10 Things We Learned From Daniel Bryan On Talk Is Jericho

5. WWE Debated Bryan's Return Right Up To The Tuesday Morning

Bryan was in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi working on the Special Olympics when he heard that WWE planned to clear him as an active wrestler again. He found out at 9.30pm on the Monday evening, a mere 24 hours before he would show up on SmackDown and deliver his comeback speech.

Even then, it almost never happened.

Bryan told Jericho that WWE continued debating the return right up until the Tuesday morning before SmackDown went on the air. That meant Daniel's decision to fly from the Olympics to Dallas (as well as a stop off at Dr. Maroon's office in Pittsburgh) could have been for absolutely nothing.

It wasn't until Bryan clapped eyes on a note from Maroon, who had already left, congratulating him on being cleared that things finally started to feel real. A few hours later, Daniel's whirlwind journey culminated in a tear-filled (for good reasons this time) promo that confirmed his return.