SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan revealed the first SmackDown Top 10 List on tonight’s episode. The new ranking system is voted on weekly by the SmackDown Superstars but they cannot cast votes in their own name.
Bryan noted that he and SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon also have no input on the rankings.
The first edition of the SmackDown Live Top 10 List was:
10. Tye Dillinger
9. Randy Orton
8. Becky Lynch
7. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Usos
6. The New Day
5. WWE United States Champion Bobby Roode
4. Naomi
3. Shinsuke Nakamura
2. SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair
1. WWE Champion AJ Styles
It was noted before that Bryan and Shane will use this list to make brand decisions and to plan matches. A new list will be revealed each Tuesday night.
– WWE is allowing fans to vote on who they want to serve as tonight’s Special Guest referee for tonight’s Mixed Match Challenge match – SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan or Monday Night RAW General Manager Kurt Angle. Tonight’s match will be between the teams of Jimmy Uso and Naomi vs. Goldust and Mandy Rose:
– WWE has announced a new Embroidery partnership with LIDS Sports Group. Here’s the official press release:
LIDS Sports Group Partners with WWE for Custom Embroidery
Leading retailer offers fans custom embroidery of WWE Superstars and Legends names, logos and autographs on headwear
INDIANAPOLIS (Feb. 6, 2018) – Leading omni-channel sports licensed retailer LIDS Sports Group announced today a new partnership with WWE, gaining the licensing rights to create on-demand WWE headwear. The new licensing agreement allows for LIDS to embroider the names, logos, and autographs (EmbroidiGraph) of WWE Superstars and Legends on WWE-licensed headwear within its stores and upon orders online.
“The passion that runs through the veins of WWE fans is indisputable, so we are thrilled to be able to further connect with this fanbase by offering them a new way to demonstrate support for their favorite Superstars and Legends,” said David Baxter, president and CEO of LIDS Sports Group. “Customization is an important aspect to our brand, and we hope to continue the expansion of our WWE customization offerings in ways that take customers’ fandom to the next level.”
The new agreement also allows for the on-demand creation of custom WWE headwear. Customers can select from a wide selection of blank headwear options offered by LIDS – which covers all styles from fitted to flex to snapbacks in a wide variety of colors – and then choose from the new library of WWE custom embroidery options to create personalized, one-of-a-kind looks. Thanks to LIDS’ unique customization capabilities, creating a custom WWE hat in-store will take only minutes.
LIDS’s WWE on-demand customization program launched a select assortment of logos and autographs ahead of WWE’s Royal Rumble event, and LIDS will continuously add new WWE Superstars and Legends on a monthly-basis.
“LIDS shares our vision of fan engagement by providing customized offerings that connects our passionate fans with their favorite Superstars,” said Casey Collins, WWE Executive Vice President of Consumer Products. “We’re excited to launch this new on-demand initiative with a brand who can offer WWE products in real-time alongside our biggest events.”
Nearly 1,000 LIDS stores nationwide are outfitted with comprehensive embroidery capabilities, providing shoppers the ability to customize their headwear and apparel with names, phrases and images. Shoppers are also able to customize headwear online at www.lids.com. LIDS’s unique EmbroidiGraph service also allows consumers to embroider any current professional athlete’s signature (NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL) on any team-licensed hat.
LIDS Sports Group operates more than 1,200 retail locations across North America and has sold approximately 300 million hats since its founding. To learn more, visit www.lids.com.
SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan opened tonight’s WWE 205 Live episode and announced that Enzo Amore has dropped the WWE Cruiserweight Title and will no longer be a part of the brand. Bryan then announced that a new 205 Live General Manager will be named next week and their first task will be to address the status of the vacant Cruiserweight Title.
Enzo was fired by WWE today after a woman claims he raped her at a hotel in Phoenix, Arizona last October. The Phoenix Police have been looking into the allegations since last October. The woman went public with detailed of the alleged assault today and Enzo responded with a statement from his lawyer, denying everything.
You can see video of the accuser talking about the alleged incident at this link and you can read the statement from Enzo’s lawyer at this link.
