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Earlier this week, the WWE promised a "career-altering announcement" by Daniel Bryan, and as you can imagine, fans were hooked. Fresh off of losing the SmackDown Tag titles with Rowan at Extreme Rules, the WWE Universe wanted to see what Bryan was going to reveal, and thus were left disappointed.
Appearing on the show's second hour, Bryan's theme came on and he walked out. Then he left and returned with Rowan at his side. Then he left, choking up a bit. He came out a third time, seemingly holding back tears, and then acted like he would be speaking before holding up the microphone and dropping it to the ground. He then walked to the back a final time.
This certainly has left many fans confused as to why Bryan didn't utter a single word, and here are five reasons why Daniel Bryan didn't make his "career-altering announcement" on WWE SmackDown Live.
#5: It's the start of a new gimmick
Daniel Bryan may be a fantastic wrestler and a great character, but he is also a wizard on the mic. Whether face or heel, Bryan always delivers in promos, getting fans invested in whatever he has to say.
This week's performance by Bryan could be the start of a new character for the former WWE Champion, who has shown his disdain for the "fickle" WWE Universe in recent months. Perhaps Bryan feels his eco-warrior words of wisdom have fallen on deaf ears, and thus refuses to speak to the fans.
If true, this could certainly be an interesting gimmick that could last for weeks if not months, and though many Superstars would fret over the idea of no longer being allowed to cut promos, if there's one Superstar who can still tell a story without saying anything, it's Daniel Bryan.
See WWE Smackdown Results, Highlights of event, & more on WWE Smackdown Results page
#4: The company are teasing a babyface return
Though he may be one of the vilest heels in the past year in WWE, most fans will remember a time when Bryan was the most beloved star of a generation. In 2013 and 2014 there was not a single Superstar more universally accepted by the fans than the Yes! Man, who stood up against the Authority.
Now a heel, Bryan has done great things, but after losing both the WWE and SmackDown Tag Team Championships, it seems the character may have run it's course. Clearly emotional on this week's show, it seems that Bryan may have shown some remorse for his actions, remose that left him speechless. Whilst I hope this isn't the case, as heel Bryan has been amazing, his merch sales have fallen drastically, meaning a face turn may be on the cards.
#3: He's working the crowd
In this day and age, heel and face dynamics are not what they used to be. Whilst back in the Hulkamania era good guys and bad guys were set in stone, there is a moral grey area nowadays, with many heels being cheered, and many faces being booed.
Despite once being one of WWE's most beloved babyfaces, Bryan has somehow become a heel who actually gets booed, and one way in doing so is by working the crowd into a frenzy. After so much speculation by fans on what his career-altering announcement was going to be, fans were desperate to find out what Bryan had to say, which is exactly why he didn't reveal a thing. Love him or hate him, Bryan angered many fans with his actions, and that's exactly what he wanted.
#2: WWE had nothing planned
This is being a bit pessimistic, but there is always the chance that WWE didn't really have anything planned for Bryan to say. After months of falling ratings, the company are only recently starting to pull people back in, thanks in part to the new Executive Directors Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff.
With WWE still desperate to get people to tune in (especially to the so-called B-Show SmackDown Live), the announcement could've been a ruse to lure fans in, and though WWE may have planned on thinking of something for Bryan to say by the time the show aired. that clearly didn't pan out. As I said, this is probably the most pessimistic idea but to be fair, if this is true, Bryan won't have been the only person put out on WWE TV without a purpose.
#1: He's injured, but WWE isn't sure what to do
When WWE revealed Bryan's career-altering announcement, many fans, including myself, feared the worst. After being forced to retired in 2016 due to injuries, getting to see Bryan wrestle once again (and arguably doing his very best work ever as a heel), has been a gift.
A gift to be sure, but every match Bryan is in now always runs the risks of finishing his career off for good, and it seems likely that the former WWE Champion is dealing with an injury. After all, he was replaced in RAW's 10-man Battle Royal by Sami Zayn, and though Bryan may have intended to go out on SmackDown to reveal the nature of this possible injury, the WWE may be stopping themselves from acting too hasty, especially if the alleged injury isn't too serious.
