The 2017 Hall of Famer has been active in the WWE as the Raw GM for some time but hasn’t been in an active wrestling role.
The Wrestling Machine On E
According to the PWInsider.com,
They’re not going to put Kurt in the ring on a consistent basis. He can’t do it. I am sure Kurt wants to be in the ring on a consistent basis but His body is breaking down.
Remember the last six months of Impact and then the couple of indieshows he was doing? It was the same five spots the entire match. He can’t be that Kurt Angle anymore. It’s like Shawn Michaels saying ‘I could come back but people need to understand it’s not going to be HBK.’ It’s not fair to expect the Kurt Angle of 1999 to be wrestling.
Kurt Angle’s Future In The WWE
As of 2018, Angle has only competed twice, at Wrestlemania 34 as Ronda Rousey partner against Stephanie and Triple-H and at the Greatest Royal Rumble event in Saudi Arabia.
It has been rumored numerous times that the dream match between Kurt Angle and Daniel Bryan should happen if ever the two were under the same brand, but due to Bryan’s concussion status at the time the match was not going to happen.
With Bryan cleared to wrestle, it goes without saying that WWE may have plans down the road for the two to lock up before Angle’s official retirement.
Sound Off In The Comments Below On What Stipulation You Would Like To See If Bryan And Angle Were To Lock Up In The Near Future.
CM Punk’s latest UFC challenger, Mike Jackson, was recently a guest on WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T’s podcast, Heated Conversations, to talk about fighting the former WWE Champion. Jackson said that he knew he was on a different level from Punk mixed martial arts (MMA) wise, and admits Punk was extremely confident heading into the fight.
He also truly believes that Punk thought he could win the fight by submission if he got it to the ground:
“I do believe that he did. I legit felt that in his mind that he was going to take me down and submit me. I believe that 100%. No man is going to get into a fight with nothing but winning on their mind. I don’t believe that. Outside of the bums who are just joining for a check, I don’t think he was doing it for a check,” Jackson said.
“He could have made the money elsewhere off of his brand. I felt that in his heart he thought that he was going to take me down and submit me, but like I said I was at a different level than where he was at. I had to shut all that down.”
Jackson then addressed SmackDown Live star Daniel Bryan’s recent comments in which he said he thinks he could beat Jackson on the ground. Jackson pretty much laughed that challenge off and said that if Bryan really wants to fight he’d happily accept the challenge:
“I saw that and I just laughed. I remembered seeing it scroll through my headline but I didn’t know what it was so I kept scrolling and didn’t pay any attention to it because I just thought it was a CM Punk reference. I just kept scrolling—I was in Chipotle and was trying to get me a bowl and next thing you know my phone is blowing up,” Jackson said.
“People were like, yo, Daniel Bryan said—I was like, dude, this is getting ridiculous now. I was like, what? Like I said, I kind of drifted away from pro wrestling once he grew in popularity, but I am very familiar with pro wrestling and the whole ‘Yes!’ chant and things like that.
“I know that he has a little background in catch wrestling and things like that, but my thing is that I know you have neck problems. I know where you are restricted in your abilities so why would my name even come out of your mouth? If Daniel Bryan wants this smoke, they call me ‘Chimney Man’ because I have all this smoke.”
You can listen to Jackson’s interview with Booker T on Heated Conversations by clicking here.
Following Tuesday’s edition of SmackDown Live, it appears that Daniel Bryan’s next program is underway.
Bryan had been feuding with Big Cass, who was released from WWE earlier this week. After a series of victories over the 7-footer, Bryan participated in the #1 Contender’s Gauntlet Match on SmackDown to determine the next challenger to WWE Champion AJ Styles.
During Bryan’s entrance, he had an encounter with reigning Smackdown Live Tag Team Champions, the Bludgeon Brothers. Harper and Rowan would later get involved in the match, assaulting Daniel Bryan and allowing Bryan’s longtime nemesis The Miz to eliminate him from the match.
With the assumption that Bryan will focus his attention on getting revenge against the Bludgeon Brothers in the coming weeks, it seems WWE is in no hurry to return Daniel Bryan to the main event picture. A tag team feud against the Bludgeon Brothers could be interesting, as would Bryan’s selection of a tag team partner to join him in battle.
Discussion: Who would you like to see Daniel Bryan team with against the Bludgeon Brothers?
