Praise the wrestling gods above—not JBL, in this case—because the Higher Power himself, Vince McMahon, has finally signed off on allowing Daniel Bryan to return to the ring.
The announcement was made this Tuesday prior to SmackDown Live with Bryan making it official at the start of that show and ending the night eating a Helluva Kick and powerbomb on the apron from Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens to illustrate the point that this was not a deceitful misdirect.
This has been a long time coming, as Bryan has not been able to compete since April 2015 when his injuries caused him to spend months on the shelf before retiring in February 2016.
It was a heartbreaking ordeal to go through for his fans, as Bryan had suffered so many setbacks previously.
First, it was the lingering question of whether he’d ever be signed to begin with. Then, he was sent home in the first wave of NXT eliminations. His return with the Nexus attack led to his release, but he’d eventually return again, working his way up the hierarchy, only to be passed over for the Royal Rumble in favor of Batista. Once more, he scratched and clawed to victory, headlining WrestleMania 30, but injuries would cut that dream down, forcing him to work his way back up yet again to a smaller role as intercontinental champion before being hit with what seemed like the career-killing final blow.
For someone to capture the WWE Universe’s attention as much as Bryan did, only to not be able to reap the benefits of that combination of popularity and talent was a tragedy.
Thankfully, we all now have another chance to recapture that passion.
This prompts the question of who the leader of the Yes Movement should go up against, now that these fantasy matches can become a reality?
Everybody has their own personal preferences and this list could go on forever, but in the interest of trying to keep luck on our side, here are seven of my choices for which Superstars I’m most looking forward to seeing Bryan square off against sometime in the near future.
NEXT PAGE: 7 Must-See Feuds for Daniel Bryan Following his Return to In-Ring Action
