Daniel Bryan Says WWE Banned Recent Footage Of Him Bumping In The Ring

SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan is determined to wrestle again and recently did some limited training in the ring along with his wife Brie. Bryan was forced into retirement last year due to a series of concussions. While Bryan received the go-ahead to wrestle again from doctors he visited privately, WWE refused to give him medical clearance, effectively ending his in-ring career for the foreseeable future.

During a recent Youtube Q&A session to promote their E! Network reality show Total Bellas, a fan asked Brie Bella why she didn’t upload video of her training for her own in-ring return, which she had promised upon reaching 800,000 YouTube subscribers.

It turns out that Brie actually did film a video of her training for a WWE return, but the company prohibited her from posting it. “I actually did do some [training] and they weren’t allowed to be shown. I did what everyone asked, I did it for 800,000 (Youtube followers), and it wasn’t allowed to be aired.”

Her husband Daniel Bryan then revealed why the video was not allowed to be released: it included footage of him taking a bump in the ring. Bryan has been helping Brie train and the video in question contained footage of Brie giving Bryan a drop kick off the second rope.

“Because they’re not allowed to show me doing anything wrestling-wise,” Bryan said.

This is an interesting admission by the former WWE Champion and shows the lengths WWE has gone to distance themselves from the uncertainty regarding Bryan’s health.

During a recent appearance on the E&C Pod of Awesomeness podcast, Bryan explained to Edge and Christian that the initial diagnoses that led to his retirement was incorrect and vowed to wrestle again. “There’s no reason why I can’t return to doing what I love,” he said, before saying he’s like to work a light schedule if he returns, wrestling about 50-100 matches every year.

The Bella Twins appeared on Barstool Sports’ From the Top Rope podcast last month, Brie said she’s convinced Bryan hasn’t wrestled his last match. “I told Bryan, ‘You do have a daughter, so always remember that. But if the doctors finally give you the green light,’ I go, ‘Go! This is your dream and passion. You have one life to live and I will never hold you back.”

Brie continued, “Because I love to wrestle, and I would hate if someone told me you can’t do it. And if WWE doesn’t allow it, then I said, ‘Go somewhere else. It’s all on you.’ Obviously he would love to be able to get back in that WWE ring, but I know for a fact my husband is going to find his way back to the ring. He honestly is.”

You can watch the Brie Bella and Daniel Bryan Q&A video below, with their comments about Bryan recently taking bumps in the ring occurring around the 8:35 mark: