I’ve read a lot of feedback online over the past few weeks regarding WWE’s plans for Brock Lesnar at next year’s WrestleMania 31 event in Santa Clara, California.

For those who missed it, check out this article, which is a detailed update on WWE possibly making major changes to their original plans for Lesnar.

Back to the internet feedback.

Many, including WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross, have spoken out recently about how if WWE stays on track and has Lesnar stay untouchable leading up to WrestleMania 31, with Roman Reigns being the guy to finally end his reign of dominance and become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion at the “show of shows,” that “everyone will see it coming.” Especially due to the belief that fans will know it’s Lesnar’s final match on his WWE contract.

So what?

Who didn’t see Daniel Bryan ending last year’s show by leading the fans inside the “Superdome” in one giant “Yes!” chant as the pay-per-view goes off the air with him finally “having his moment” and becoming WWE World Heavyweight Champion?

The answer: no one. Everyone saw that coming and guess what? It was still awesome. It still felt special, and had Bryan not gotten injured, it still would have been an effective way to start his push as a legitimate WWE main event performer.

So my question is, how is next year’s WrestleMania any different?

Once again — it isn’t.

A good idea is a good idea, whether people see it coming or not. This isn’t 1998, we’re not in the midst of a vicious “Monday Night War” where you’ve got to use the “Attitude Era” formula of “shock television.”

Surprises are great, don’t get me wrong. They keep you on the edge of your seat and give you a reason to continue tuning into the product because you “never know what could happen.” But again, I say a good idea is a good idea, whether it’s a surprise or not.

The key factor, however, is that it has to be a good idea.

And that’s exactly what the rumored plans for WrestleMania 31 are — they’re a good idea.

Lesnar breaks The Undertaker’s legendary streak. He squashes WWE’s top Superstar in John Cena at a major pay-per-view event. He wreaks havoc on the entire WWE roster, with seemingly no end in sight. That is, however, until he meets that bad son of a bitch Roman Reigns.

No one can beat Lesnar. Hell, no one can touch him. And then comes the showdown with the “untouchable” bad ass on the other side of the fence. The “good guy” version of Lesnar. A beast of a different breed.

Here comes Roman Reigns.

Unfortunately for Reigns, an injury has put him on the sidelines, which hurt his momentum as a guy rising through the ranks. However, if he comes back in time for the Royal Rumble in January, where he arguably made his name earlier this year as an individual player, instead of just being “The Enforcer” of The Shield, then all the cards fall perfectly into place.

First off, fans can get their precious “surprise moment,” when the ten-count clock counts down and out comes Reigns for the first time in several months. From there, much like last year, he can eliminate Superstar after Superstar, possibly breaking his own record in the process. The only difference? This time he’s the last man standing. This time he wins the Royal Rumble, which of course sets him up for a title shot at WrestleMania 31.

On the same show, Lesnar destroys John Cena for the third straight time, remaining WWE World Heavyweight Champion in the process.

The stage is set.

Heading into WrestleMania 31, we have Brock Lesnar as an unbeatable monster on the heel side. We have Roman Reigns as an unbeatable monster on the babyface side.

We have our WrestleMania 31 main event is what we have.

During the build up to WrestleMania, we make sure to point out the streak of dominance both men are currently riding and we ponder which immovable force budges first at the biggest show of the year.

What’s wrong with that? Do we really need some kind of big elaborate “surprise” to make WrestleMania feel special? To have a satisfying climax to the biggest show of the year?

Of course not.

Good is good, whether you see it coming a mile away or it creeps up on you out of the blue. If the story is solid enough, which I feel Lesnar vs. Reigns is — or has the potential to be I should say (you never know how WWE will handle the booking) then you’ve got all the ingredients for a “Superstar-making performance” for Reigns, which unless I’m confused, is supposed to be the goal in all of this.

Check it out — I didn’t mean a word I just said! Are you surprised?! You shouldn’t be …because of course I’m joking.

The point?

I shouldn’t have to surprise you to entertain you with a solid editorial, I just need to tell a good story. Whether or not I accomplished that remains to be seen. You can let me know if I achieved my goal by posting your feedback in the “Comments” section below. You can also connect with me on Facebook at Facebook.com/MattBooneWZR and/or on Twitter @MBoone420.