WWE legend Mark Henry appeared on Busted Open radio with Dave Lagreca and Bully Ray this week and confirmed that he has signed an “Ambassadors” deal with the WWE.
Producer Alexander Metz sent in a few highlights from the discussion, including Henry’s opinion on Daniel Bryan’s in-ring future and his favorite Superstars in WWE.
Regarding Daniel Bryan, Henry said Bryan is a bonafide Hall of Famer, but he doesn’t think Bryan has wrestled his last match. For that to happen in a WWE ring, Vince McMahon would need “definitive proof” Bryan would not suffer a catastrophic injury, because Vince could not live with that on his conscience.
As for which current WWE Superstars excite him, Mark Henry said he loves the “action” of Roman Reigns, and that he’s a tough guy that you ‘feel’ when he gets hit, because he expresses himself very well in the ring.
“As far as someone that when they come on the TV, I really want to watch what happens next: Finn Balor.”
Henry says he’d like to see Balor take a more prominent role, but that’s up to him. He thinks Balor needs to be ambitious. Henry says he and Bully Ray may need to sit down and tell Balor who he really is. He needs to believe himself to the point where it’s real. WWE fans think wrestling is real and the talent need to believe it’s real too. With Finn Balor, Henry thinks he’s still finding himself in that respect.
Busted Open with Dave Lagreca and Bully Ray can be heard weekdays from 9am-Noon ET with a replay from Noon-3pm ET only on SiriusXM Rush Channel 93 or any time On Demand on the SiriusXM App.”
One of the biggest stories to watch in 2018 will be whether or not WWE clears Daniel Bryan to wrestle again. Bryan was forced into retirement back in February 2016 due to the numerous concussions he sustained throughout his career. Since then, several neurologists have given him the green light to step back in the ring.
WWE COO Triple H maintains that WWE has still not cleared Bryan to compete and is adamant that there will be no exceptions if WWE’s medical staff feels the risks to the performer are too high.
While speaking at the Television Critics Association winter press tour panel to promote the upcoming RAW 25 special, Triple H shed new light on the situation.
”There can be no exception, medically,” he says. “If the belief is that he’s not healthy enough and it is a risk for to perform, then I don’t know why we would ever allow him to step in the ring unless it can be proven otherwise.”
He continued, “We have some of the best medical people in the world working for us. Our wellness policy, our concussion programs, out protocols–I’ll put them up against any on the planet. The medical experts will make the determination of whether Bryan can set foot in that ring or not,” Triple H explains.
“Personally, for him, I know it’s something he loved doing and I hope he has that opportunity. But at the same point in time, he’s married and has a child. We serve the human being first.”
It’s believed that Daniel Bryan’s WWE contract runs through this summer, at which point he could become a free agent and wrestle elsewhere.
Daniel Bryan has been pulled from a promotional appearance he was to make this weekend.
The Smackdown General Manager will no longer be appearing at this weekend’s “World of Wheels” convention in Chattanooga, TN. As Bryan is normally not scheduled for house shows, he is free to make such appearances on behalf of WWE.
Daniel Bryan Appearance Cancelled
No reason has been given for Bryan’s cancellation. The convention only noted he will not be appearing due to reasons outside their control. Bryan has previously appeared at “World of Wheels” conventions in the past.
One fan documented his experience at a World of Wheels convention where he was able to meet Bryan.
SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated while at a Springfield Thunderbirds hockey game over the weekend. During the discussion, he revealed a timeline for his future with the sports entertainment company.
“I assume that if I don’t wrestle by WrestleMania, I probably won’t be wrestling with WWE at all,” said Bryan. “That’s my assumption.”
Bryan has made it very clear to the WWE and to fans that despite what the company’s doctors have said to him in the past, he wants to step back in the ring again and is confident he hasn’t wrestled his last match.
Bryan continued, “It’s not a black and white answer. There are a lot of issues with me getting cleared by WWE. They have a very strict protocol, which is a good thing, but the timeline of all that happening was not the best for me. It’s an interesting situation that will develop.”
