While we dont want to poop the party, given the way Daniel Bryans 2014 turned out and the way his 2015 is going its fairly certain that the passionate, exciting performer that captured everyones hearts in 2013 isnt coming back to the WWE. Even if Bryan is able to pull off a Shawn Michaels level of recovery and come back to perform a full schedule for the company again at some point, its very likely that, like Stone Cold Steve Austin before him, hell need to significantly modify his style to prevent future complications. That being the case, his inclusion in a retrospective-style article is entirely appropriate (if desperately sad) if, like us, youre still holding out hope for the medical equivalent of a hot tag. This isnt just about some kinda-sorta authentic yes movement, and this isnt just about sticking it to Cena, Reigns and the (Mc)Man: Bryan Danielson has been this damn good for around a decade. Hes the American Dragon, the legit best in the world, and although it sucks (hard) that his unrelentingly physical style has probably caught up with him so young, holy crap will you look at the legacy hes left behind. Theres the dramatic masterpieces in Ring Of Honor with independent wrestling all-stars like Samoa Joe, Austin Aries, Chris Hero and Nigel freakin McGuinness. Sad that the newer talent coming in to WWE wont ever get the chance to lock up with Daniel Bryan? Bryan Danielson has already killed it in the ring with Tyler Black/Seth Rollins, with Kevin Steen/Kevin Owens, with Sami Zayn/El Generico and with KENTA/Hideo Itami. Wistful about what might have been when you think about Bryan entering a proper feud with CM Punk or with Cesaro? Dragon took care of business with Punk and Claudio Castagnoli long before he was Daniel. This isnt to knock the level of performance that hes managed in the WWE as Daniel Bryan: just to let you know that theres far more to him than youve seen on RAW. http://www.mgoon.com/ch/y2jericho/v/2905229
Professional writer, punk werewolf and nesting place for starfish. Obsessed with squid, spirals and story. I publish short weird fiction online at desincarne.com, and tweet nonsense under the name Jack The Bodiless. You can follow me all you like, just don't touch my stuff.
