Daniel Bryan, at the age of 35, is now the General Manager of SmackDown Live and has recently shown interest to come back to the ring. Bryan’s pro wrestling career saw a sudden end when he had to retire early in 2016 due to multiple concussions he had received over time, leading to severe medical issues. Bryan suffered seizures as reported by both him and his wife Brie Bella who also recently retired from WWE and this scared Bryan’s family and the WWE medical team resulting in his retirement being confirmed in the following months.
In his 16 year career, Daniel Bryan forged a legacy for himself and treated the fans to some incredible matches. Bryan has a huge fan base even now that he has retired but all of that seemed to have come at a price to him.
Recently, however, Daniel Bryan has expressed his desire to go back into the ring again and Forbes claimed last week that even his own doctors have cleared him for a ring appearance at WWE. However, Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso reported that WWE apparently is fighting a multi-million dollar concussion lawsuit and considering the WWE Wellness Policy, abiding by which is seemingly a huge issue for the company, it is very unlikely that they will let Bryan fight in the coming months.
WWE’s very own Triple H, former champion and Executive Vice President of Talent, Live Events and Creative, said that it’s an imperative that they protect the talent even if it is from themselves. "Athletes are like thoroughbreds. Someone has to pull the reins," Triple H told ABC News. "They will run themselves into the ground if -- if given that opportunity."
WWE’s Talent Wellness Program even includes ImPACT concussion testing.
“WWE has been well ahead of sports organizations in implementing concussion management procedures and policies," WWE reportedly said. "If a performer shows symptoms of a concussion or suffers a concussion, they are immediately removed from the ring. We have the ability to conduct further testing at arenas if a suspected concussion occurs during an event. There is strict prohibition of deliberate and direct shots to the head."
Bryan has said that he does not blame WWE for his injuries so a lawsuit from him is unlikely at best. All this also does not rule out the fact that Daniel Bryan could potentially leave WWE for Ring of Honor where he enjoyed a short but successful stint since they would not have any issues letting him fight if he wants to.
