In what has been a rather confusing and odd week in the world of professional wrestling, some great things happened with the Royal Rumble and the debut of AJ Styles, but rumors have been very conflicting regarding Daniel Bryan and his return to a WWE ring. Well, if the latest rumors are true, then Vince McMahon has finally had his say, and he has allegedly told Bryan that his time in the ring is done.
Within the last couple of weeks, there were reports that Bryan was actually going to be released before the Royal Rumble . WWE decided to publicly respond to those rumors by squashing them and saying there was no truth to them whatsoever.
Since then, many have wondered exactly what is going on with Daniel Bryan. Will he be back by Fastlane ? Maybe he’ll be back by WrestleMania 32 in early April to at least make an appearance and announce his in-ring return.
Well, that’s where things have taken a very dark turn, according to the latest rumors.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that Vince McMahon has essentially been telling Daniel Bryan that he’s done in the ring. To solidify that, he’s been telling Bryan that he will never compete in the ring again.
If Bryan is going to be with the company, then he’s going to have a non-wrestling role that will be as an ambassador or maybe in an on-air, non-physical capacity. He has not wrestled for the company since April, and he had to relinquish his Intercontinental Title at the time. It was the second WWE championship he had to give up in two years due to injury.
Fans are certainly going to be very disappointed if this news ends up being true, and it’s obvious that Bryan would be as well. Some outside doctors have cleared him, but WWE’s doctors have not given him the go-ahead to return. With that, McMahon is saying he’s actively done.
Well, he won’t be competing in the ring for WWE.
Nothing will be fully known until WWE or Daniel Bryan come right out and say that he’s done in the ring for the company. Until then, it’s all speculation, but as time continues to go on and on, it’s seeming more that he really is done in the ring.
It really does seem as if no one officially knows what’s going on with Daniel Bryan. WrestleZone is reporting that a lot of the WWE roster actually thought and expected him to return this past Sunday and be one of the surprise entrants in the Royal Rumble .
That obviously didn’t happen.
There had even been talk that a doctor, a concussion specialist at UCLA, had cleared Bryan to return to the ring just a week or so before the pay-per-view. Vince McMahon had previously said that Bryan would “probably” not be cleared any time soon, but never a confirmation as to when.
If Daniel Bryan is officially done in the ring for WWE and Vince McMahon has formally shut him down, he may ask to be released. With a number of outside doctors clearing him and saying he could return, he may want to continue wrestling even if it is with another promotion.
That is, of course, all speculation at this time and Bryan knows not to put himself in harm’s way. He’s not going to risk his health or his life by wrestling if it isn’t completely safe. Still, it may be hard to turn down one doctor clearing him elsewhere, and not in WWE.
Daniel Bryan has truly been missed in the ring and on WWE television, and it will be very tragic if Vince McMahon has officially shut him down. If Bryan is never able to return to the ring, one of the most talented superstars of all time would have his career come to a far too early end.
[Image via WWE]