The following are highlights of a recent Jim Ross website Q&A update:

On the crowd reaction to Hulk Hogan vs. The Rock at WrestleMania X8: “WM18 was uniquely booked but Rock and Hogan should have closed the show in hindsight but no one predicted how the crowd was going to go crazy for the match much less embrace Hulk as they did.”

On how WWE should plan for Daniel Bryan’s return: “This email is a little long but I don’t know how one can plan for any thing with Daniel Bryan until he’s healed from his surgery and re-introduced into the mix in an intelligent manner.”

On issues between Rey Mysterio and WWE: “I am not a party to their grievances nor do I care to engage in them. I know little about their issues but always enjoyed working with both men. I signed Rey to WWE years ago and have always had a good relationship with him. I plan to have ADR on my podcast soon.”

On Curtis Axel: “Don’t know where WWE is with Curtis but he needs to show more personality and more physicality.”

On Cruiserweights returning to WWE: “I think that the ship has sailed for cruiserweights to return to WWE. Then again, I might be wrong but I don’t think so.”

Check out more Jim Ross Q&A at his website, JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

The following are highlights of the latest Jim Ross blog:

On the upcoming New Japan/Global Force pay-per-view: “I read where the New Japan Pro Wrestling PPV promoted by Jeff Jarrett’s new Global Force Wrestling company will be a FOUR HOUR EVENT and available on all major, PPV platforms from the Tokyo Dome. The event is set to run live in Tokyo from 4-8 pm on Saturday January 4 but don’t ask me what time that is in the USA. I will be buying the PPV and DVR’ing it for viewing at a more opportune time and without reading the “Jardine’s.” I’m not even sure that reading the “Jardines’s” aka the Spoilers would affect me wanting to watch the show.”

On Daniel Bryan: “If Daniel Bryan is being used to promote WM31 locally in Santa Clara why wasn’t his interaction with the world champion San Francisco Giants used on WWE or was it and I missed it? Great footage of exciting folks doing the ‘YES’ chant.”

On Lucha Underground: “Happy to see Ivelisse on Lucha Underground as she was one of my favorites in FCW in Ta,pa back in the day while training for a WWE career. Tough, physical woman of which there are too few of in today’s mat game. I wish her the best. I’m not sure what happened to hasten her departure from WWE but it likely had something to do with poor communication. She’s got talent that’s for sure.

Even though I am pulling for Luca Underground to be a rousing success, I am still not a fan of intergender wrestling. Mixed tag bouts are a different ball game but the intergender stuff is too much of a stretch of one’s imagination unless every female is a true, badass like my favorite MMA star @RondaRousey.”

On SmackDown changing nights: “WWE moving to Thursdays on SyFy in January isn’t a surprise and I’d go so far as to predict that move will also see a new announce team introduced as well. Michael Cole and JBL, while both doing a fine job, are overexposed and that fact really stands out when the PPV events sound just like Monday Night RAW. Taking Cole and JBL off Smackdown will make them more special and make the PPV’s sound fresher in my opinion.”

Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

WWE has announced an official WrestleMania 31 On-Sale Party for Friday, November 14th from 6pm until 9pm at the Intel Plaza inside Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, the host of next year’s show. Tickets for WrestleMania 31 go on sale to the public the next morning.

Superstars scheduled to appear at the party include Daniel Bryan, Bad News Barrett, Charlotte, Tyler Breeze, Rosa Mendes, Booker T, Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart. The event is scheduled to be hosted by NXT’s Corey Graves and Fan Axxess emcee Christian Litke.

Additionally, a DJ will be playing throughout the night and fans in attendance will have their first opportunity to get official WrestleMania 31 merchandise.

We are less than one week away from the WWE’s latest pay-per-view, Hell in a Cell. At last year’s event, Shawn Michaels betrayed Daniel Bryan in a championship match against Randy Orton.

A lot has changed over the past year, evidenced by the fact that Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose will be headlining half of the double main event. The shelf life of a WWE superstar can be short, so it’s always important for superstars to make the most of their time in the ring, especially at pay-per-views. Here is a look at the superstars who have progressed, regressed, or remained stagnant over the past year.

Progression:

1. Dean Ambrose

Nobody had made more progress since last year than Dean Ambrose. At last year’s event, Ambrose was an invisible US Champion and lost his undercard contest to Big E by countout.

This year, he will be headlining the event in a Hell in a Cell match with Seth Rollins. He continues to receive as much airtime as anyone on Raw each week and has been getting great reactions from the crowds. What a difference a year makes.

