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What happened to Daniel Bryan? That is the question that the WWE Universe has been asking themselves after The Fiend pulled Bryan under the ring and he hasn't been seen since. The move even sent shockwaves through the company's fanbase and has raised questions about what is going to happen next.
Furthermore, the move seems to show that this was WWE's plan all along, especially since The Miz was intergraded into it relatively early, which also begs the question of why they would do this? What exactly is the pay off to all this and when will fans see Daniel Bryan again?
Questions aside, here are five theories behind why Daniel Bryan has disappeared. As always, let us know your thoughts in the comments below and tell us where you think WWE is going with all of this.
#5 Avoid turning Daniel Bryan heel
WWE has started a trend of Superstars turning heel after their encounters with The Fiend and it looked like Daniel Bryan was destined to be his next victim. That didn't end up happening and instead of Bryan getting another title opportunity, he was pulled under the ring by the monster.
Things get more bizarre from there as the closing moments of last week's SmackDown featured Daniel Bryan seemingly getting hair ripped off his face. Then, The Miz started this week's edition of Smackdown by stating that Daniel Bryan has gone missing and that The Fiend has taken him somewhere.
If nothing else, this is WWE's way of avoiding Daniel Bryan having to turn heel and allowing his character to stay neutral. The Miz can then hopefully work to rescue his former protege from The Fiend's clutches and help WWE to avoid the heel turn entirely. Maybe it will even result in The Miz turning heel again, thus continuing the trend.
#4 To get fans behind The Miz
The Miz turned babyface for the first time in forever earlier this year and while things seemed promising enough, it ultimately ran stale. Maybe that had to do with the fact that he lost more often than he won, or maybe it just had to do with the company focusing on other talent at the time, but there is no doubt that The Miz's character has suffered.
And that's the weirdest part about all of this - the fact that all the right conditions were there for The Miz to succeed as a babyface, especially with how Shane McMahon turned on him, but it didn't happen that way. He ended up getting buried in the midcard like he always does and this time as a babyface.
If nothing else, WWE needed to flip the switch on The Miz's face turn and find a way to get the fans back behind him again. Interestingly enough, WWE seems to have pulled it off by having The Miz come to Daniel Bryan's defense and take on the monster that is The Fiend.
That seems to just be the beginning though, as WWE is now playing a whole new level of mind games on The Miz and his family. Hopefully, it helps The Miz build back up the momentum he needs in order to succeed as a top face, or the company would just be wasting their time.
#3 Gives WWE an excuse to avoid a rematch
WWE has caught a lot of heat in the past over doing rematches, which is why they are starting to try to avoid them whenever possible. Sure, this doesn't mean some bouts don't get rematches, especially if WWE wants to use it to further the plot, but it's becoming more of the exception and not the rule.
Fortunately for the WWE Universe, the company seems to have taken Daniel Bryan off of television as a way to avoid doing a rematch with The Fiend. WWE even put The Miz in Daniel Bryan's place at the upcoming TLC PPV, which pretty much means this was at least part of their plans.
Why else would WWE not announce an official title match and finally do so after The Fiend's original opponent went missing? Why would WWE be booking The Miz to slowly take Daniel Bryan's side in the storyline, if the company didn't have the intention of involving him?
In the end, this was all apart of a brilliant plan by WWE to keep Bryan off of television, allow The Miz to take his place and avoid a rematch that could have fans sour on the PPV.
#2 Expands the powers of The Fiend
What is The Fiend capable of?
No, seriously, after watching him survive a pyrotechnics incident, a sledgehammer to the head at Hell in a Cell and even a steel chair shot right to the face, one has to wonder what else he can do? Interestingly enough, WWE seemed to answer that question quite clearly with the recent disappearance of Daniel Bryan.
Of course, it's unknown where WWE plans to go from here or even how long he will stay missing before he reappears, but this was a brilliant way for the company to expand on the powers of The Fiend. It also seems very reminiscent of The Undertaker's powers back in the early 90s, which should be giving fans goosebumps right now.
Think about it like this. WWE is creating an anything-can-happen kind of feel with The FIend's character right now and a lot of that has to do with his paranormal mind games. In fact, the unique way that The Fiend is able to play these mind games is arguably one of the best things about his character and is something fans follow closely.
Expanding the prowess of The Fiend is extremely exciting to watch and brings together something all fans can enjoy. It's that rare kind of storyline that can terrify older viewers while also maintaining a seemingly child-friendly presence.
#1 Another mystery
Remember Roman Reigns' mystery attacker?
While that ultimately didn't go anywhere and just served to break up the team of Erick Rowan and Daniel Bryan, it was still one of the most compelling storylines the company had done in a while. In fact, between the non-stop cliff hangers, to the company invoking imagery from The Attitude Era to pull it off, this was one of their best moves.
With that being said and the company seeming to lack that kind of storyline in their weekly programming, the disappearance of Daniel Bryan is a great mystery to get fans hooked on. It even seems to have expanded the lore and powers of The Fiend, which is a huge service to his overall character.
The Fiend's world-building aside, this is an excellent way to get fans invested in the upcoming episodes of Friday Night SmackDown and brings a cartoonish aspect to the overall storyline. It's essentially this perfect mix of varying storylines all sewn together into one coherent and creepy story.
Where did Daniel Bryan go? What kind of state will fans find him in once he does eventually reappear? These are all questions the WWE Universe is asking themselves after the series of events that have played out and it's going to generate a lot of interest in the long-term.
