10 Most Uncanny Predictions Ever Made About Wrestling

3. Dave Meltzer Predicts The Return Of Daniel Bryan Two Years Prior

Daniel Bryan Return
WWE.com

When Daniel Bryan was medically disqualified and forced to retire by WWE, Dave Meltzer wrote the following in the February 13, 2016 edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

"Injuries do heal, even to the surprise of doctors. As more and more knowledge comes with the specifics of brain injuries, solutions and aids in healing those specific issues, will also be worked on. This is a science that is changing rapidly. Whether [Bryan Danielson] realizes it today or not, it is entirely possible that time and knowledge will lead to healing his small subacute or chronic lesion in his temporoparietal region of his brain. It is unlikely, but it's far from impossible, that one day he will show up on television and surprise everyone, telling them, `Yet today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.'"

Daniel Bryan was medically cleared on March 20, 2018, and when he showed up on television, he didn't allude to his next programme. He spent 10 highly-charged minutes extending his gratitude to his fans, WWE and its medical staff, and his wife Brie Bella.

It was a bold prediction from Meltzer, but not some romanticised, uninformed guess. He sensed, without knowing the actual reality, that WWE might have had a disproportionately cynical perspective on things, given the way in which Dr. Joseph Maroon was portrayed in the film 'Concussion'. He knew Danielson would indeed fight for his dreams. He consults with medical professionals to inform his stories (which makes it all the wilder that he thought Shibata's brain was removed from his heid during surgery).

He knows that never literally never means never in pro wrestling.

 
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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!