While his WWE contract is up in September, overtures have already been made in hopes of luring Bryan back to action. ROH COO Joe Koff has stated on multiple occasions that Ring of Honor would roll out the red carpet for him and welcome back “Bryan Danielson” with open arms.
When Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks announced their plans to promote an “All In” independent show later this year with 10,000 fans in attendance, Cody made it clear he’d like to face Daniel Bryan in the main event.
Whatever the future holds for Daniel Bryan, we’ll find out where things stand in a matter of months.
Daniel Bryan recently spoke to media while attending a Springfield Thunderbird game on Friday night. In addition to performing the ceremonial puck drop before the game, Bryan commented on potentially returning to in-ring competition.
“I assume that if I don’t wrestle by WrestleMania, I probably won’t be wrestling with WWE at all,” said Bryan. “That’s my assumption.
“It’s not a black and white answer,” Bryan continued. “There are a lot of issues with me getting cleared by WWE. They have a very strict protocol, which is a good thing, but the timeline of all that happening was not the best for me. It’s an interesting situation that will develop.”
Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 34
With WrestleMania less than 3 months away, there are signs Bryan’s character could be changing course somewhat. Recently on Smackdown, Bryan announced AJ Styles will face both Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens in a handicap match at the Royal Rumble, fuelling speculation Bryan has joined the “Yep Movement”.
More of Bryan’s comments at the event can be read here.
– SB Nation sent out a Tweet recently in which they asked fans what sporting event they’d recommend everyone go to. Model Chrissy Teigen responded to the Tweet and mentioned how much fun she had when she was at WrestleMania 24 in Orlando in 2008. Unfortunately Teigen had to leave the event early and was very upset about it. Stephanie McMahon responded to Teigen’s Tweet and officially invited her to WrestleMania 34 in New Orleans:
Name a sporting event you went to this year that you'd recommend to everyone for next year
.@ChrissyTeigen We’re sorry you had to leave early! Consider this your official invitation to #WrestleMania34 in #NOLA this year! @TripleH said to let him know if anyone tries to make you leave early this time! They’ll have a whole locker room to deal with! https://t.co/9A7Eewoliy
– WWE has a video up in which SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan talks about the possible teams we could see from the blue brand in the Mixed Match Challenge. Check it out:
Shortly after last night’s SmackDown Live from Chicago went off air, a dark match main event took place in the form of a Six-Man Tag Team match between the teams of Jinder Mahal, Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens vs Randy Orton, Shinsuke Nakamura & AJ Styles. SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan served as the Special Guest Referee.
The team of Orton, Nakamura & Styles won the match to send the Chicago crowd home happy. At one point in the match, Bryan helped “The Viper” hit the RKO on Zayn to set up a Kinshasa from Nakamura for the win. Check it out here:
WWE has released the following video, in which Dasha Fuentes confirmed that The Former Cruiserweight Champion Brian Kendrick suffered a broken nose and a broken orbital bone during his match at this week’s Raw:
Brian wrestled against Hideo Itami during the show and he suffered the damage after taking a GTS from the Japanese Wrestling Star. No word yet on how long he will stay out of action but we’ll keep you posted.
– SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan returned to ring once again to play the role of a special guest referee in a 6 Men Tag Team Dark Main Event after this week’s SmackDown Live and 205 Live went off air.
The match saw the WWE Champion AJ Styles teaming up with Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura to defeat the team of Jinder Mahal and Best Friends Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn. Daniel also reportedly did the Too Sweet gesture with Styles after the match which received a big pop from the crowd.
After capturing the United States Championship at WWE’s Clash of Champions pay-per-view, Dolph Ziggler left the title in the ring, effectively vacating it. On Tuesday’s SmackDown Live, General Manager Daniel Bryan said he’s been trying to reach Ziggler to no avail. As a result, a tournament will be held to crown a new champion.
We noted before that Ziggler was scheduled to be off upcoming SmackDown TV tapings to sell the mystery storyline but he would still be working WWE live events. No word yet on if he will be working as champion now that the tournament has been announced.
Stay tuned for updates on the tournament when we get a look at the brackets and info regarding when the finals will take place.
