Daniel Bryan On Missing Out On Feud With The Miz, What His Recent Tests Have Been Saying
Despite not being cleared to compete with the WWE, Daniel Bryan still has his mind set on returning to the ring. Speaking with Busted Open Radio, Bryan talked about his future in the ring.
It's been nearly two years since Daniel Bryan was forced to retire from in-ring competition in February of 2016. Since his emotional farewell, he's returned to the WWE as Smackdown Live's GM, but his passion for wrestling has not allowed him to rule out a possible return. Unfortunately, he believes that it'll take more than simple medical clearance for some promotions to let him back in the ring.
"The frustrating part is it doesn't necessarily have to do with how I actually am medically," Bryan said. "It's a lot of, I don't want to say political, but it's just the situation around concussions at the moment. Everything is so fear-based. The media is fear-based, all that kind of stuff. If this would have happened 10 years ago, for better or worse, they would have just put me right back out there. If this were to happen 10 years from now, it would be a different story because they've have better testing. They're working on better testing now and you'd have a better understanding of where we're at as far as concussions go."
As of now, all tests Bryan has undergone have come back with positive results.
"All the tests that I'm taking are all saying that not only am I good, but better than your average person who's never had any concussions," stated Bryan. "And that's the frustrating part."
Though Bryan's love of wrestling is intense, he admits that his family is his highest priority. His daughter with Brie Bella, Birdie, is now six months old and Bryan will not allow any potential issues risk the future of his family. If the results of any medical tests advise him against an in-ring comeback, he won't return to physical competition.
"If there's ever any tests that I take that says you're not healthy, you shouldn't do this, I'm not going to do it because I don't want to put my family at that kind of risk."
In the meantime, Bryan has been a fan-favorite as GM of Smackdown Live. This role puts him in a unique position, allowing him to build emotional rivalries with other superstars, however, without the opportunity to conclude the feud properly inside the ring. Such a spot is conflicting for Bryan, who is trying to be content while he patiently awaits his suspected clearance.
"I just did an interview in the ring with Sami Zayn a couple of weeks ago and you know that we could just go out there and the crowd would eat it up and it would be awesome," Bryan said. "And the same thing with the Miz last year. There's that very real disdain between the two of us that we could have really made something special. So missing out on those little things, part of me dies inside, but then I look at the bigger picture and I know that this is my role for right now. And come September, one way or another, I'll be wrestling again. Or, if a test says that I'm not, then I won't."
You can watch the interview with Bryan in the video below. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Busted Open with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription. Busted Open with Dave Lagreca & co-hosts Bully Ray & Larry Dallas can be heard weekdays from 2p-4p Eastern Time only on SiriusXM Rush Channel 93 and is available any time on demand on the SiriusXM App.
#SDLive GM @WWEDanielBryan says if a test told him he couldn't wrestle he wouldn't because his family is his top priority, but right now the tests are showing he's healthier than most. pic.twitter.com/1qSymkvKcG
? SiriusXM Busted Open (@BustedOpenRadio) November 13, 2017
Source: Busted Open Radio