura
Years ago, before his recent retirement, Daniel Bryan was asked who his top dream opponent was. His answer: Shinsuke Nakamura.
At the time that Bryan said that he wanted to wrestle Nakamura, Bryan was the WWE Intercontinental Champion. Meanwhile in Japan, Nakamura was on his legendary NJPW run and in the middle of a historic reign as IWGP Intercontinental Champion.
Some of Bryan’s best matches in his career were against high-level strikers. I highly recommend checking out some of his matches against KENTA (Hideo Itami) from before they were in the WWE. I use Itami as a reference point because I think that Nakamura is currently WAY more entertaining than Hideo in the ring and as a character. There is so much the two of these guys could do together that words can’t really do my thoughts justice.
I would build the match around the fact that both guys use knee strikes that nobody is capable of kicking out of. The striking exchanges would be more intense than any we’ve seen previously in the WWE. I’m talking legitimate STRONG STYLE!
If it was up to me, I would wait until next year at WrestleMania to do a showdown between Bryan and Nakamura. Similar to Nakamura vs. AJ Styles at this year’s event, I don’t know who would win and it honestly doesn’t matter because they’re some of the best performers in the world. I’ll say that Nakamura pins Bryan via Kinshasa in their first matchup which would then lead to a series of matches between the two.
Source: WWE.com
Brock Lesnar
Daniel Bryan vs. Brock Lesnar is a match that Bryan has wanted for a long time. This is also a match that was going to happen 4 years ago when Bryan was WWE Champion and Brock had just defeated The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak.
When WrestleMania 30 ended I was convinced that the main event of that year’s SummerSlam was going to be Brock vs. Bryan for the WWE Title. At the time, Brock didn’t seem unbeatable since returning to the WWE from the UFC as he had lost to Triple H & John Cena prior to his monumental victory over The Undertaker. Bryan had just been given “the ball” as the top babyface in all of WWE. Obviously, Bryan was unable to compete at SummerSlam and what we got instead was Lesnar vs. John Cena that most fans remember for being the most one-sided beating of Cena in his illustrious career.
Bryan vs. Brock is the ultimate story of David vs. Goliath and is even more interesting now than it was all of those years ago. I say this because Lesnar has become the most unstoppable Superstar in WWE history which makes Bryan even more of an underdog.
It would be incredible to watch Lesnar throw Bryan around like a rag doll for the majority of the match. But then we could see Bryan use his brain and his speed to outsmart Brock and hit him with his own unique offense.
Next: Predicting The WrestleMania 34 Match Results
If it were up to me, Roman Reigns would NOT defeat Brock Lesnar this year at WrestleMania. I would have WWE “swerve” the fans and have Lesnar retain so that we could see Lesnar vs. Bryan for the Universal Championship. I would have Bryan defeat Lesnar clean on Lesnar’s way back to the UFC. Daniel Bryan had to miss years of his career due to injury and a huge win over Brock puts him right back to where he was before he was forced into retirement. If Bryan is truly good to go, then I say they go all the way with him.