Below you can watch Daniel Bryan’s US Title Tournament announcement as well as clips from two first round matches:
First Round Tournament Match
Bobby Roode vs. Baron Corbin
First Round Tournament Match
Tye Dillinger vs. Jinder Mahal
RAW General Manager Daniel Bryan appeared on Ebro In The Morning on New York’s Hot 97 this week and spoke with Ebro & Peter Rosenberg about his desire to wrestle again, concussions and much more in this nearly one-hour interview. The appearance was to promote Tuesday’s SmackDown Live from Newark, NJ.
For those following the saga of Bryan wanting to return to the ring, he’s made his desires clear to WWE, they’ve refused to clear him for action. So where do things stand?
“We are still at, ‘No, you’re not wrestling’ part of that conversation,” Bryan said. “But, I have presented them with my case, which is a lot of testing and all that type of stuff which shows, ‘Hey, I’m fine’ and so it’s interesting. It’s an interesting situation. But it’s also caused a rift between me and the commissioner Shane McMahon, because there’s all this stuff going on. We work together really well, but we also have some beef.”
Ebro said that often makes for a great situation and compared it to a husband and wife who might not get along great but are still awesome parents to their children. Bryan joked that it would be better if you were great parents and a great married couple.
Ebro, a casual fan, asked Bryan specifically why WWE says he can’t wrestle. Bryan replied, “Oh, so I’ve had too many concussions.” They all acknowledged the seriousness of concussions and how it’s having a ripple effect on all sports, from players to parents being more cautious about what they let their children participate in.
Bryan continued, “I think there’s a lot of miseducation surrounding concussions. That’s one of the things I’ve actually been working with people at the concussion institute in Phoenix where I live, and he’s talked to me about going to talk to kids. For example, if you’re a high school football player, and you get a concussion, and you’re like, ‘Oh no, I’m in line for a scholarship, if I tell someone, they might take me out of the game next week.'”
Bryan continued by saying that concussions are not a death sentence. It’s not anything like that and concussion research is still in its early stages. If players get a concussion, it’s important to tell your coach and not play again until your brain is healed. Once you’re healed, you can still play at a high level and it will have minimal longterm impact.
He’s been looked at by many of the country’s leading concussion experts who tell him that he’s fine to wrestle.
Ebro asked why must he wrestle? He’s still involved in the wrestling business. Bryan said he loves wrestling, but he doesn’t love all of it. He loves the physicality of being in the ring and now his job involves the parts of wrestling he doesn’t like (ie. travel).
When asked if he’s addicted to wrestling and the action, Bryan gave an interesting response. At first, addressing the ‘physicality’ aspect, he said “no,” – he does other physical things like jiujitsu and kickboxing which give him some fulfillment there. He then admitted he is addicted to wrestling mentally and acknowledged it’s a borderline obsession for him.
Bryan talked about Tom Brady. He’s suffered multiple concussions, he’s financially set, why does he keep playing?
As for where his wife Brie weighs in, Bryan said she’s fully supportive, she’s been there when he’s gotten the green light from doctors and she’s behind him 100%.
This writeup covers the first 10 minutes or so from the interview – there’s much, much more to it – which you can check out below in its entirety:
This past Sunday saw Daniel Bryan and Shinsuke Nakamura stood across the ring from each other in a WWE match, unfortunately for fans it was not in the manner they had hoped for.
The Clash of Champions match where Shinsuke teamed with Randy Orton to take on Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn saw Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon act as the special guest referees. After the bout Shinsuke took to Twitter to mention the fact that he finally shared the ring with Bryan, and Daniel responded (check out the tweets at the bottom of the page).
Bryan has been discussing his want of a match with Shinsuke for a number of years, once it was announced that Nakamura would be coming to WWE’s NXT brand in 2016 Bryan took to Twitter and publicly asked the WWE to clear him for a match against the ‘King of Strong Style.’ Since then Bryan has been officially retired and while he still wants to perform in the ring it appears that WWE aren’t looking to clear him anytime soon.
