WWE May Still Be Nervous About Daniel Bryan’s Health

Now that the confetti has cleared from the jubilant news of Daniel Bryan‘s return to WWE, details of how it all happened have begun to emerge. But, there is one item that suggests WWE isn’t quite ready to let Bryan roam free.

In his willingness to prove he’s healthy, Bryan has agreed to submit himself to exceptional testing. And according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, WWE has developed a unique, but stringent, medical protocol to monitor the health of the freshly cleared Bryan.

“The only difference between him and every other wrestler on the roster is that part of his agreement when getting WWE to send him to leading neurologists of Maroon’s choosing to get evaluated, is that he agreed, after every match, until WWE was comfortable that he was okay, he would go to the WWE doctors backstage and get Impact testing and a neuropsychological evaluation done.”

If this sounds like an extra hoop for Bryan to jump through, it’s because it is. However, considering the vigilance that charged Bryan’s quest to get medical clearance, an extra test after each match is something the SmackDown GM will happily oblige.

WWE has plenty of reasons to be thorough as they’re currently embroiled in a concussion-centric lawsuit with former Superstars. That and the increased awareness of CTE in professional sports makes Bryan’s case one worthy of scrutiny.

Upon the news of Bryan getting the green light, WWE qualified their decision with a public statement riddled and medical terms and referenced enough doctors to fill a Royal Rumble. Here’s a snippet:

Following more than two years of extensive evaluations, four-time World Champion 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.

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.

If WWE is a little skittish about Bryan’s health, they didn’t show it on SmackDown. In the same night, Bryan made his triumphant return speech he was brutalized by Kevin Owen and Sami Zayn—even taking KO’s infamous Apron Bomb.

As far as we know Bryan walked away from the vicious beatdown which is a great sign for both he and WWE.