Is Daniel Bryan Really Cleared to Wrestle Again
The day so many in the WWE Universe hoped they would see is actually upon us: Daniel Bryan is an active Superstar once more.
The fan favorite and current "SmackDown Live" general manager has been medically cleared by WWE to wrestle again — and just in time for WrestleMania 34. Bryan does not yet have an opponent for next month's WrestleMania 34, but you better believe Vince McMahon & co. are scrambling to make that happen.
The undersized Bryan's in-ring career was shut down two years ago following a series of concussions. Now, he's got the thumbs-up from numerous neurologists, WWE says.
Also Read: Charlotte Flair Says Ronda Rousey Signing With WWE Raises 'Everyone's Game' (Video)
"Following more than two years of extensive evaluations, WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan has been medically cleared to return to in-ring competition by leading neurosurgeons, neurologists and concussion experts, including Dr. Robert Cantu, Dr. Javier Cárdenas and Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher," WWE said in a statement on Tuesday. "Bryan underwent a full review of his medical history and received comprehensive neurological and physical evaluations independent of WWE. He was cleared by each doctor as well as WWE's Medical Director, Dr. Joseph Maroon."
Also Read: WWE 'Raw': Watch Brock Lesnar Beat the Hell Out of Roman Reigns With a Steel Chair (Video)
TheWrap spoke with Bryan last June about his battle to return to in-ring action. At the time, he was frustrated with WWE's decision to bench him, but understood executives' reasons from a liability aspect.
"I'm not convinced that there is anything the WWE could hear that would change their opinions. The difficulty is in the testing for concussion protocols — there's too much liability involved," he told us at the time. "Everybody agrees that they think my brain is fine now, right? But there's nothing to say that if something else happens, something bad couldn't happen."
"So, that kind of liability when it's a billion dollar company with lots of people who work there — they don't want to see that happen to me, with my family. I have a new daughter," Bryan continued. "They don't want to see that happen where there would be a huge lawsuit. That would hurt their ability to employ as many people as they do."
Read more from our candid interview with Bryan here.
Also Read: Triple H on Daniel Bryan's Fight to Return to WWE Ring: 'There Will Be No Exceptions'
In January, we asked WWE Superstar and executive Paul "Triple H" Levesque about Bryan's fight to fight again. The part-time wrestler and EVP of WWE Talent told us the following:
There can be no exception medically. If the belief is that he's not healthy enough and there's a risk [for him] to perform, then I don't know why you'd allow him to step into the ring unless it can be proven otherwise. There will be no exceptions.
We have some of the best medical people in the world that work for us. Our wellness policy, our concussion programming, our protocols — I'll put them up there against any on the planet.
That is a new science in a way, too. So we're gonna look at it from all aspects, but the medical experts will make the determination as to whether he can ever step into that ring or not.
Look, personally for him, I know it would be something he would love to do, and part of me feels like I hope he has that opportunity. But at the same point in time, he's married and has a child. Certainly, [we put] the human being first.
Also Read: WWE's Daniel Bryan on Everything He's Doing to (Possibly) Return to Wrestling Action
See Bryan tonight on USA Network's "SmackDown Live," which airs at 8/7c, and *probably* April 8 at WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans.
Every WWE Champion Ever, Ranked by Number of Reigns (Photos)
-
Pro-wrestling championship belts change hands like grapplers change ring gear these days, though it wasn't always that way. Bobby Lashley is again WWE Champion, thanks to a little outside interference from Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman at the 2022 WWE Royal Rumble. After a Brock Lesnar F-5 K.O.-ed the referee on Saturday, Jan. 29, Reigns ran in with a devastating spear. He then demanded the WWE Championship belt from Heyman, who obliged. The title itself delivered the final blow to Brock. All Lashley had to do was muster a cover. Scroll through our gallery to see every WWE Champion ever, ranked by their number(s) of title wins. Remember: this is a list of those who won the WWWF Championship, the WWF Championship or the WWE Championship. So don't come after us, Universal Champions, et al.