I do not remember how many years passed. Anyway I surely stood in same ring with @WWEDanielBryan last night.
SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan announced on tonight’s show that he will be the second special referee for Shinsuke Nakamura & Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn at Sunday’s WWE Clash of Champions pay-per-view, along with SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon.
Also official for Sunday’s Clash pay-per-view is Breezango vs. The Bludgeon Brothers and Zack Ryder vs. Mojo Rawley.
Below is the updated card for Sunday’s show from the TD Garden in Boston:
WWE Title Match
Jinder Mahal vs. AJ Styles
Lumberjack Match for the SmackDown Women’s Title
Natalya vs. Charlotte Flair
Triple Threat for the WWE United States Title
Dolph Ziggler vs. Bobby Roode vs. Baron Corbin
Fatal 4 Way for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles
Rusev & Aiden English vs. The New Day vs. Shelton Benjamin & Chad Gable vs. The Usos
Special Referees: SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon & SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan
Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens vs. Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura If Owens & Sami lose the match they will be fired from WWE.
– WWE posted the following video in which Sami Zayn reacts to SmackDown Live Commissioner Shane McMahon inserting himself as Special Guest Referee for he and Kevin Owens’ Tag Team match against Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura at Clash Of Champions. If Zayn and Owens lose the match, they will be fired from WWE. Check it out:
– FOX 5 in Washington, D.C. did an article in which they discuss the recent social media exchanges between Hulk Hogan and The Rock, teasing a possible WrestleMania rematch between the two icons. John Cena gave his thoughts on the possible rematch in the article, and had this to say:
“My thoughts are the age-old adage that is WWE: Never say never,” Cena said.
WWE SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan has been getting more involved in storylines over the past several weeks, leading many to believe that he could have possibly been cleared to return to in-ring action by WWE. Per a report from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, “as of a few days ago” Bryan has still not been cleared by WWE:
Bryan is a four-time former WWE World Champion, having also held both the United States and Intercontinental Titles once as well. He announced his retirement from in-ring competition last year in February due to concussion-related injuries. Bryan had suffered at least 10 documented concussions during his wrestling career, but its believed that he suffered more than that. The injuries were so severe that Bryan often had post-concussion seizures which he kept quite from people.
In recent months there has been talk of a potential in-ring return for Bryan, whether it be with WWE or in a different promotion, as he has been cleared by several doctors to resume competition.
Former WWE Divas Champion Brie Bella recently appeared on Lilian Garcia’s podcast, Chasing Glory, to talk about various topics including her relationship with Daniel Bryan, their fight to return to the ring and more.
The SmackDown Live General Manager has made it known that wants to wrestle again and he could leave the sports entertainment company after his contract expires in September of 2018. Bryan teased on Twitter earlier this year that he would be interested in wrestling current ROH World Champion Cody Rhodes when his contract is up with the WWE. Here is what Bella had to say:
“From like, literally, the day they told him he couldn’t do it anymore, he has flown himself all over the United States to all different doctors to figure out…what he could do to help turn that ‘no’ into a ‘yes’… There’s been like eight doctors who are like, ‘You can wrestle’… A lot of doctors can’t see why he can’t get in that ring again…and I think [the WWE is] looking at it…He is on such a mission to get back into that WWE ring, it’s crazy, which caused a lot of arguments in our marriage in the beginning, especially when I was pregnant.”
On Monday The Miz suffered a surprise defeat to Roman Reigns, despite attempts from Shaemus & Cesaro to help. While The Miz will be absent from RAW to shoot The Marine 6, along with Shawn Michaels and Becky Lynch, he has recently been interviewed by Sports Illustrated.
A short segment of the interview has been edited and added to the Sports Illustrated website as a video. The question presented to The Miz during this video was centered around whether he could provide any further details on Daniel Bryan’s attempts to be cleared by medical staff to engage in professional wrestling again.
