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After being forced to retire from in-ring competition due to a series of concussions, Daniel Bryan finally made his triumphant return to the squared circle at WrestleMania 35. Bryan teamed with Shane McMahon to defeat the team of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. While the match in itself wasn't that great, the scene of DB finally getting back to where he belongs made for a great WrestleMania moment. The Washington-native would then give up his General Managership and would become a full-time member of SmackDown roster.
Bryan would be put in a feud with a returning Big Cass in a feud that can be described as underwhelming. The duo never really any chemistry and the storyline was so generic that fans never got behind it. Bryan's return till that point had somewhat fallen flat and many felt that a feud against his arch-nemesis The Miz would be able to get his career back on track.
The duo locked horns during the summer in a series of matches starting at SummerSlam where the A-lister defeated Bryan. But, that magic was missing and the feud never caught fire as many thought it would. In a matter of months, Bryan went from being one of the hottest stars in the company to just another face on the blue brand.
But, little did we know about what was to come next. The former Leader of The Yes Movement turned heel by low-blowing AJ Styles on his capturing the WWE Championship. Bryan's character of an eco-warrior detesting cons has been a runaway hit. The American Dragon's transformation from being one of the beloved Superstars to being one of the hated has been absolutely outstanding and is the testament to how talented the man is.
With WrestleMania fast approaching, WWE needs to find an opponent for the WWE Champion at the Grandest Stage. Here are five potential opponents for Bryan at WrestleMania 35.
#5 Kevin Owens
This week on Monday Night RAW, WWE played a pre-taped video hyping Owen's return. In the video, Owens was seen confirming his return to in-ring competition, which he said would be in a month's time, whilst also adding that he isn't sure which brand he will eventually end up in. Owens has been on the shelf since October after he suffered a knee injury.
Owens is excepted to return as a Babyface since he had turned in the angle which was meant to write him off TV. Owens and Bryan have a long and storied history dating back to their time in the independent circuit. The duo has faced off against one another in a tag team match where Owen's SmackDown career was on the line. Bryan's victory ensured that the Prizefighter would stay away from the blue brand.
Despite their storied history, Bryan and Owens have never had a singles match in the WWE. It will be interesting to see the duo square off against one another especially after their respective character transformation. The promos leading up to the match alone will be worth the buck.
#4 Mustafa Ali
The former 205 Live Star has made a huge impact ever since moving to SmackDown in late last year. The Chicago-native already has a pinfall victory over Bryan in a tag team match and has been a part of some great matches on the blue brand. Ali was recently inserted in the six-man Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship at the eponymous pay-per-view. But it was reported last night by Frightful.com that Ali has been working through a tailbone injury and could be pulled out of the Chamber match. This is really heartbreaking considering the wave of momentum that Ali had behind him and this being the biggest match of his career.
But, we believe that this injury couldn't come at a better time for Ali. Daniel Bryan is excepted to retain the WWE Championship at the Chamber and Ali would surely have been one of the first men to be eliminated. Being taken off the match gives Ali the chance to get back at Bryan with whom he holds a 1-1 record.
WWE has come under the scanner for its failure to make future stars. With Ali, the company has shown its intent to bet on a future and we believe that couldn't be better starting point than WrestleMania for this project to finally take off. Ali had an incredible match against Cedric Alexander at last year's WrestleMania. Ali Vs Bryan is a match has classic written all over it.
#3 Rey Mysterio
After making a series of one-off appearances throughout the year, Rey Mysterio finally made his full-time return to the WWE on SmackDown 1000 where he defeated Shinsuke Nakamura to earn a spot at the WWE World Cup tournament. The Master of the 619 has since then had a mini-TV feud with Randy Orton and is currently involved in a feud with Andrade. His series of matches against Andrade has been universally praised by both fans and critics. Even at the age of 44, Mysterio is showing no signs of slowing down and can still go toe-to-toe with some of the best in the business.
Mysterio's WWE return has fallen short of expectations despite his excellent in-ring work. A performer of the stature of Mysterio deserves better, given how much he has done for the company and the business. Mysterio needs a high-profile match at WrestleMania 35 and a feud against Bryan for the WWE title.
Mysterio has been one of the biggest merchandise movers in WWE history and this aspect can be used in his feud against Bryan, who utterly despises consumerism. Bryan's heel persona is the perfect foil for an underdog like Mysterio and together this duo can create magic inside the ring.
#2 Jeff Hardy
A former WWE Champion and future Hall of Famer, the Charismatic Enigma is one of the beloved WWE Superstars of all time. Hardy's daredevil nature and in-ring aura has been captivating fans worldwide for more than two decades. The Younger Hardy has had a successful singles career winning every possible singles title in the company, with the exception of the Cruiserweight Championship. Hardy is a three-time World Champion winning the World Heavyweight Championship twice and the WWE Championship once.
But despite being one of the most decorated Superstars in WWE history, Jeff Hardy's WrestleMania record stands at 1-5 with his only win coming at WrestleMania 33. Hardy has lost some high-profile matches at The Grandest Stage including his loss to his elder brother, Matt at WrestleMania 25.
At 41 years of age and given his style of wrestling, Hardy will be looking to wind up his in-ring career in a year's time. We believe that Hardy ought to have that one big WrestleMania Moment before he calls it a day. The seeds of this feud could be planted at the Elimination Chamber where Hardy would end up as one of the last survivor series before being eliminated by the dastardly heel Bryan via nefarious means. Bryan Vs Hardy is a programme that fans would love to see at WrestleMania 35 and if done properly, it could turn out be something really special.
#1 Samoa Joe
The Samoan Submission Machine's main roster run has been quite underwhelming, to at the least. Although Joe has showed sparked of brilliance throughout his run on the main roster, the company has never really got behind The Destroyer. Joe has lost most of the high-profile matches that he has been involved in, which has severely dented his reputation of being the top dog in the company. But, it is the sheer talent and grit of the man that has seen him rise above time and time again despite the many setbacks and deliver knockout performances both in the ring and on the microphone.
Joe's promo from SmackDown two weeks ago was just another example of how lethal he is on the microphone. He is a sheer joy to watch on screen and his promo skills are second to none on the blue brand. But despite the big talk, Joe hasn't been able to win a singles title ever since debuting on the main roster in 2016. But, that could change, come WrestleMania 35.
While he has been a heel for the entirety of his main roster run, Joe is equally effective as a babyface. He is WWE's best bet to face Bryan at WrestleMania at the moment. Joe is a performer who can put on the great match with almost anybody and we all know how great Bryan is inside the ring. This one will be one for the ages and we would like Joe finally get his moment by going over Bryan and becoming the new WWE Champion.
