Earlier this week, the pro wrestling newswire blew up when word of New Japan stars AJ Styles, Shinsuke Nakamura, Doc Gallows, and Karl Anderson giving notice and possibly heading to the WWEleaked. Insiders said that the WWE was attempting to hold the information close to the vest due to possible surprise appearances at their upcoming Royal Rumble pay-per-view later this month, but they ended up having to fan the flames with their own post about the rumors.
One person they probably weren't expecting to hear from was Daniel Bryan, who is still on the sidelines. With the above Instagram message, Bryan's throwing out the proverbial "put me in, coach," and while most fans say "this is obvious as hell," Bryan's situation is a bit deeper than that.
Bryan had to vacate the Intercontinental Championship back in May of 2015 after complications due to the neck injury and multiple surgeries that had him out of action for a large chunk of 2014—but you can't stop a diehard WWE Daniel Bryan fan from counting the superstar out, even if he's been on the mend since May. In a recent interview with Singapore's New Star, Bryan was open and honest in his current situation with the WWE: "I think it could be the end of my career in WWE, but I don't think it will be the end of my career. I could find another passion, but it would just be sad because this is what I have been most passionate about since I was five."
Let pro wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer and WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart tell it, Daniel Bryan probably won't return to the squared circle. Why? Aside from suffering multiple concussions during his career, Bryan hasn't been cleared by the WWE to the active roster, despite two non-WWE doctors giving him medical clearance. You can't fault the WWE; the last thing they need is another CM Punk situation on their hands, although Bryan's too much of a company man to go out the way Punk did.
The WWE is in a bind right now, though: John Cena's getting shoulder surgery that could have him out of action until the fall of 2016, and he joins a list of injured superstars that includes Seth Rollins, Cesaro, and Randy Orton. The WWE could use someone like Daniel Bryan on the active roster heading into WrestleMania, but they're potentially taking a huge risk by putting him into action against doctor's wishes. On the flipside, can you imagine what would happen if Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles wrestled in a WWE ring?!?!
Maybe the WWE needs to heed Bryan's words.
