That low rumbling sound of a “no, no, no” you still hear echoing throughout the WWE Universe is the result of Daniel Bryan’s injury causing him to disappear from the ring only after being the WWE Champion for a short while. Stone Cold Steve Austin may cause that sound to become more deafening than the CM Punk chants directed at Stephanie McMahon because he’s claiming it’s become apparent that Daniel Bryan’s neck injury may even affect his long-term WWE career potential.
In a related report by The Inquisitr , Daniel Bryan’s injury is bad enough for Brie Bella to want to quit to tend to her husband and the feud with Stephanie McMahon was invented as an excuse to make it happen. To top it off, a recent episode of Total Divas had Brie telling her flabbergasted husband that if wrestling doesn’t work out she can always become a stripper in order to make money. Seriously.
The only good news is that Bryan’s neck won’t require a second surgery , although it’s said that Bryan’s return to the ring will be “lackluster.” Based upon physical limitations, he probably won’t be given a shot at Brock Lesnar in order to reclaim his lost WWE Championship belt.
Unfortunately, it’s exactly these type of physical limitations that Stone Cold Steve Austin says will cause the WWE Universe to be disappointed.
“He kind of worked himself into a corner, because that’s his work style – the cruiserweight style – for me, when I got dropped on my head and changed into a brawler, it almost magnified what I was doing in the ring. But, to put himself in a box, he could be trapped.”
Daniel Bryan is known for full-on moves like the suicide dive and the flying goat. But slamming head-on into your opponents through the air is probably never a good idea with a major neck injury still healing. If his character suddenly switches gears with its style, many fans may be put off by the necessary change. Unlike Austin, the relatively small Bryan stands at five foot, 10 inches, which doesn’t exactly allow him to transform into a brawler.
According to The Big Lead , Austin still believes Daniel Bryan’s injury won’t hold him back from trying to crawl back up the mountain to challenge Brock Lesnar for his belt.
“The sad thing about Daniel Bryan is he had just now started getting to a top spot and making good money. It took him 15 years to do that. The guy’s a hell of a damn worker. He overcame a lot of odds being an undersized guy — at least in professional wrestling — but he’s a hellacious worker. Hopefully his neck will heal up. He’s got his surgery done, and, whatever the process is, I’ve got my fingers crossed that he can get back to the ring, resume his career, and finally put some money in the bank. And, on his end, fulfill his passion about being in the ring and being a professional wrestler. That’s why he got into the business to begin with. But, make no mistake about it — once you get in the business your job is to go to the top of the card where you can earn and draw money. That’s what it’s all about.”
What would you think if Daniel Bryan’s injury changed his wrestling style or WWE character?