Daniel Bryan Wants A WWE In-Ring Return After Watching Kurt Angle At ‘TLC’
There is no secret that Daniel Bryan is desperately wanting to get back in a WWE ring as a competitor instead of a general manager. In addition, after the TLC pay-per-view, he confirmed that the desire has not left yet. Since being forced to retire from in-ring competition due to concussion issues, Bryan has been very vocal about being unhappy that WWE will not grant him a release from his contract to compete elsewhere. To provide some form of atonement for his frustration, he was given the authoritative role of being second in command under Commissioner Shane McMahon as general manager of SmackDown Live. Since then, Bryan has been in a couple of angles where it seemed as if he was going to step back in the ring. Most notably, his ongoing issues with The Miz while he was a member of the blue brand.
Bryan has also been involved in the Kevin Owens feud with Shane McMahon, but due to his inability to be cleared to wrestle, the angle shifted to Owens degrading Shane’s family, thus leading to a match at Hell in a Cell. Most recently, Bryan called out Sami Zayn to further explain why he assisted Owens in defeating Shane. There were some remarks by Zayn that mocked Bryan. Particularly, Zayn’s mentioning of Bryan working for the fans, which led him to an early retirement.
This year, Kurt Angle was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame during the WrestleMania 33 weekend in Orlando, Florida. While Angle had a “never say never” attitude regarding returning to a WWE ring, the wide opinion was that it would most likely be at the next WrestleMania in New Orleans, for a one-time match. However, fans got to see the Olympic gold medalist be an honorary member of the Shield, rallying to a victory against The Miz, Kane, Braun Strowman, Sheamus, and Cesaro. This return spawned Daniel Bryan to feel encouraged about his own WWE in-ring comeback.
There was a time when WWE wouldn't let @RealKurtAngle compete. Tonight he won a PPV main event in a TLC match ??? #SoYourSayingTheresAChance
— Bryan Danielson (@bryandanielson) October 23, 2017
Bryan provided an update of his condition while he was on the E&C’s Pod of Awesomeness podcast. He stated that, with more medical treatments for his head trauma, he could be in a position where he would not show any signs of a concussion.
He added that there is still a strong desire to be in the ring, and he felt that his prime years have been lost due to waiting for clearance.
“With all this positive [treatment progress], I’m thinking, there’s no reason why I can’t return to doing what I love. And it may never be full-time, and it may never be this idea that I’m gonna go in and I’m gonna be the guy that main-events every live event and all that kind of stuff. I’m not even sure if I want that, now that I have a child. I don’t wanna be away from her that much, you know? But, to say that I can’t do what, to wrestle, say, like 50-100 matches a year, or to say I can’t do what Jerry Lawler and Terry Funk are still doing in their 60s, that’s kind of where I’m at.”
Most likely, Bryan will continue to lobby returning to a WWE ring as a competitor for at least one more time. Especially, since he is mentioning names such as Terry Funk and Jerry Lawler still competing in their 60s.
[Featured Image by WWE]