The Miz started out by joking that he’d love to beat up Daniel Bryan again in the WWE ring, but that he isn’t in the loop about any plans for Bryan. But he added to this in a serious, yet comical manner:
I know his passion is in the WWE ring. Now whether that’s as general manager or as a professional wrestler, I don’t know his plans. I know he’s working tremendously hard to get back in the WWE ring, and fingers crossed, because I would love to have a match with Daniel Bryan; he’s one of the best in-ring technicians that WWE has ever seen, and I would like to showcase how much better I am than him.
After being pressed again about whether he would be OK with performing with someone who had previously been ruled out with concussion, The Miz explained that if doctors had signed him up to perform in ring, he’s more than willing to kick him around seal the deal with a few Skull Crushing Finales.
I’m not sure Daniel Bryan would let The Miz forget this match though:
Opinion:
If The Miz and Daniel Bryan can take the chemistry that they had on Talking Smack and turn it into an in-ring performance, that would be fantastically intense. It’s almost needed as the two constantly clashed and could never move on from the disputes.
But I believe Daniel Bryan will leave WWE as soon as possible if he is unable to be cleared for in-ring action. The next question would be where he goes after WWE, but that’s for another time.
WWE SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan recently spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated while at the Play Fair toy convention in New York City. Here are the highlights.
Who he would face in his first match back:
“It depends on whether WWE clears me to wrestle,” said Bryan. “That will change my opponent.” AJ Styles:
“One of my favorite guys to watch at WWE is AJ Styles,” said Bryan. “So, on the WWE stage, I would like to wrestle AJ Styles, only because I wrestled John Cena before.”
One person he never was able to wrestle: “I was really disappointed I never got to wrestle Shawn Michaels,” said Bryan. “He trained me and that was the one match I never got to have.”
Winning the WWE Title: “I spent ten years honing my craft all around the world, then WWE hired me, they fired me, and hired me again,” said Bryan. “The climb to the top of being champion for me was very long, but it was rewarding. I loved being champion, I thought it was the coolest thing. “The only thing that wasn’t cool was traveling with the championship title through TSA. Once they see the belt, it’s the same kind of thing as before when they’ll say, ‘You’re a wrestling champion?’ At least I had the title to prove it, that part was very validating.”
– As noted, tonight’s WWE SmackDown saw Charlotte Flair defeat Natalya to become the new SmackDown Women’s Champion. She will now face RAW Women’s Champion Alexa Bliss on Sunday at WWE Survivor Series. The post-match segment saw a surprise appearance by WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair, who came out to greet his daughter. Below is video from that segment:
– The dark match before tonight’s WWE SmackDown in Charlotte, NC saw Tye Dillinger, Fandango and Tyler Breeze defeat The Colons and Mike Kanellis.
– Paul Heyman tweeted the following in response to tonight’s SmackDown segment with WWE Champion AJ Styles and SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan, who acted as AJ’s “personal advocate” to mock Heyman. AJ cut a promo on WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar and was confident about slaying The Beast in their match at Sunday’s Survivor Series pay-per-view. Heyman wrote the following in response to the segment:
. @WWE Thank you @WWEDanielBryan for a most flattering imitation. I've never been compelled to imitate you, but why would I want to be YOU? Although, I must confess, I have nothing but respect for you. (and very little of that)! https://t.co/RKYqQlKuPN
Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion and SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan recently spoke with Busted Open at WWE Night during a New Jersey Devils game last week. Bryan discussed the chance of him getting cleared to wrestle again by WWE, if he’d go wrestle somewhere else if cleared, and working a full time schedule again. You can check out the highlights here below:
The chances of him getting cleared again:
“I think there is an 85% chance that I will wrestle again, my wife says it’s 100%,” Bryan said. “That’s not the case, if I get a test that says I shouldn’t wrestle again, then I won’t wrestle again. So I think there is an 85% chance that I will wrestle again. I would say that there is about a 20% chance that WWE will clear me to wrestle. It’s a small chance, but it’s not an impossible chance.
“I know that they [WWE] want me to wrestle,” Bryan continued. “There’s just a lot of stuff that has to happen for me to be able to wrestle.”
Working a full time schedule again:
“One of the things about an independent schedule is that it would be easier,” Bryan said. “But I think if WWE were to clear me, they’d give me a little bit of a lighter schedule. We’re not running as hard as we were in 2013 where you’re doing both shows [RAW and SmackDown].”
