8 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Mar 20)
2. Yes? YES?! YES!
WWE
Has Daniel Bryan lost his mind, or are the floating fragments that once caused fits and seizures contagious? In a gloriously heartfelt promo, Bryan explained the long emotional and physical journey he'd been on for the last two years in building up to the incredible on-mic reveal of his medical clearance.
One of the most natural performers to ever grace WWE's main event scene, Bryan effortlessly blended fantasy and reality in marrying the vital real-life support of his wife up with a return to the ring on 'The Grandest Stage' with his own tear-strewn point-at-sign moment.
Loaded with catharsis, buoyancy and organic hope for his renewed future as an in-ring star, it had everything that made his original 2013 push so era-defining.
Best of all, the return was perfectly woven into the blue brand's biggest angle, and so it should have been. Bryan's been a troubling passenger in Shane McMahon's emotion-heavy war with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, and he promised to finally take the wheel in the show's closing segment.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett
