Daniel Bryan has undergone a successful surgery on his neck, according to WWE.com. The report out of WWE is that Bryan had a procedure called a 'cervical foraminotomy' to decompress the nerve root. The initial neck issue had been diagnosed by WWE doctor Chris Amann as a nerve issue - which is less of a problem than the neck fractures suffered by stars like Kurt Angle or Steve Austin. As such, you shouldn't expect Bryan to be out too long, although WWE has offered no official timetable on his return schedule. The Thursday Wrestling Observer news update suspects that WWE haven't offered a return date because they want Bryan's comeback to be a surprise. "It won't be that long," the Observer news states, so it would be a neat way for WWE to surprise people on TV. The WWE update reveals that Bryan's surgery was performed by Dr Joseph Maroon who is a world-renowned neurosurgeon and sports medicine expert. The report adds that Bryan is "doing well, with strength already returning to his hands." All this sounds very encouraging, although we would still expect Bryan to need some recuperation time, so missing Payback on June 1st still seems likely. His neck is going to be tender right now and needs time to heal. Maybe he is fit to return on the night of the PPV as a surprise, with his in-ring return taking place on the June 29th Money In The Bank show. If that does turn out to be the case, then there's little reason for WWE to strip their injured champion of his title.
