Backstage Update on Daniel Bryan’s Potential WWE Comeback

Perhaps no one in WWE has been attached to more rumors in 2018 than Daniel Bryan. Ranging from Royal Rumble winner to evil SmackDown tyrant, speculation on his WWE future has been incessant. However, any hopes of Bryan actually wrestling in a WWE ring may have just died.

Bodyslam.net wrote that a source within WWE confirmed that there is zero evidence that indicates Bryan has been cleared to return to in-ring action. Per their report, the source is apparently close to Bryan’s situation and would know anything that ran counter. In short, they claim that for Bryan to return, especially at WrestleMania, it would have to be a bombshell of a secret. This is essentially the same information we have known for months.

Bryan was forced to retire from professional wrestling on Feb. 8, 2016 following a series of medical issues brought on by a string of concussions he sustained from his time both in the independent wrestling circuit and WWE. However, rumors of the SmackDown Live general manager’s return to the ring have been spreading for well over a year with Bryan training, undergoing medical treatments to help heal any concussion-related damages and being cleared by multiple doctors outside of WWE.

“I assume that if I don’t wrestle by WrestleMania, I probably won’t be wrestling with WWEat all,” Bryan said in an interview with Sports Illustrated. “That’s my assumption. It’s not a black and white answer,” said Bryan. “There are a lot of issues with me getting cleared by WWE. They have a very strict protocol, which is a good thing, but the timeline of all that happening was not the best for me. It’s an interesting situation that will develop.”

Triple H commented on Bryan’s potential return in January.

“There can be no exception, medically, if the belief is that he’s not healthy enough and it is a risk for to perform, then I don’t know why we would ever allow him to step in the ring unless it can be proven otherwise,” Hunter said.

Bryan’s return rumors popped up against as recently as the Royal Rumble, with experts speculation over whether or not he could make a return and win. He did not compete at the event.

It’s also speculated that if Bryan does not get cleared by WWE’s doctors prior to his current contract expiring later this year, he’ll leave WWE and compete in independent promotions.