You can listen to the interview clip in the Tweet embedded below:
In 2013, #SDLive GM @WWEDanielBryan wrestled 227 matches for the #WWE. He says if they were to clear him, they'd likely give him a lighter schedule, but is only 20% confident that he'll be cleared. pic.twitter.com/IiQoowWDjT
– Earlier this week video game journalist Dan Ryckert challenged SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan to take the #OneChipChallenge. For those who are unfamiliar, the challenge involves eating a Paqui tortilla chip, which is made with very spicy ghost pepper and California Reaper peppers. Bryan joked, “If I can’t handle it, I’m not a real man.”
Both men ate a chip and the results were hilarious. Daniel Bryan sat there cool and comfortable while Ryckert lost it, coughing in pain and in disbelief that Bryan was unfazed. Bryan refused a drink of [dairy free] Muscle Milk afterwards said he felt so good that he did a cartwheel on the table they were sitting at. Check out the video:
– Longtime WWE timekeeper Mark Yeaton tweeted the following on Friday, noting that he “doesn’t miss that place at all” after leaving the company 3 years ago.
Daniel Bryan has made no secret that he wants to return to in-ring action. While WWE doctors are unwilling to clear Bryan, he has received conflicting advice from other medical professionals. Bryan recently spoke to the Trentonian to provide an update.
“I’m trying to get cleared as we speak,” Bryan said. “All my tests have come back fantastic, better than people who have never had any concussion-type stuff. But it’s a weird thing. We’re in a weird situation politically with the climate around concussions; right now, it’s very difficult.”
He continued, “WWE would love to have me back, but is that the smart thing for me as a business to bring me back? If I was to come back, and they let me back, would they get a lot of flak for it? They have a ton of stockholders that they’re responsible for. It’s more than just, ‘Is he healthy to do it?’ There’s more than that to the whole situation.”
Bryan is adamant that he’s healthy enough to wrestle again, but the the ‘politics’ of WWE being a risk-averse public corporation is a big obstacle.
“All the concussion doctors think that I’m healthy enough to do it and that I should be able to do it — well, I don’t want to say all of them, I’m sure there’s somebody out there who doesn’t think that — but there’s a lot more than goes into it than just that. That’s the unfortunate situation with giant corporations and big business in the United States.”
Former WWE Superstar Sean “X-Pac” Waltman talked about various topics during the latest episode of his podcast, X-Pac 12360. Here are the highlights:
Emma, Darren Young, and Summer Rae being released by WWE:
“I understand a lot more with Summer Rae but I would have given an opportunity for Darren to come back and actually have some matches. I am going to go out on a limb and say he’s not gonna have a hard time getting work in the independent scene, if he chooses. And Emma, I’m bummed out by that , I was kinda rooting for her because there are a ton of girls that are more gifted athletically and what not, but she really goes out there and works her butt off. Here’s the thing, these things are bumps in the road or roadblocks we run into in life or in your career. They are most often timed opportunities in disguise and I believe Emma will do just fine, I believe Darren will be just as fine as well.” Lio Rush’s tweet about Emma being released:
“I did see the Lio Rush thing , it was a bummer … but it got blown way out of proportion…And I didn’t realize everyone had piled on him when I commented on it. I quoted his tweet, I just said ‘sad to see this from you,’ because I was one of the guys that put in a word for him. All this backlash should be the end of it, that should be the consequence and that’s it.”
Daniel Bryan wanting to return to the ring:
“I just think that a person should do the things that make them happy. I’d hate to see somebody go and cause any more long-term damage health wise. But we have our journeys and he has to take his wherever he feels like taking it. It is more of a risk but here’s the thing, we’re all every single one of us, even the most healthy one of us are one bad bump away from being paralyzed for life, so there’s that way to look at it too. We can adjust and most of us do adjust our styles (In ring) over the years, as our bodies get more beat up. I would assume that Daniel (Bryan) would be mindful of these things before he steps in the ring.”
