The Fate Of Daniel Bryan: Triumph Or Tragedy?
Shawn Michaels was 32 years old as he defiantly stomped to the ring at WrestleMania XIV. A million thoughts traversed a mind to young to process them all as he prepared not just to lose his WWE Title and steal the show one more time, but to walk away completely from the one thing he felt total and utter control over.
A spiralling mass of contradictions as a person in the 1990s, Michaels was almost without compare as a wrestler in North America. A virtually flawless performer, his dynamism as an athlete and innate skill as a psychologist coalesced to create the single greatest performer in an era not light on superlative superstars. Bret Hart was perhaps at one point every bit the best he believed himself to be, but Michaels eventually surpassed him. Both knew it, and it drove the egos that partially contributed to a toxic explosion in November 1997. Shawn 'won' the Montreal Screwjob in winning Vince McMahon's ultimate trust, but karma took him down for the act just two months later when he grazed his back on the edge of a ringside coffin he was midway through bumping over during his Royal Rumble 1998 main event against The Undertaker. He was the best. Now, he was done. Just. Like. That.
Life got worse before it got better for 'HBK' but his story had to rival the type of biblical comeback he'd choose to live his life by when he finally got clean, sober and sound of mind in 2002. A self-confessed drug addict and presumably trapped in a deep state of depression, Michaels bounced back from rock bottom and wrestling obscurity to return four years after his last WWE match with 2002 return clash against Triple H that gloriously rolled back the years. His inner evils had been assuaged but the goodness remained - he was a f*cking spectacular professional wrestler and he was about to be one again. The 2002-2010 run for many is preferred to his 1990s vintage.
Does similar acclaim await Bryan? Topping a glorious WrestleMania main event WWE Title win seems unlikely - but his mentor and trainer Michaels did it. They are footsteps he's more than capable of travelling in. First, of course, he has to actually return. He won't be the only unlikely face walking the New Orleans aisle, either. He'll grace the WrestleMania stage for the first time since 2015, whilst his Raw counterpart Kurt Angle will actually close an eleven year gap of his own at the 'Show of Shows'. (CONT'D)