Daniel Bryan Potentially Teaming with Shane McMahon versus Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens

[FunKay]

As per Cageside Seats: https://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/2018/3/18/17136436/daniel-bryan-wrestling-wrestlemania-34-wwe

The story about Daniel Bryan wanting to return to the ring has been rumbling on for quite some time with the story for the longest time being that while Bryan would prefer to wrestle in WWE, if they didn't clear him, which they haven't as of yet I wish to stress, then he would gladly wrestle elsewhere (likely ROH and thus NJPW too). There was a suggestion awhile back that they were sizing Bryan up for a possible match at SummerSlam (which would be shortly before his contract is rumoured to be up - September) but that dissipated fairly quickly and nothing more was really heard on this issue since.

Now, with the Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Shane McMahon feud involving Bryan and nearing its likely culmination/climax at Mania, it appears as if plans are in place for Bryan to be a part of that match. Whether that is in a wrestling capacity or not remains to be seen, but this situation is rather intriguing to say the least. Would WWE be willing, particularly after they just came off such negative press for the whole Moolah debacle, be willing to put a man with a proven history of concussions and other head/spinal trauma problems into a featured match at their biggest show of the year after two years of refusing to clear him?

[Y 2 Jake]

A tag match does allow him to come in, do a few kicks and a submission, but are they really going to have two special attraction tag matches on the same card?

He'll be involved. I see him turning heel on Shane, which is a baffling decision but that's where I see it going.

[A11]

Would they be able to spin it as "we could have cleared him the last two times but didnt because we set a higher standard due to previous history of injuries. Daniel has now met those higher standards and has been approved by his own doctor, our doctors and multiple independent doctors. WWE has taken serious caution before proceeding with this decision"?

[Dave]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him because he's being denied by his dream by the WWE. If it were me, I'd be utterly gutted that I couldn't wrestle for the company that I was working for. More so that they're keeping me around and basically rubbing it in my face.

I read an article with Daniel Bryan lately. He said that he's jumped through so many hoops for the WWE that he's hoping that they've softened their stance on him not wrestling again. I really hope this is true. It's hard to out a value in someone like Bryan wrestling for you and his former popularity. The WWE need someone like him right now and God knows he wants it. If they do this and all goes well, maybe it opens the door for him to get back in the ring again. The fans would love it and that could only mean good things for the WWE too.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[LSN80]

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him because he's being denied by his dream by the WWE. If it were me, I'd be utterly gutted that I couldn't wrestle for the company that I was working for. More so that they're keeping me around and basically rubbing it in my face.


Hes also living a dream as a direct result of his employment with WWE, that in being married to a beautiful woman and having children with her. So even if he's never able to wrestle again there, it still comes out as a win, doesn't it?

However, the biggest part of what has always bothered me about WWE not allowing Bryan to wrestle is in them forcing him to honor his contract. There are other places he'ld be able to go in a jiffy and instantly be their top draw. He's smart enough too that he'll have found a way to change his style just enough to enable him to avoid further injury. I guess its a nice consolation that he's getting paid and still has a job in wrestling, but it can hardly be fulfilling. Bryan seems like one of the more grounded guys in the profession, making him easy to root for. So i definitely feel for the guy being stuck in the role of general manager. It would be one thing if his condition was so serious that he'ld be unable to wrestle anywhere, but that's not the case here. As is, he's being robbed of some of the prime years of his career. Hardly fair.

The storyline here is tailor-made too for his return. He's backed Owens and Zayn in the past, but this time they've gone too far. Its easy then to imagine the pair to try to get physical with Bryan when he stands up to them. Not to mention the pop for when he finally snaps and breaks out the Yes kicks. Can you imagine what that will be like? Deafening is how I imagine it.

This is the same company that allowed a guy who had a stroke win the U.S. Title in 2010. There are ways around taking a bump and other risky maneuvers. All he really needs to do is pull out those kicks and the YES Lock, and legions of fans will be stoked.

Count me among them, of course.

[Jack-Hammer]

I want things to work out for Bryan, as I do with just about anyone really when it comes to their dreams.

With that being said, I can't blame WWE for being so skittish about letting him do anything physical in the ring again. We all know about the class action suit that Konstantine Kyros filed with like 50+ former talent and the company, sensibly, wouldn't want to do anything that might lend credence, at least in the eyes of the law, the plaintiffs' case. Clearing Bryan to go all out and him suffering another concussion, neck trauma or both would probably do that in the eyes of some, no matter how many legal consent forms he'd have to sign. We all have a tendency, at times, to paint WWE as the big heartless corporation, with good reasons sometimes, but even if it's of a secondary concern, at least they do have some concern for Bryan's health and well being. Bryan does strike me as someone who loves wrestling so passionately that he'd put his passion ahead of conventional common sense, such as issues revolving around his health.

In some ways though, at the same time, WWE does look like the bad guy by forcing Bryan to run out his contract instead of allowing him to go somewhere else. I get trying to watch out for Bryan, but he's also a grown man capable of making his own choices even if said choices are ill advised. If he's hell bent on returning to the ring as a pro wrestler, he will eventually go somewhere else if WWE doesn't allow it to happen with them.

As for a potential tag match with Shane, maybe it could be a way to test the waters a little bit. Have Bryan come in and do some things, do some kicks, do his flip from the corner, do some submissions, etc. and see how it goes. If it goes fine, maybe let him do it again a little bit later with a LITTLE bit more intensity and so on and so forth.

If the match does go down, I see them going in one of two directions: Bryan turns on Shane or Shane turns on Bryan and joins Owens & Zayn. I could see either one happening but for completely different reasons. I could see Vince making the call to turn Bryan heel because he's got blinders on when it comes to Shane. Bryan is the sympathetic one, Bryan is the one who was the most universally over babyface since the Attitude Era, Bryan is the one fans desperately loved cheering for so turning him heel won't deliver the sort of hatred for him that Vince would expect. It'd be the Roman Reigns situation all over again by trying to force a square peg into a round hole. Turning Shane heel seems illogical, which it would be but not so much under wrestling logic, as they could simply go with the notion that Shane has realized that Owens & Zayn are right in that the only way to really get ahead, the only way to really leave your mark is by being a selfish, conniving bastard only concerned with yourself.

[Undying]

It seems according to rumors that Shane is now out of the match due to diverticulitis. I'm never that interested when the guy steps in the ring but that's a shitty thing to have happen. Hope he recovers soon but if Brock is anything to go by it's a long and rough road.

But now the question is if Shane is in fact out of the match how will WWE go about about getting Daniel Bryan in there? I have two scenarios that I would personally like to see.

1. It becomes Daniel Bryan against the both of them and the match opens the show. Bryan beating both of them would be a fantastic way to open WrestleMania and set the tone for the night. It's not like it would hurt Zayn and Owens, AJ just did it at the Rumble and leads to further tension between the two.

2. Daniel calls and old friend and Hell No reunites to take on both of them. Kane isn't doing anything other than I presume the Battle Royal and would be a far better choice than what I fear will be Dolph Ziggler being the replacement partner.