Remember when Dolph Ziggler was World Champion in 2013, only to suffer a concussion that disrupted his run? WWE lost faith in Dolph and never used him in main event spots again. The company formed the impression that Ziggler was susceptible to injury, and therefore was a waste of time to invest big pushes in. The same concern must surely exist with Bryan. WWE will be aware of his popularity and merchandising potential, but they'll be thinking about his physical liability. Can they really give him another major push at Mania, only to once again lose him to injury a month afterwards? That's the risk. You push Bryan, you invest big wins in him, and then there's no payoff when he bows out injured for months on end. If anyone wants to play backstage politics in WWE, they only need to point to Bryan's neck issues as reason to why he shouldn't be champion. WWE would in some ways be justified to view him as damaged goods. Bryan's history of stiff matches in Ring Of Honor is coming back to haunt him. As a Daniel Bryan fan, there's a worry that the company will no longer have faith in him.