 2. Seth Rollins

Although Dean Ambrose has progressed the most over the past year, his former partner Seth Rollins is a close second. Rollins will be joining Ambrose inside of a Hell in a Cell for half of the main event, and also holds the Money in the Bank briefcase.

Over the past year, Rollins has improved every aspect of his game. He is stronger on the mic, he developed a convincing and unique finisher, and has adopted a heel personality that has gotten over with the fans. Rollins is a star on the rise and without a doubt a future world champion.

We’ve got an exclusive update on the health and in-ring future of Daniel Bryan.

Back in May, we broke the story that Daniel Bryan was undergoing minimally invasive neck surgery, which was expected to keep him out for less than two months. During the recovery, Bryan experienced difficulty regaining strength in his right arm. He was originally against a second surgery and attempted to heal the injury through rehabilitation. Last month while doing promotional work for Total Divas, Brie Bella said Bryan wouldn’t need another surgery.

The latest as of Monday night is that Bryan is seeing no improvement with his arm. Backstage at RAW from Atlanta, a lot of the talent was  talking about the fact Bryan may be getting the “Tommy John Surgery.”

The medical term for the procedure is as ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction, a surgical graft procedure in which the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from elsewhere in the body”. (WebMD)

The typical recovery for Tommy John Surgery is 6-12 months depending on the physical activity the athlete is involved in.

It is still not known if he will ever wrestle again, as this injury prevents him from being cleared to wrestle. WWE’s creative team is still working under the assumption that Bryan won’t be back in action any time soon and are not factoring him into any creative plans.

Once an occasional treat for the WWE Universe, the Hell in a Cell match has become a yearly event since the introduction of the eponymous pay-per-view in 2009. Since its inception, the company has yet to truly knock it out of the park with Hell in a Cell, although fans have witnessed some memorable moments.

This year, it will be either John Cena or Dean Ambrose headlining the event against Seth Rollins inside the most ominous structure in sports entertainment. As the company builds up its next pay-per-view, here is a look back at the first five Hell in a Cell events.

5. 2012

This event really didn’t have a pay-per-view feel to it. The undercard was primarily filled with forgettable matches that had little impact on future storylines. The main event was also lacking due to injury.

It was clear that the company had no idea what to do after John Cena went down to injury, leading to Ryback receiving a premature main event push. From top to bottom, this event was lacking and easily locks up the honor of being the worst Hell in a Cell pay-per-view to date.

Main Event: CM Punk vs. Ryback (Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE Championship)

Best Match: Big Show vs. Sheamus

Worst Match: Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara vs. The Prime Time Players

Over the past few weeks, the WWE has gone all out in promoting Stone Cold Steve Austin. The company has promoted Austin’s podcast on a weekly basis, and reports indicate that the company is ramping up production on all Stone Cold merchandise.

When coupled with recent statements from Austin claiming he still has a final run left and reports alleging that he has been training for one final match, it seems like the Texas Rattlesnake will soon make his return to the squared circle. The only problem, however, would be choosing Austin’s opponent. Here are five potential opponents for Stone Cold Steve Austin if he decides to make his return.

5. Brock Lesnar

It appears that Lesnar is being saved for WrestleMania, where he will undoubtedly be fed to Roman Reigns. However, there is always a chance for a setback in Roman’s recovery. Most believe that it will be at least another month or two before Reigns returns, so the slightest setback could derail the company’s WrestleMania plans.

This could open the door for Austin to come in and challenge Lesnar. There is a decent story in place if the company decides to discuss Austin walking out in the early 2000s because he was not on board with putting Lesnar over. In all, this could be a blockbuster main event between two of the biggest stars in WWE history.

For the past year, the Authority has dominated WWE storylines. They have been involved in every WWE World Heavyweight Championship feud along the way, often influencing the outcomes of important matches.

Along the way, Triple H started using the phrase, “Adapt or Perish” to describe his stable Evolution. However, over the past few months, it appears that the Game should apply that same philosophy to the Authority.

Rollins has been one of the bright spots in the Authority storyline over the past few months.

Indeed, it has been much of the same as of late with the Authority. Other than adding Seth Rollins as a member a few months ago, the group has done literally nothing to change over the past year. This has resulted in too much Corporate Kane, a reliance on six-man tag matches nearly every week on Raw, and an almost identical storyline for any face attempting to challenge the Authority’s, well, authority.

