WWE Money in the Bank 2018: Daniel Bryan Should Not Be In Ladder Match

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On the most recent episode of SmackDown Live, Daniel Bryan failed to qualify for WWE Money in the Bank 2018, falling to Rusev in the main event of the show. Here’s why it’s best for him to be left out of the ladder match.

Prior to losing to Rusev on SmackDown Live in a qualifying match for the WWE Money in the Bank 2018 ladder match, Daniel Bryan defeated Big Cass in rather quick fashion. I thought Big Cass would actually win that match as a means of elevating him. It seemed like WWE was interested in pushing Cass as one of the Blue Brand’s top heels, and although he did beat Bryan up after the match, it was still interesting that he was defeated pretty easily.

Cass’s beatdown of Bryan played into the story on SmackDown Live. Bryan seemed to have the match won at one point, but both Aiden English’s help and Bryan’s fatigue allowed Rusev to pick up a critical victory.

We’ve seen the WWE give wrestlers second-chance matches to qualify for big Pay Per Views, namely the Elimination Chamber this year. That could be the case for Bryan here, who could fight his way into the Money in the Bank ladder match by defeating a different opponent.

However, I don’t want to see Bryan in the MITB ladder match. For starters, I’m concerned about his health. Bryan is only months into his second stint with the WWE after being cleared to return prior to WrestleMania 34. He has a history of concussions, and even though he’s shown no ill-effects lately and passed a litany of tests in order to come back, his long-term health is still an issue. The cumulative effect of concussive and sub-concussive blows to the head can lead to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.

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Ladder matches are risky, and this year’s ladder match will contain eight men, including Braun Strowman, who will likely inflict huge amounts of damage on his opponents. Although they probably won’t go as all-out as the competitors in NXT did in the North American Championship ladder match at TakeOver: New Orleans, that instant classic is a reminder of just how dangerous ladder matches can be.

The WWE could protect Bryan from taking huge bumps in that match, but would Bryan really want to be a part of a match where everyone else but him is able to go all-out? I don’t think so, and that’s a big reason why I don’t think it’s wise for him to be in the match.

For as much as I love watching Bryan wrestle, I also don’t think he needs to be in the Money in the Bank ladder match this year from a storyline perspective. He successfully cashed in on the Big Show in the past, but since 2011, Bryan has become far more of an underdog character. Bryan doesn’t need to be elevated by the briefcase; he’s a sure-fire star. A cash-in also wouldn’t fit his character. He’s the type of person who is better off beating a heel face-to-face, man-to-man for the world title.

Not every participant in a ladder match has to be the eventual winner, but since Money in the Bank ladder match spots are even more precious given how stacked the roster is, Bryan’s spot should go to someone else. Four wrestlers from SmackDown Live will qualify, and two spots have already been filled by Rusev and The Miz.

A third spot will go to either a member of The Bar or The New Day. That leaves just one spot open for someone like Andrade “Cien” Almas (debuts next week in London), Shelton Benjamin, or Samoa Joe (assuming he doesn’t fight his way into a WWE Championship match on the MITB card). Heck, Tye Dillinger is an option if we want to go with a darkhorse babyface pick.

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If Bryan were in the ladder match, I obviously wouldn’t complain. I mean, I love watching the guy wrestle, and it would be a real treat to see him out there. That said, I’d rather see Bryan’s character go in a different direction on his journey to reclaiming the WWE Championship, and, most importantly, I can’t help but think about his health in the back of my mind.