WWE Rumor: Did Daniel Bryan Fake Extent Of His Injuries?
Daniel Bryan (aka Bryan Danielson) may be a faker.
That’s if you read some of the wrestling message boards out there, anyway. (Hey, as a wrestling writer, I’ve got nothing better to do.)
In all actuality, the theories are not that farfetched, and if they’re true, all we’ve got to say is, “Brilliant career move, Daniel!” Here’s why:
Daniel Bryan Definitely Needed Surgery.
You can’t work the kind of high-risk in-ring style that Bryan does and not need to occasionally go in for a few repairs. Everyone agrees that Daniel Bryan needed surgery to fix some of the wear-and-tear he’d experienced over the years. That’s not the issue.
However, he found himself in a unique and advantageous position.
There is only a certain amount of information WWE would be privy to regarding the seriousness of his surgery. Due to HIPAA laws, Bryan has the power to divulge as much or as little about his own health issues as he wants, even to his employer, even when said employer may be footing part or all of the bill.
If your employer — in this case WWE — already suspects that you need surgical attention, what’s the harm in making things seem a bit worse than they are, especially when it gets you out of a violent squash match just three months after your greatest career accomplishment — in Bryan’s case, offing Triple H, Batista, Randy Orton, and Kane to win and secure the WWE World Heavyweight Championship?
Timing Is Very Convenient.
After Daniel Bryan had the surgery, he faced a grave prognosis. He would probably need a second, and that would place him out much longer than originally planned.
Faced with this information, WWE Creative could not go through with burying Bryan at SummerSlam and sending him to the back of the line the way they had intended.
With the uncertainty looming ahead and a newborn WWE Network to feed, the company would have to reverse course. That led to John Cena taking the beat-down intended for Daniel Bryan at the hands of Brock Lesnar.
Along the way, more “news” came out that Daniel Bryan might need Tommy John surgery, effectively squashing all hope of working a program with Brock Lesnar before WrestleMania 31. And since the rumor mill already “confirmed” the WWE wanted Roman Reigns in that slot, Bryan could essentially let that play out and then walk directly back into the main event picture upon his return with legitimate claim to the championship, since no one beat him for it.
The more likely the Roman Reigns-Brock Lesnar scenario became, the easier it would be for Bryan to come back earlier than expected, which is exactly what’s happened.
So Is Daniel Bryan A Faker?
No, even as I typed out all of that, it seemed a bit farfetched. But if it were true, I wouldn’t blame him for a single second making that kind of power play.
Daniel Bryan has worked his butt off to get to where he is. Hitting the top of the WWE in spite of the boss man’s love for big guys is a once-in-a-lifetime (or once-in-a-Vince McMahon-lifetime) accomplishment.
Milking an injury to protect your character is something classic wrestlers of yore would have done, and it’s an ability all too fleeting with WWE being the only show in town and wrestlers having so little command over their creative direction.
While it’s almost certainly a coincidence, I’d like to think Bryan Danielson did this to protect Daniel Bryan. What do you think, readers? Did he milk it, or is the timetable just a coincidence?