In my opinion, the Authority has gone stale and needs to do something quickly in order to minimize the risk of losing fan interest. One possible solution would be to add new members. This could easily be accomplished by having one of the current members defect from the stable.

The most logical option would be Randy Orton, as they have teased tension between Orton and the Authority, and he’s a far more marketable star than Kane, the other stooge doing the group’s bidding. By having Orton leave the Authority, it could open the door for another young star as well.

Seth Rollins has benefited immensely since joining forces with Triple H and company. He captured the Money in the Bank briefcase, seems to be more confident on the mic with each passing week, and is way over with the fans. The stable could add another future star (perhaps someone from NXT) in an attempt to inject more life into the program.

In all, adding new talent to the Authority could only help, as the current storyline is extremely repetitive and formulaic, with most programs ending after Kane interferes in a match and the Authority beats down an opponent.

As of last week, the plan for Roman Reigns over the next several months was to continue building him up, with him going on to win the 2015 Royal Rumble and challenge for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31.

Due to Reigns’ emergency hernia surgery, the recovery process will keep him out of action for at least a few months. However, it is believed that even in the worst case scenario, Reigns will be back in time for the Rumble, meaning WWE can continue ahead as planned with their idea of pushing him going into next year’s WrestleMania.

It’s worth noting that with Reigns on the sidelines, a major opportunity has opened for Dean Ambrose. While Ambrose was already scheduled for a big push, he will now be used as the #2 babyface in the company behind John Cena and his career is now on a faster track than it would have been had Reigns (and Daniel Bryan) stayed healthy.

Along with Reigns returning in time for the Rumble pay-per-view, Daniel Bryan is also expected to make his WWE return around the same time.

Another WWE Superstar that is expected to return in time for “WrestleMania season” is Batista, possibly returning to do his “farewell run” with the company, now that his Hollywood career is taking off.

Not to mention – Kurt Angle, Bully Ray and Jeff Hardy could all be free to work for WWE by WretleMania season.

• DANA WHTE & WANDERLEI SILVA Comment On Silva TRASHING UFC & His LIFETIME BAN!(Credit: Wrestling Observer Newsletter)

– As noted earlier this week, Daniel Bryan was informed that he will not need to undergo a second surgery. We also noted that WWE expects him to be back in approximately three months, however according to more recent reports, there’s a chance that Bryan will be back even sooner than that.

– The “Hulkamania” edition of WWE 2K15 has officially sold out domestically. Additionally, the special version of the game is also selling well in Europe, selling out at some retailers already.

– WWE is reportedly hopeful that Daniel Bryan will be back in time to work the Survivor Series pay-per-view in November. It is said, however, that they do not want to rush him back before he is ready, as they do not want to risk him suffering another injury.

– There is some talk within WWE that the person behind the Bunny costume in Adam Rose’s entourage will be revealed to be Darren Young.

As noted earlier this week, Daniel Bryan was pulled from the advertising for WWE’s upcoming European tour. It had been noted that Bryan would not be wrestling on the shows, which begin in November, however he would appear and cut an in-ring promo or get involved in some sort of non-physical segment.

For what it’s worth, a WWE source claimed that if Bryan wasn’t going to be able to appear on the tour, he would be pulled from the advertising, which is exactly what happened earlier this week.

The fact that Bryan was pulled from the tour could be a sign that he has received the update he has been waiting on regarding whether or not he will need another surgery. However, that is strictly a rumor at this point.

As we reported earlier today, WWE is advertising Daniel Bryan’s return for the upcoming European tour in November. Apparently, Bryan will be returning during the tour, but will not be wrestling any matches.

The feeling within WWE is that the European tour needs all the star power it can get, so Bryan was booked for that reason.

Most expect that Bryan will appear on the shows in Europe doing in-ring promos or some kind of other non-physical segment.

The following are highlights from a recent online Q&A update from WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:

On a potential Daniel Bryan vs. Brock Lesnar match: “Lesnar vs. Bryan would be a heck of a match…different in most every way and compelling w/o question. Biblical as in David vs. Goliath.”

On John Cena coming close to breaking Ric Flair’s 16-time world title record: “I don’t consider being a 16X champion a major distinction. It also means one is a 15X loser of the title. It’s not a big deal to me one way or the other but thanks for your question. Longer title reigns are more significant to me than are the number of titles won.”

