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What's the story?
Daniel Bryan was able to return to action ahead of WrestleMania this year after more than two years on the sidelines, but the return wasn't exactly what Bryan expected.
In case you didn't know...
Daniel Bryan's WWE career has been plagued with injuries and this became too much for him back in February 2016 when he was forced to retire from the ring after 16 years because WWE's doctors refused to clear him for competition.
Shockingly, after two years on the sidelines, it was revealed ahead of this year's WrestleMania that Bryan would be able to make his return to the ring, but he knew that it wouldn't be as the same wrestler since his moveset would have to be changed to avoid any future injuries.
The heart of the matter
Bryan recently opened up about the frustrations he had upon his WWE return as part of WWE Day Of.
“I felt a little trapped when I came back. I had this new idea for a style that I wanted to wrestle but when you come back at Wrestlemania, they kept having people tell me, ‘Oh! They want to make sure that you’re okay and that you’re healthy. They want to see you do all the old stuff. They want to see all the dropkicks in the corner and the dives through the ropes’ and all this kinda stuff, and it felt like a trap. Like I had just fought so hard to get back to do something that I love, but then to be trapped in to a certain way of doing it," he said via WrestlingInc.
Bryan became well known for his style and many members of the WWE Universe expected this to continue when he made his return, which was the hardest thing for Bryan.
“It’s interesting because the new Daniel Bryan can’t be defined without the old Daniel Bryan. It’s kinda self loathing more so than anything else. I hated what I had become and what I represented. The good things about myself that I had taken pride in for many many years had just kinda fallen to the wayside in this idea of the expectations of what Daniel Bryan was. And even just my mindset, the mindset of the old Daniel Bryan, so, he fought so hard to come back and then when he came back he was just happy to be back he wasn’t fighting for anything.”
What's next?
Bryan's new heel character has allowed him to change up his style and slow down his pace in the ring, which means that he could have many more years ahead of him in the squared circle.
Are you glad Daniel Bryan changed up his style on SmackDown Live? Have your say in the comments section below...
