Daniel Bryan underwent successful neck surgery to decompress the nerve root or in full, “a minimally invasive microsurgical procedure known as a cervical foraminotomy,” on May 15. After Bryan went on the ride of his life by winning the WWE World Heavyweight championship from the evils of the Authority, he was on top of the wrestling world. He was so successful that even Impact Wrestling stole the idea by giving Eric Young the Impact Wrestling Heavyweight title.
Bryan was so popular that WWE had to give him the belts. If not, the fans would’ve turned WrestleMania 30 into a full-blown riot. It was reminiscent of CM Punk vs. John Cena at Money in the Bank 2011 or John Cena vs. RVD at ECW One Last Stand.
His miracle ride came crashing down after suffering neck problems due to his chaotic style in the ring. Nobody ever wants to hear they need surgery, especially on the neck. It is a very delicate area to maintain, as well as injure. If one part of the neck isn’t normal, scary things can happen, a la Edge’s retirement.
Rumors are now swirling about Bryan needing more surgery, but this time for his shoulder. Bryan came out at Money in the Bank and updated everyone on his status. He said that the strength isn’t returning to his arm, which may be what the nerve damage did to the neck.
“Word is that Daniel Bryan may now need shoulder surgery. A full exam recently revealed a lot of different shoulder and neck issues that Bryan has. Due to the uncertainty surrounding Bryan’s condition, he is out of all WWE plans and there is no internal estimate on when he will be back.”
That’s a huge loss for WWE and for Bryan. His momentum was carrying the company into a new ion, quite like Punk did in 2011. Every single fan got behind the Washington native so that he could carry out his life’s dream to completion. Nobody wants to see a man get hurt, especially like that.
Due to Bryan’s injury, WWE needed someone to fill the void. Since Punk is still AWOL, Chris Jericho returned to the company, so that the fans can forget about Bryan’s shortcomings and focus on someone who is present and wrestling.
It was a brilliant move by Vince McMahon and Triple H to satisfy the needs of the WWE Universe. Of course it isn’t that easy, but Jericho found free time to devote to the squared circle once again and Fozzy’s tour schedule won’t interfere with in-ring time. If it does, Y2J will leave for a few weeks and come right back. He’s already confirmed for Battleground.
Bryan’s inevitable return to WWE will be a breathtaking occasion that will rival the returns of Edge, Cena, and Triple H. What WWE should do is keep it a surprise, like the three I previously mentioned. Nobody likes to spoil a big return, especially with the fan support of Bryan at the moment.
Thank you to all the people who have wished me well during my surgery. You give me strength and you are my motivation to get back ASAP.
— Daniel Bryan (@WWEDanielBryan) May 17, 2014
The WWE Universe stayed behind him at Money in the Bank by chanting, “YES!” right along with the former-WWE World Heavyweight champion.
[Images via Google and What Culture]