On the origin of some of his famous catchphrases: “Some where things that I came up with via my life’s experiences and some from hearing old timers when I was a kid using them. Most just popped into my head for some crazy reason.”

Check out more of JR’s online Q&A at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

As noted last week, the current working plan in WWE is for Roman Reigns to challenge Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at next year’s WrestleMania 31 event in Santa Clara, California. Apparently, the decision for Reigns-Lesnar was decided upon shortly before or immediately after this year’s WrestleMania XXX event in New Orleans. While plans are always subject to change, especially in WWE, the direction right now still appears to be Reigns-Lesnar at the next WrestleMania.

Originally, Lesnar’s SummerSlam and Night Of Champions matches were scheduled to be against Daniel Bryan for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The idea was that Lesnar, after breaking Undertaker’s streak, would continue to break the hearts of wrestling fans by killing Bryan’s big moment, continuing his dominance until Reigns saved the day and ended Lesnar’s reign at WrestleMania 31.

Obviously the plans were changed to Lesnar-Cena when Bryan went down with an injury, however the rest of the story seems to be still in place.

As noted earlier today, WWE is advertising Daniel Bryan for their upcoming European tour in November.

Current WWE advertisements list Bryan for one-half of the tour, which begins on November 6th in Cardiff, Wales and also includes Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt as the key Superstars.

Additionally, Bad News Barrett, who is also currently on the sidelines with an injury, is advertised to return during the tour. Barrett is currently advertised for the other half of the tour, which begins on November 5th in London, England and also features John Cena.

– The official WWE website is currently running a poll asking fans which WWE Superstar they would most like to see in a WWE Studios film. The options are Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins, Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, Chris Jericho, Sheamus and Stardust. Leading the pack with a considerable amount of the vote is Undertaker, followed by Reigns and Wyatt. You can vote in the poll today at WWE.com.

– Although he has yet to be cleared to return, Daniel Bryan is being advertised for the WWE European tour in November. Matches advertised for the tour include Big Show vs. Rusev and John Cena vs. Seth Rollins on one side, with the other set featuring Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton and Dean Ambrose vs. Kane.

WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan spoke to Scott Fishman of The Miami Herald. Here are some highlights of what he said about:

His Health Status & Eventual Return:

“I actually don’t have much free time since I’m doing so much physical therapy. …It’s hard because I don’t have a timetable of when I’m coming back. Say if I get another surgery, it’s going to be another three months. Three months ago in WWE it was different than what it is right now, so it’s hard to tell [who I would be working against when I return]. I don’t get too down. This kind of issue has happened to a lot of people with nerve problems. The nervous system is so crazy and complex. The weirdest part is the lack of strength in my arm. So I do get mildly concerned that it won’t come back, but I’m pretty positive.”

WWE signing Prince Devitt, Kenta and Kevin Steen:

“I think it’s awesome. Not only is it great for those guys, but it’s great for everyone on the roster because then they get to wrestle those guys. I learned so much wrestling Kenta. That’s one of the reasons I got here. Now Kenta is in NXT. The guys who get to wrestle Kenta, for one, they are going to be very sore because he kicks very hard. Two, they are going to learn a lot. It’s the same thing for guys like Sami Zayn and Kevin Steen and Devitt. Those guys are going to do really well, but the people who wrestle them are going to learn a lot.”

David Shoemaker, author of The Squared Circle: Life, Death and Professional Wrestling, noted on Twitter recently that he has heard that Daniel Bryan needs “Tommy John” surgery and could be out of action for at least three more months.

The Grantland.com reporter tweeted the following:

I'm hearing Daniel Bryan needs Tommy John surgery and will be out at least 3 more months.

— David Shoemaker (@AKATheMaskedMan) August 20, 2014

“Tommy John” surgery refers to a procedure where the ulnar collateral ligament in the medial elbow is replaced with a tendon from somewhere else in the body. Apparently the procedure is pretty common among athletes, especially baseball players, named after “Tommy John,” the first baseball player to undergo the operation.

Brian Fritz of Between The Ropes caught up with Daniel Bryan this weekend to talk about his injury status and if he will be undergoing a second surgical operation.

“It’s still up in the air,” Bryan said. “I was scheduled for surgery on Tuesday, but then they called me last week and said they want to do more testing before they do the surgery, which is good in one sense. I don’t want to do the surgery if I don’t need it, but likewise if I do need it let’s get it done as soon as possible because that’s going to be a big three months.”

