7 Big Talking Points For Daniel Bryan Wrestling In 2018
2. The Passage Of Time
Daniel Bryan is 36 years old. By the time his WWE contract expires in 2018, he'll be 37. That's not ancient for a man in his chosen professional, but he worked a long, hard career before that. Bryan was a huge reason behind the indie wrestling boom in the 2000s, and kept a relentless schedule throughout his 16-year career, which started all the way back in 1999.
Add his willingness to take big bumps into the equation, and you have a wrestler whose body has likely been ravaged by wear and tear (on top of his concussion issues). He's had a few years off to heal those wounds, but that's not to say he isn't still hurting.
Then, to top it all off, there's the fact that he hasn't wrestled since 2015. Ring rust affects everyone differently, but that's a long time to be away from the sport, and there's no guarantee he'd be able to do a Shawn Michaels.
Bryan almost certainly wouldn't be the competitor he was the last time he competed. Nobody escapes the passage of time, and while he's definitely smart enough to adapt, it'd be a real shame to spend all these years looking forward to his return, only for his performances to fall short of expectations.