WWE -
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: Kofi Kingston # of Reigns: 1 The power of positivity.
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: Jeff Hardy # of Reigns: 1 The un-"Broken" half of the Hardy Boyz has had the more storied singles career.
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: Bray Wyatt # of Reigns: 1 The Fiend used to go by "Husky Harris" -- we'd say this run is working out better for him.
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: Sgt. Slaughter # of Reigns: 1 Camel Clutch, Cobra Clutch -- whatever "C"-animal it was, it hurt.
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: Dean Ambrose # of Reigns: 1 And "The Lunatic Fringe" pulled this off while wearing jeans.
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: Chris Jericho # of Reigns: 1 You're a "stupid idiot" if you didn't know this guy made "The List."
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: Eddie Guerrero # of Reigns: 1 Generally considered one of the best ever to have done it held the big-boy belt for 133 days.
-
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: John "Bradshaw" Layfield # of Reigns: 1 JBL has taken his heel persona from the ring to the announce table. Never without a cowboy hat, Layfield thankfully leaves his lariat clothesline at home.
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: The Ultimate Warrior # of Reigns: 1 The muscle-bound maniac who handed Hulk Hogan his first-ever "WrestleMania" loss died after suffering a heart attack three days after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: "Superstar" Billy Graham # of Reigns: 1 "Superstar" Billy Graham was a bodybuilder and buddy of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Yeah, blame Graham's body for Jinder Mahal's run.
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: Kevin Nash # of Reigns: 1 You mean Tarzan from "Magic Mike"?!?!? Yes, yes we do.
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: Pedro Morales # of Reigns: 1 History lesson: Back in the WWWF days, Morales became the first guy in wrestling history to win all three of the major men's titles -- the WWF Championship, the Intercontinental Championship and the WWF Tag Team Championship -- in the company.
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: André the Giant # of Reigns: 1 The tales about André the Giant sometimes feel as tall as he was.
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: The Iron Sheik # of Reigns: 1 This guy is as big a hit on Twitter as he was in the ring.
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: Kane # of Reigns: 1 You wouldn't know it by looking at him, but Kane, now mayor of Knox County in Tennessee, is one of the smartest Superstars in WWE history.
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: Rey Mysterio # of Reigns: 1 We're not going to talk about how ridiculous the setup to his finishing move, "The 6-1-9," became. This is a happy list.
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: Stan Stasiak # of Reigns: 1 Unfortunately Stasiak only held the belt for nine days.
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: Rob Van Dam # of Reigns: 1 One of the most popular ECW wrestlers of all-time, RVD has brought his three initials to seemingly every pro-wrestling promotion with three initials.
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: Ivan Koloff # of Reigns: 1 The "Russian Bear" was actually Canadian.
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: Buddy Rogers # of Reigns: 1 Rogers was kinda-sorta the first champion in the company. It's complicated -- ask Killer Kowalski and Bruno Sammartino.
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: Vince McMahon # of Reigns: 1 Hell, Mr. McMahon runs the damn company -- of course he made this list.
-
Rank: 32 (tie) Wrestler: Big E # of Reigns: 1 Big E has had a big career -- both as a singles performer and a member of The New Day.
-
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: The Miz # of Reigns: 2 The kid from "The Real World" made good on his over-the-top MTV promos. One of the best on the mic, Miz has been holding down the Intercontinental Championship more than any other Superstar of the past few years.
-
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Drew McIntyre # of Reigns: 2 Scottish Psychopath joined the WWE Champions' and two-timers club all in 2020.
-
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Batista # of Reigns: 2 Guardian of the Galaxy, defender of WWE Championship.
-
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: The Big Show # of Reigns: 2 You can't miss this two-time champ -- not even in a mega-arena.
-
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: A.J. Styles # of Reigns: 2 "The Phenomenal One" held the belt for 371-straight days, which is a record for a "SmackDown" wrestler.