Check out the complete video above.

It is believed that WWE has simply dropped the Megan Miller portion of the Stephanie McMahon vs. Brie Bella storyline.

At SummerSlam on Sunday night, Brie noted during her promo that Stephanie “paid off” Miller to lie about having an affair with her husband, Daniel Bryan. Many believe that is a sign that the Megan Miller part of their storyline is done and over with.

Another part of the Stephanie/Brie story that appears to be gone is the angle that began when Stephanie McMahon was arrested and Triple H didn’t immediately come to her aid. Originally, it seemed to be the beginning of some storyline trouble between Stephanie and HHH, however that appears to no longer be the case.

The following are highlights of a new IGN interview with Daniel Bryan:

IGN: I’ll get out of the way the question that I know you’ll have to deal with all day, which is, how’re things going? When might we see you back?

Daniel Bryan: Right, yeah. I don’t know how things are going. For example, I was supposed to have a second surgery scheduled for Tuesday, but they postponed it to do some more testing — and this has been the frustrating part for me. The nervous system is very complex. So there’s been debate about, “Okay, does he need a second surgery? Does he not need a second surgery?” And people have kind of been going back and forth on it. Then finally we decided, “Okay, he needs the surgery.” We’re going to go get the surgery — no, wait, nope! We’re going to go do some more tests. So I would obviously prefer to not get the surgery, but if I’m going to do it, I want to do it as soon as possible, because the sooner I do it, the sooner I get back. The surgery they’re talking about doing is a three-month recovery. I’ve already been out three months, so that’s another three months. So you’d like to get that done as soon as you can — if it needs to be done. If it doesn’t need to be done, let’s not do it! What they want to do is they want to take the nerve from down a along my elbow and then move it over, and then put it under my forearm muscle there [pointing at arm]. So it’s, like, rewiring me. [Laughs] I don’t like that at all

IGN: Meanwhile, a lot of big stuff is happening with your wife. What’s it been like to see what’s going on for her?

Daniel Bryan: Oh my gosh, I’m so proud of her. Her and Stephanie – the main event to RAW, two weeks in a row! That hasn’t happened with Divas in years. Now she’s in what’s, in my mind, the second-biggest match in SummerSlam, and Divas just don’t get that opportunity very often. So I’m really happy for her, really proud of her. She’s worked really hard. A lot of people don’t understand how hard the girls on Total Divas work. They’re on the road, the same as the rest of us, and then when they get home, they’ve got to be filming this whole time. So it’s a very hard life with very few days off, and she’s finally getting rewarded for that, so that’s really nice.

IGN: On the flip side, her opponent being Stephanie, is that just a funny, surreal thing for you? Stephanie has in-ring experience, but it’s been quite awhile — and you know Stephanie as one of your bosses.

Daniel Bryan: Yeah, and it is funny, because there is something borderline-therapeutic about being able to slap your boss, I think. And because there are so many frustrations we have as wrestlers, it’s like, THWACK! You can see, when Stephanie and Brie slap each other, it’s like, “Holy cow!” [Laughs] I’ve been on the opposite end of a Brie slap on WWE Television before, and I was like, “Holy cow! Why would you do that?” I have a ruptured eardrum in my left ear — it happened in 2007 from a Japanese wrestler named Kenta, who WWE actually has signed. So we were doing a story where I had kind of been dating the Bella Twins, but then they found me with Gail Kim or whatever, and then Brie slapped me. I just asked her, “Okay, please, just don’t slap me in the ear?” The first thing her little hand does is, WHACK! Right in the ear. I was like, “Oh my God!”

IGN: So, I have to ask… You got brought into the Brie and Stephanie story the other day on RAW in a very interesting way.

Daniel Bryan: Wait, by “interesting,” do you mean “stupid”? [Laughs]

IGN: Well, you know, it’s wrestling… anything can be brought into it! [Laughs] So for you, was that like, “Okay… I guess that’s going to be an element?”

Daniel Bryan: Yeah, to me, it’s groan-worthy. I don’t think it added anything to the story. It was just like, “Ugh!” But, you know, they do what they do, and you just gotta roll with the punches. It’s funny, because I feel like sometimes you just have to overcome these things more so than anything else. Like, Brie and Stephanie have to overcome that flaw. To me, that was a flaw in the story. The story was so good, and then here’s this flaw in it. But it’s whatever. It doesn’t hurt my feelings or anything, you know? It’s entertainment. It’s not real, so okay.

