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Daniel Bryan faces Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship next week. This would be just another match if not for the stipulation - Daniel Bryan's career is on the line, as per Roman Reigns' orders!
Also worth noting is that Daniel Bryan felt an odd detachment during his match with Roman Reigns and Edge in the WrestleMania 37 main event. These were his exact words:
"It's taken me time to fully process what the experience was like because it wasn't like a normal thing. I felt very out of body in it. When I'm wrestling, I feel everything and feel like I'm enjoying it. This was weird, I was out there, and it felt like I was detached," said Daniel Bryan.
Daniel Bryan has been vocal about wanting to retire as a full-time performer in the past. So, if (and it's likely) he comes up short against Roman Reigns, where will he go?
Feel free to sound off in the comments section.
#5 Daniel Bryan returns to SmackDown the next week under a Lucha mask
Let's assume that Daniel Bryan comes up short against Roman Reigns. Reigns comes out the following week and brags about driving Daniel Bryan away.
Only Daniel Bryan could return as a Luchador, in the same manner that Otis, Kurt Angle, and even Elias on NXT have done, to create a comedic moment. This could lead to a rematch at WrestleMania Backlash, where Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns conclude their feud in a heated fight.
This is obviously a trademark WWE booking and something we've seen a million times in the past. Four more exciting options have been discussed in the following pages.
#4 Daniel Bryan becomes a full-time RAW superstar
Daniel Bryan could be a great opponent for Bobby Lashley once he's done with Drew McIntyre. Also from the same brand is Sheamus, who's going to want new opponents for the United States Championship.
Daniel Bryan is the quintessential babyface, the ultimate underdog. Both men are significantly bigger than him, making this the ultimate David vs. Goliath story.
Thus, Bryan could just show up on RAW and mix it up with the likes of the heels or even enter the tag team division. Maybe Ricochet and Daniel Bryan can come together to take down AJ Styles and Omos. Brock Lesnar is sure to return to the brand sooner or later, and a rematch with Daniel Bryan could be a great piece of business.
So yes, Bryan may be forced to leave the SmackDown brand but he may show up on RAW the very next week! Nobody would really bat an eyelid.
#3 Daniel Bryan leaves WWE for good
As reported by Fightful, Daniel Bryan is looking for a way to wrestle with other promotions. Having come up through the independent wrestling world, he may want to explore new possibilities before he retires from active competition.
This is what the Fightful report said (Via Cageside Seats):
"While discussing his expiring WWE contract, Daniel Bryan said that he’s trying to find a way to wrestle for WWE and for other companies."
Let's assume that Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns is exactly as advertised. Bryan loses the contest and that's the end of his WWE run.
Well, it need not be the end of his wrestling career. As Christian has proved, there's a world outside WWE, and the frontrunner is All Elite Wrestling, where Daniel Bryan could have a variety of dream matches.
Who wouldn't want to see Daniel Bryan against Jungle Boy, Moxley, or Kenny Omega?
#2 Daniel Bryan heads to NXT for a brief stint
Why does Daniel Bryan need to head to AEW when there's a whole bunch of opponents waiting for him in NXT? He could have great feuds with Finn Balor, Adam Cole, Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, Karrion Kross, or even Kyle O'Reilly!
Each one of the men came up through the independent circuit and Daniel Bryan has a lot in common with them.
For Daniel Bryan, NXT would not really be a step down because the black and gold brand is perceived to be equal to RAW and SmackDown ever since it moved to the USA Network.
In fact, this move would infuse the brand with new energy considering that the roster isn't as star-studded as it once was. The chains would be off for the maestro of the mat, who could attempt unique and creative things in the ring that he couldn't have done on SmackDown.
#1 Daniel Bryan becomes a part-time performer
What does Dutch Mantell think about the Daniel Bryan situation? Catch him in conversation with Rick and Sid from Sportskeeda on Smack Talk in the above video. Please subscribe to the channel and get a chance to interact with the legendary Sportskeeda roster comprising Mantell, Vince Russo, and several others. We have many surprises coming your way.
Daniel Bryan has been vocal about wanting to retire as a full-time performer. He said as much on the Bellas Podcast:
"My retirement from full-time wrestling which will be coming up sooner rather than later in the next couple of years."
Daniel Bryan is one of the masters of his craft, someone who wrestles not for the paycheck but for the love. It may be impossible to satiate the wrestling bug once he is away from the bright lights.
In such a scenario, he could work a schedule where he returns during WrestleMania season to work on programs with someone on the roster in a part-time role!