-
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Alberto Del Rio # of Reigns: 2 Si! Si! Si! Si! Si! Si! Si!
-
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Sycho Sid # of Reigns: 2 It was a long way down from Shawn Michaels' former bodyguard's power-bomb.
-
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair # of Reigns: 2 If you haven't watched ESPN's "30 for 30: Nature Boy," do that. Oh, and look up Flair's ridiculous NWA runs too.
-
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Sheamus # of Reigns: 2 Master of the Brogue Kick, Rocksteady in the "Ninja Turtles" movies -- which is the greater accomplishment?
-
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Seth Rollins # of Reigns: 2 He's BURN(ed) IT DOWN more than once.
-
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Yokozuna # of Reigns: 2 That belt needed a few extenders to fit around the sumo.
-
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: CM Punk # of Reigns: 2 Let's just say he was a little less successful in the UFC -- but maybe an AEW run?
-
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Randy "Macho Man" Savage # of Reigns: 2 Before he snapped into Slim Jims, the "Macho Man" was snapping dudes in half.
-
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Bob Backlund # of Reigns: 2 Backlund couldn't "Make Darren Young Great Again" -- or even keep the guy employed -- but the master of the cross-face chicken wing had a pretty incredible career of his own.
-
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Bruno Sammartino # of Reigns: 2 Google him, kids.
-
Rank: 16 (tie) Wrestler: Bobby Lashley # of Reigns: 2 Lashley just looks like the guy who should be champion.
-
Rank: 13 (tie) Wrestler: Mankind # of Reigns: 3 Mick Foley nearly killed himself to raise these titles.
-
Rank: 13 (tie) Wrestler: Roman Reigns # of Reigns: 3 The Head of the Table may make the top of this list when all is said and done.
-
Rank: 13 (tie) Wrestler: Shawn Michaels # of Reigns: 3 Before he found God, the "Heartbreak Kid" found jaws with his foot, popularizing the Superkick.
-
Rank: 9 (tie) Wrestler: Daniel Bryan # of Reigns: 4 Fellow fan-favorite Superstar is now in AEW with CM Punk.
-
Rank: 9 (tie) Wrestler: Edge # of Reigns: 4 On this day, you can see clearly... that Edge is one of the best to ever lace up.
-
Rank: 9 (tie) Wrestler: The Undertaker # of Reigns: 4 The Dead Man is truly a living legend.
-
Rank: 9 (tie) Wrestler: Kurt Angle # of Reigns: 4 Top 10, it's true -- it's damn true.
-
Rank: 8 Wrestler: Bret "Hitman" Hart # of Reigns: 5 The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be.
-
Rank: 5 (tie) Wrestler: Hulk Hogan # of Reigns: 6 Hulkamania was real. Then again, so was Gawker at one point.
-
Rank: 5 (tie) Wrestler: Brock Lesnar # of Reigns: 6 Eat. Sleep. Win Titles. Repeat.
-
Rank: 5 (tie) Wrestler: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin # of Reigns: 6 On the Mt. Rushmore of all-time greats, and that's the bottom line.
-
Rank: 3 (tie) Wrestler: The Rock # of Reigns: 8 He may be Dwayne Johnson now, but he'll always be "The Rock" to us.
-
Rank: 3 (tie) Wrestler: Triple H # of Reigns: 8 Boss of The Authority and former DX member has two words for the other guys on this list. We can't reprint them.
-
Rank: 2 Wrestler: Randy Orton # of Reigns: 10 The Viper has RKO'd a lot of dudes outta nowhere.
-
Rank: 1 Wrestler: John Cena # of Reigns: 13 U Can't See Him.
Source: https://www.thewrap.com/daniel-bryan-cleared-wwe-wrestle-wrestlemania-34/
0 Response to "Is Daniel Bryan Really Cleared to Wrestle Again"
Post a Comment