Is Daniel Bryan Returning to the Ring?

Is this actually happening? According to a recent interview with Sports Illustrated's Extra Mustard, Daniel Bryan returning to the ring is a real possibility.

When asked if we would see him competing on SmackDown one day:

More: Daniel Bryan Furious About Women's MITB Match

"I'm working on it. Wrestling is more of a creative outlet, and especially for somebody like me, I view it as my creative outlet. Not all WWE superstars and not all wrestlers view it that way, but that's how I view it and that's one of the ways my mind works creatively.

Bryan continued:

"I always think of it in terms of music. You're not always going to be a huge rock star in music, but musicians can play until the day they die. With sports, it's different. You can't always do it until the very end, and that's a hard reality of sports. The blessings wrestling has given me have allowed me to find some new passions, but it's really hard when you've got that first love and nothing really replaces it."

Chronic neck and concussion issues forced Bryan to retire in February 2016. Since he's returned as SmackDown's GM, he has yet to get close to anything resembling physicality. However, he has had several altercations with The Miz.

Bryan wanting to comeback is not exactly new news. During his retirement saga, we kept hearing that he was physically able to compete but WWE doctors would not clear him to do so. With that in mind, when Bryan says he wants to wrestle again, that doesn't necessarily mean he'll do it in WWE.

It sounds as if Bryan is committed to stepping back into the ring, we just can't know where or when at this point. However, we do know that tonight he makes his return to SmackDown Live as General Manager.

Bryan has made several headlines already this week as he's criticized WWE's Money in the Bank pay-per-view as well as the company's overall creative philosophies. Tonight's episode should be of high interest as WWE has officially begun its build towards SummerSlam.

Up Next: 5 Things We Learned From Money in the Bank