Could Daniel Bryan be in a WWE ring once again, even if it were for one final match?
After the immense discussion regarding the recent confrontation between the former WWE World Champion and The Miz on WWE Talking Smack, there has to be a reason for all this – not just that Bryan wanted the Intercontinental Title on the Smackdown Live brand.
According to cagesideseats.com, the company that basically forced Bryan to end his time as a wrestler to pursue the role of Smackdown Live general manager instead, has not ruled out the scenario of the ever-popular champion wrestling again.
But who?
If Bryan gets in a wrestling ring and does what he does best, will there be a new style to his persona? Does he commit more to a ground game? Will he take the same high-flying risks that he did – the ones that caused him an injury in the first place? Bryan is not going to be placed in a match against Brock Lesnar or potentially someone like Braun Strowman, but there are wrestlers on WWE’s current roster who make sense if there is one more match left in Bryan’s career.
Bryan retired from professional wrestling due to medical issues (including seizures) arising from multiple concussions and a brain lesion as a result of being in the ring.
Should he and WWE decide he can perform again, here are five wrestlers who could be on the short list for a monumental match.
1- John Cena
I thought we might have seen this match last year when Cena held the United States Title and Bryan was the Intercontinental Champion. It is one of those matches that should have happened again but never materialized. Cena is still the gold standard by which all other WWE superstars on the roster are judged.
No matter how popular Bryan is and was, he still had to overcome the “Cena” proposition. Since the two are “related” of sorts in real life, this match could be the culmination of a rivalry that never really happened. A while back, I wrote a piece that basically stated Cena was an entertainer and that Bryan was a wrestler and neither were alike. Now, that theory could be tested.
2- Seth Rollins
The smarmy heel would be a solid choice to get in the ring with Bryan. The two have met before when Rollins was a member of The Shield, but that was a different time and Rollins has become a better performer. Rollins’s mic skills and head games would be ideal for this situation.
Who better to create self-doubt in Bryan’s ability than the man who hurt Sting and Finn Balor and is as ruthless as anyone in recent memory? I also like the idea of it being a cross-brand feud where both Raw and Smackdown Live benefits from this kind of a confrontation. It also has former Authority angles to it and should be a main event match.
3- AJ Styles
The new “Face that runs the place” is one of those wrestlers we match again Bryan on video games and imagine what it would be to see in real life. Two former Indy wrestlers in a ring for the first time in front of the WWE Universe – it cannot get better than this.
Styles is the best thing on the company roster, fits into the profile since he competes on Smackdown Live and has a style in the ring which is comparable to Bryan. It could be epic, but it also could lead to a three-match feud. This could be yet another test to prove Styles should have been in this company a long time ago.
4- The Miz
Of course, this is going to be the match we all hope to see. There are too many reasons why this would not happen, but it should happen now that the two have had such a heated exchange. Bryan’s walking off the set of WWE Talking Smack put The Miz over as one of Smackdown Live’s best heels.
The Miz does not get the credit he deserves for the work he does on the mic and in the ring. He is a throwback heel and his work with his wife Maryse is reminiscent of Tully Blanchard and Baby Doll or Eddie Gilbert and Missy Hyatt. Of everyone on this list, he would seem to be the most likely candidate.
5- Kurt Angle
Angle has said publically that should he return to WWE and have a final match, he wants to face Bryan. Oh, how I want this to happen. The second coming of Verne Gagne and one of the best mat wrestlers of all time in the ring with Bryan is the type of match we can only dream of.
Angle vs Bryan is something like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels or Jack Brisco and Dory Funk, Jr. This could actually become the retirement match for both men. It might be the best way to send both wrestlers out with a bang, with mutual respect for both their abilities. The first thing that has to happen for Angle to make a return to the company where his career began.
