It has now been a little over a year since Daniel Bryan officially retired from in-ring competition for WWE and all of professional wrestling. Doctors simply wouldn’t clear him from his injuries to get back in as an active competitor, but is he done forever? Believe it or not, he is not locked into a WWE contract for all of eternity and there is always the possibility that he could wrestle again, but it seems as if it would have to be for another promotion.
Daniel Bryan is currently the general manager of SmackDown Live and he is a part of the “Talking Smack” after show each week. It is not expected that he would ever return to the ring for WWE unless something drastically changed and all doctors medically cleared him.
The betting site known as Paddy Power has started a number of bets focused on Daniel Bryan and his possible return to the ring. The only thing is that the odds are more in favor that he will wrestle somewhere else other than WWE and that it will happen within the next two years.
As of Tuesday evening, Paddy Power ‘s odds of Daniel Bryan wrestling again are as follows:
- Bryan signs with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) before the end of 2018 – 11/10
- Bryan appears at Ring of Honor show before the end of 2018 – 9/4
- Bryan fights in an official WWE match before the end of 2017 – 7/1
- Bryan appears in TNA before the end of the 2018 – 10/1
Sports Keeda is reporting that Daniel Bryan’s contract with WWE expires sometime in 2018 and if he is at a point where doctors have cleared him to wrestle, he may not sign another deal. If WWE isn’t willing to let him wrestle again, Bryan may simply go somewhere else where he’ll be allowed to enter the ring and perform once again.
As recapped by WrestleZone , it was on last week’s episode of “Talking Smack” that Bryan made a random comment about returning to the ring in “about a year-and-a-half.” That does match up with when his WWE contract is set to expire
When The Miz said something about Bryan not being able to wrestle anymore, the former world champion responded with, “I can’t? Or they won’t let me?” Bryan has said numerous times that multiple doctors have cleared him after suffering multiple concussions and dealing with a few neck injuries.
One has to admit that Bryan actually saying those things means that he has ever itention of wrestling again.
Once those comments were made by the SmackDown Live general manager, the betting odds blew up on Paddy Power and fans are now able to bet on him returning to the ring. As the odds currently stand, it appears as if the greatest possibility is for Bryan to head to Japan and wrestle for NJPW once his WWE contract expires.
For now, he does have to stay with WWE and can’t really get out of his contract. If he were to ever wrestle again for the company, it would not happen until after he is cleared by all of their doctors. Even then, more testing would likely be called for and he would have to pass all of it.
The former world champion has still been training and staying in shape, and that is just in case there is ever the chance he can get back in the ring for any promotion.
Daniel Bryan’s in-ring career really did end far too early for him and the rest of the world as fans wanted to see him perform for many years to come. While WWE may never allow him to wrestle again due to injuries and his overall health, it is possible that an in-ring return could happen with New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) or Ring of Honor or a number of other promotions. The only wonder is if Bryan is willing to put himself at risk by stepping back into action once again.
[Featured Image by WWE]