This one is a bit difficult to write. Last May, Daniel Bryan had to forfeit the Intercontinental Title he won at WrestleMania after suffering a concussion. Given his history of head trauma, WWE's doctors have refused to let him return to the ring (despite his own physician's okay). Vince McMahon, realizing he needs stars, is reportedly conflicted over whether or not to allow Bryan to compete. Don't count on that happening. With WWE facing a bevy of lawsuits and judgment in the court of public opinion, the company will err on the side of caution and keep Bryan on the sidelines. Still, they can't stop him from wrestling elsewhere, and he's already hinted that if WWE won't put him in the ring, he'll find a new employer who will after his contract expires. I'm a fan of New Japan Pro Wrestling, and the thought of Bryan joining that roster is absolutely tantalizing. Dream bouts with Hiroshi Tanahashi, Kazuchika Okada, Shinsuke Nakamura, AJ Styles, and more could potentially be the best matches of the upcoming years, cementing Bryan as a worldwide draw and helping raise New Japan's profile in the U.S. That's doesn't change the fact that it just isn't wise. Bryan's issues are serious, and as much as he loves wrestling, for the sake of his health and his family he shouldn't do it ever again. Over the course of his career, Daniel Bryan has proven himself to be one of the best wrestlers ever. No qualifiers - he's not "one of the best wrestlers of the 21st century," "one of the best technical wrestlers in the world," or "one of the best wrestlers in the U.S." Like Bret Hart, Mitsuharu Misawa, Shawn Michaels, and more, Bryan will go down in history as simply the best. What accomplishment could be greater than that?
Scott Fried is a Slammy Award-winning* writer living and working in New York City. He has been following/writing about professional wrestling for many years and is a graduate of Lance Storm's Storm Wrestling Academy. Follow him on Twitter at https://twitter.com/scottfried.
*Best Crowd of the Year, 2013
