WWE News: WWE Still Not Willing To Clear Daniel Bryan, ‘Royal Rumble’ Appearance Unlikely

WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan has been out of action for months now. We are coming up on a year in just a bit, which is sad to see. Bryan was diagnosed with a concussion last year, after taking a shot to the head in a match. This was the first known concussion Bryan had in his WWE career, but he had a few when on the independent scene.

Daniel Bryan was also just coming off of having a surgery that took him out of action for months prior. Weirdly, Bryan did not change up his style a lot. Most thought he would to avoid injury. His concussion was not caused by his style, but rather a reckless Sheamus who was going too far in his physical style when he came back from his own injury in early 2015.

The concussion lawsuit against WWE has been holding Daniel Bryan back as far as his in-ring return goes. While Bryan cannot publicly acknowledge this as the issue, it is almost certainly the problem and most fans realize it. Many assumed that it would be best for WWE to just release Bryan rather than have him on the payroll being miserable because they won’t allow him to return to the ring.

There was even a rumor that they were willing to do just that next week; however, those rumors have since been shot down by WWE. However, we can always watch and see.

Now, there is even more information regarding Daniel Bryan and WWE. The Wrestling Observer noted that there were no plans for Bryan as of now. That means a return at The Royal Rumble, like all fans have assumed, looks to be off the table. Bryan is still waiting to be medically cleared by WWE. He has already been cleared by a notable neurologist and rumor has it that another doctor has also given him clearance. However, WWE’s doctor out of Pittsburgh refuses to clear him.

Scans on his brain, according to Bryan, have been pretty good and even show he is better than most his age. If he appears fine and his brain does not look to be in a bad way from his last concussion, most would assume that clearance is not an issue. The issue really does come down to the lawsuit. Right now, WWE is even paranoid about injuries getting out since there are so many right now.

Let’s talk about all the people injured in 2015 and 2016 so far: Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Sting, Wade Barrett, Rusev, Lana, John Cena, Paige, Sasha Banks, Cesaro, Tyson Kidd, and we could be missing some. A few of those people are not expected back until the summer or next year. Rusev, alone, has been hurt about three times now. Some have returned, or could be back soon.

Anyone else getting hurt is being kept under wraps, so that it won’t further the case for the concussion lawsuit or any other suit against WWE that might come along. Unless the injury is extreme or obvious, they won’t speak of it. This is likely why Paige and Sasha have shot down reports of an injury, and yet have not wrestled since the diagnosis of the injury. However, WWE did speak of John Cena having to get surgery because of its impact on the company.

All of this being said, we’re being told Daniel Bryan is out with an injury and is not medically cleared. However, it could be a big ruse to make Daniel Bryan’s return a bigger deal for the Rumble. At this point however, it seems Bryan won’t be present. So WWE fans should not get their hopes up.

[Image via WWE]