WWE TLC 2019: 5 Reasons why Daniel Bryan returned with his old look

We understand if there would be differing opinions on this, but the Bray Wyatt-Miz match was a good piece of storytelling. It was a refreshing change from having the red lights disrupt the match and The A-Lister getting most of the offense, triggered Wyatt to reach a new level.

Wyatt won the match as expected and post-match, he took out the mallet that was once seen in the Firefly Fun House. He was about to smash The Miz with it but the lights went out and a man in a hoodie showed up. It was Daniel Bryan and not just the one that we've been seeing these past few years - it was Bryan with his old look, the one from 2011!

It's set to renew Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan's feud, which we expect to culminate at Royal Rumble 2020. Here are five reasons why Daniel Bryan returned with his old look.

---

#5 To give a new story to their evolving feud

The Fiend wasn't let in at TLC

The best part of the Daniel Bryan-Bray Wyatt feud is how starkly different it is from their 2013-14 rivalry. Back then, it was about The Wyatt Family and Daniel Bryan joining it and channeling his "dark side".

This time around, it's made Bryan a babyface without a dark turn and it's clear that the premise of the rivalry is entirely different. It helps that there was a five and a half year gap between their feuds and last time we saw Bryan, The Fiend took his hair after dragging him underneath the ring

The change in look was a result of that and it was likely done to continue to change and mix-up the ever-evolving feud between the two.

#4 Daniel Bryan needed a change in look after 6 years

Daniel Bryan's standard look

Daniel Bryan's rise to the top in 2013-14 was based on the underdog factor and the look he had back then was an important part of that. The long hair and beard have been an important part of his look and perhaps one of the things that made him feel like the "common man" and thus a relatable character to the mass audience.

He's had that look for years now and his hair has only grown. Sure, his SmackDown General Manager run saw him have shorter hair but once he returned as an in-ring competitor, the long hair and long beard look came back as well.

As we know, changing a look in wrestling is important and often an important part of the evolution of a character. With superstars that have had longevity, there has rarely been no appearance change over the years.

Simply put, Daniel Bryan needed a change in look after a long time and this is the most surprising appearance change he's had in six years.

#3 The Fiend Bray Wyatt "took" that version of Daniel Bryan

The Fiend

As mentioned, the last time we saw Daniel Bryan was the SmackDown after Survivor Series where it appeared that the two would renew their feud for TLC. However, according to WON, Daniel Bryan himself requested to be removed from the match as he felt a rematch at TLC would be too soon.

And it seems that Bryan has creative control over his character, which means that he made the right decision. As per the storyline, Wyatt took Bryan's hair, but it was symbolic of having taken a large part of Bryan with him.

As a result, we're going to see a whole new turn of events. While we do believe that WWE was right in the appearance change, it was a great way to go about it. It's one of the best pieces of storytelling going on in WWE today and it's good that we have a feud like this on SmackDown, while RAW has an incredible storyline featuring Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, and the AoP.

#2 A new addition to Daniel Bryan's character arc

Daniel Bryan's ever-growing character arc

When thinking about it right now, the three best character arcs in WWE over the last 3 years belong to Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, and Daniel Bryan. Since Bryan has been in WWE longer than both men and has performed at a higher level for a longer time, he's had a significant character arc dating back to 2010.

When you look back, it's amazing to see the incredible storylines that he's been a part of. He was The Miz's "student" in the early edition of NXT and when he returned, he was a big babyface. Over the following year, he became a heel and even won the Money in the Bank briefcase and the World Heavyweight title. Losing it in 18 seconds at WrestleMania 28 became the catalyst for an incredible run that culminated with him becoming WWE's biggest babyface.

The change in look is an addition to Daniel Bryan's ever-growing character arc and it only proves that he's one of the greatest minds in wrestling. He would be an ideal backstage figure to have once his career is over.

#1 "The Old" Daniel Bryan - a contrast to "The New" Daniel Bryan

"The New" Daniel Bryan

It's amazing that within the same year, we'll have seen the new and the old Daniel Bryan. After his incredible heel turn in late 2018 that saw him become "The New" Daniel Bryan, we saw a big change in his character where he became a preachy "holier-than-thou" man whose intentions weren't bad, but the execution was.

He became the biggest heel in the company, which was the most important catalyst in Kofi Kingston's rise to the top that lasted most of 2019. As mentioned previously, Daniel Bryan has an ever-growing character arc that has seen him have good runs as a heel but even better runs as a babyface.

This could be a part of the intricate storytelling in the rivalry, where Daniel Bryan returns to his old self in a bid to get one over Wyatt. We could see a different side to Bryan and it shows that he's only getting better with age. He's truly a one-of-a-kind talent and Bray Wyatt is a big part of this too.