Many of the WWEs problems this year really began when Daniel Bryan announced his neck surgery. Daniel Bryan was unquestionably the most popular star in the WWE from SummerSlam 2013 up to him leaving for neck surgery in May 2014. It was a matter of absolutely terrible timing, as all of Bryans momentum would disappear once he underwent surgery. WWE was therefore incapable of taking advantage of his popularity once he left. It is possible that the rest of his rivalry with the Authority was supposed to continue throughout the 2014 year, instead of the Authority turning to John Cena and Randy Orton to carry the main event picture. Had Bryan not needed surgery, it is possible that he wouldve been in all the big matches and big storylines, including a SummerSlam match against Brock Lesnar. Daniel Bryans neck injury caused WWEs creative team to change its plans. They turned to the Shield to carry the main event alongside Cena and Orton, but Reigns aforementioned injury changed that as well. Ultimately, fans were forced to see a re-hash of a Cena-Orton feud that had lost its interest factor years ago. Bryans unfortunate injury was just the first domino to fall, leading to a chain reaction in the WWE. As for his future, there are competing stories. On one hand, he is believed to be almost healthy enough to wrestle again, and might be able to compete by the 2015 Royal Rumble. On the other hand, some fear that the damage to his nerves might be so bad that he might never wrestle again, period. At this point, only time will tell.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
