8 Ups & 11 Downs For WWE In 2018 (So Far)
2. Bryan's Big Comeback
While WWE haven't made the most of Daniel Bryan's return run, the return itself was an incredible moment, and one many fans assumed would never come to pass.
The prospect of Bryan being cleared to wrestle again was ridiculous at the start of the year. WWE's doctors, it was said, would never let it happen. In all likelihood, he'd see out his contract as SmackDown General Manager, walk away in September, and return to wrestling's smaller stages a man reborn, leaving WWE fans wondering "what if?".
Instead, Daniel shocked the world on 20 March, cutting one of the most memorable promos of his career as he announced the previously unthinkable comeback. He wasn't messing around, either. Out came Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, and the bumping commenced. Bryan took an apron bump on his first night back, the mad bastard, and he was soon tearing around the ring as if he'd never been away, reigniting SmackDown's lagging interest levels.
WrestleMania 34 hosted his first match back. Bryan and Shane McMahon vs. Zayn and Owens was no technical classic, but it ended in cathartic triumph for Daniel, who was finally free to continue his wrestling career on the sport's biggest stage. The follow-up hasn't been perfect, but the comeback itself was nothing short of euphoric.