Check out the complete interview at IGN.com.

The following are highlights of a new Comic Book Resources interview with Daniel Bryan:

How much of your time does rehab take up?

I literally wake up, take the dog out, go to physical therapy number one, drive about half an hour to physical therapy number two, from there I go to my acupuncture and from there to my ART [Active Release Technique]. And that’s every day. It’s physically and mentally exhausting, but I’m doing my best to get better so I can come back as soon as possible.

When do you think that return might happen?

I mean, I’m hoping soon, but I don’t think the doctors are thinking it’s going to be that soon. The problem is nobody really knows. I’m doing my best to recover as fast as possible.

Would you want to come back in a non-wrestling capacity?

I don’t know. I feel like if I can come back to wrestle, then it’s best to just wait until I can come back to wrestle. Not being around is good for when you come back — if you’re constantly being seen and that sort of thing. I’d rather just be off getting better.

There’s been two high-profile WWE signings from NJPW recently. How excited are you about KENTA and Prince Devitt becoming Superstars?

I’m really excited, really excited. People’s eyes are going to be opened with KENTA. He just brings a different style that we’ve never seen in the WWE before. Tajiri threw a lot of kicks, but they weren’t as intense as KENTA’s. Being on the receiving end of KENTA’s kicks is one of those things that translates very well to the audience because you can see it, but somehow the audience is almost able to feel it. The noise, the impact. Everything. It’s gonna be exciting, and it’s gonna make everybody step up their game.

Do you have certain guys you do like to hang out with backstage?

Yeah. I like pretty much everybody. Some guys I like because I’ve known them for years, and some guys I like just because they’re funny, and some guys I like just because I like giving them crap. And so: Big E. If anybody is [reading] this or on Twitter, go ask Big E what he thinks about 9/11! [Laughs] Those kind of things. I really like Ryback, Cesaro and Seth Rollins, too. Heath Slater entertains me to no end as far as him as a human being. William Regal has been a mentor of mine for years. Whenever I get to see him, it’s great. Kane. Very interesting character. We’ve got a lot of fun, cool people backstage.

Do you ever follow any of the chatter about yourself online? Do you read things like message boards, Twitter and Reddit?

I guess I don’t know how, per se. I’m barely on Twitter. There’s just so much stuff on the Internet. I try to use the Internet only when I need to find out information, because anything else you just get lost in a pool of whatever. The only time I look at message boards is when I’m looking for books to read. And I have a specific site I use. I don’t even know what it is because it’s saved on my computer. It’s good books to read and people are constantly suggesting what they just read. Right now I’m reading a book called Thinking Fast and Slow. It’s really interesting, and I found that from this message board. So that’s the one thing that I do! [Laughs]

Check out the complete interview at ComicBookResources.com.

Last night’s Raw was held in Portland, Oregon and featured a crowd packed with hipsters, a few memorable contests, and the nWo reunion that had been teased on social media all week leading into the event.

The show was the “go-home” edition of Raw and was the final build for Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view. As always, a few questions were answered, but many still remain. Here are five questions that need to be answered following Monday’s Raw.

5. Is Corporate Kane Back Permanently?

Kane was back in his suit and tie this week on Raw, having once again handed in his mask on last week’s episode. The Demon made a match between Roman Reigns and RybAxel before departing for the locker room.

My question is simple: Does Kane have anything left in the tank with his corporate character? It seems the company doesn’t know what to do with him, as he has shifted back and forth between demon and corporate Kane over the past few months. If Kane is going to become a permanent fixture in the Authority storyline, hopefully something worthwhile comes of it, because it otherwise simply results in a convoluted storyline.

4. Where Have the Usos Been?

The Usos were absent from Raw this past week (other than the announcers issuing an open challenge on their behalf for tonight’s Main Event), and with SummerSlam only a few days away, they are also noticeably absent from the pay-per-view card. There are rumors of a fatal four-way tag team contest being put together for the pre-show, but nothing has been confirmed thus far.

With the Usos having defeated basically every tag team on the roster and holding the titles for most of the year, I think it is time for the brothers to drop the titles. Nothing against the Usos, but they have fought everyone on the roster and their run is quickly becoming stale. It appeared the titles were going to be put on the Wyatt Family a few weeks back, but the Usos prevailed. Hopefully a title change can shake up an otherwise stagnant tag team division.