While Daniel Bryan may not have an official match scheduled for this weekend’s SummerSlam pay-per-view, the environmentalist heel might still play a big part in the show.
This week’s episode of SmackDown Live concluded with Buddy Murphy claiming Rowan was responsible for recent attacks on Roman Reigns. The former Shield member was nearly crushed by scaffolding and he was hit by a car.
With Rowan being Bryan’s tag team partner, all signs point towards Bryan masterminding the attempts to take Reigns out of action. With these latest developments, however, WWE has reportedly changed their mind on another idea they had for Bryan.
As noted by The Inquisitr , the company allegedly wanted to move their main event superstar to 205 Live in a bid to increase the show’s poor ratings. However, citing the Wrestling Observer Newsletter , Cultaholic reports that those plans have been scrapped.
With the superstar no longer set to appear on the Cruiserweight show, all the signs point towards him being the culprit behind the Reigns drama.
This news also adds fuel to a rumor that’s been going around since the scaffolding incident on SmackDown Live . Last week, The Inquisitr reported that WWE plans to unveil Bryan as the attacker because the company wants to pit him against Reigns in a marquee feud.
With Reigns being the top babyface on SmackDown Live and Bryan being the show’s biggest heel, a rivalry between the former World Champions makes sense. How WWE goes about presenting it, though, remains to be seen.
The pair have been at odds with each other at recent house shows in which WWE tests fan reactions to storylines and matches prior to introducing them to television.
Recent developments have only made Bryan’s “career-altering announcement” — which WWE has been advertising for weeks — even more intriguing. The storyline is already shrouded in mystery, but how it connects to Reigns will make for an interesting dimension to proceedings.
Update On Daniel Bryan’s “Career-Altering Announcement” On WWE SmackDown Live – https://t.co/7i0YH0ypfM
— Cultaholic Wrestling (@Cultaholic) August 10, 2019
The recent incidents involving Reigns boasts shades of WWE’s infamous “Attitude Era,” which featured storylines involving hit and runs. The most famous example was the feud between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H, during which time the Texas Rattlesnake were forced out of action for several months after The Game orchestrated the car attack.
The Inquisitr recently reported that Vince McMahon wants WWE programming to be edgier as the company faces a new competitor in the form of All Elite Wrestling.
With this in mind, one of many storylines may well push the envelope going forward.