An AJ Styles vs. Daniel Bryan feud will have to wait for now, as Rusev ultimately prevailed in the Gauntlet Match and earned the championship opportunity against the WWE 2K19 Cover Star.
WWE booked Daniel Bryan against Big Cass in a singles match at Sunday’s (June 17, 2018) WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view event in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena on the WWE Network, which ended up serving as the opening match for the show.
Bryan picked up the win and spoke about it with Dasha Fuentes after the match. Bryan noted that he was impressed with Cass as he has been training hard with Drew Gulak to prepare for this match.
The former World Champion would go onto say that although he got the best that Big Cass had to offer, the big man got tired and he had no choice but to tap to the Heel Hook.
Seth Rollins Retains
Seth Rollins was able to successfully retain the WWE Intercontinental Title over Elias at this pay-per-view event.
Following the match, Rollins did an interview where he talked about Elias giving him more of a fight than he originally expected but he’s a fighting champion and that’s what life is all about. He added that he can’t wait to see what’s next for him as Intercontinental Champion.
What are your thoughts on the MITB event? Sound off in the comment section.
WWE is advertising Daniel Bryan for a big show on an interesting date.
On Saturday morning (June 16, 2018), the sports entertainment company officially announced that they would be holding the Super Show-Down event on Saturday, October 6, 2018 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, Australia.
Although WWE has yet to confirm this, it will likely air on the streaming service, WWE Network. Triple H vs. The Undertaker in their final match against each other as well as John Cena, Ronda Rousey, Shane McMahon, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, Nia Jax, AJ Styles, Charlotte Flair, Bryan, The Miz, Sasha Banks, Alexa Bliss, Big Show, and Bray Wyatt are being advertised for this show.
It’s been well known that Bryan’s contract is slated to expire on September 1st, 2018.
During the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer once again stated that Bryan has yet to sign a new contract with the WWE, which has been well established.
What’s interesting is that the sports entertainment company is advertising him for this upcoming event despite the fact that it’s taking place in October, a month after his WWE contract expires.
Keep in mind that the cards for WWE events are always subject to change.
What are your thoughts on Bryan’s future with the WWE? Sound off in the comment section.
The Bella Twins’ brother, JJ, and his wife, Loren, recently joined the Total Bellas Aftershow to offer their thoughts on Nikki Bella and John Cena’s relationship, as well as whether or not they think Daniel Bryan would ever fight in the UFC. JJ first commented on the rumors going around that Cena and Nikki’s breakup was staged:
“Honestly, my sister asked us not to say anything. Even though we do put our lives out there in the public, my sister is a very private person. And she loves John and what they are going through they want it between them.
“Even with how public John is, John is super private. The one thing I can tell you for a fact is that it wasn’t for the ratings or for the show at all. It actually threw the show for a loop.”
JJ then offered his thoughts on if he thinks Cena is ready to be a father:
“I definitely think he is ready for kids. When I met Loren .. things changed. I’m not the same person I was before Loren. We change as a person, especially for the person you love. There was one thing for him. John loves Vivienne and he loves Birdie.
“He has a blast with them and even my cousin’s kids he has blast with. I think it (being around kids) definitely changed for him. Once you have a kid, it’s a totally different love you will ever experience. And I think his eyes got open to that and he wants that.”
“I could beat him on the ground for sure. If WWE would let me fight in UFC, maybe.”
JJ said he doesn’t believe Bryan would ever fight in the UFC, as it just isn’t “in his blood”:
“Daniel wouldn’t fight in UFC, it’s not in his blood. He is a technical guy. Bryan is not the ground and pound, want to beat someone up guy… that mentality that you probably need to have for UFC.
“He is a technical guy and probably one of the best wrestlers of all time technically, and that’s what he really enjoys. He never will get into it. I know that for a fact. He loves UFC by the way. He loves watching it.”
This week’s episode of SmackDown Live also had two dark matches with one of them featuring Daniel Bryan and after this, it appears that holding a match before and after the show is slowly becoming a tradition for the Tuesday Night Show.
The first match saw the #1 contender for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship, ‘The Good Brothers’ Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson facing the Bar.
The team of Cesaro and Sheamus lost this bout after the duo of Gallows and Anderson hit their finishing maneuver Magic Killer on the Swiss Superman and then Luke got the pin.
The second dark match which took place after the event went off air saw the former SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan defeating the Miz in a singles competition.
It’s worth mentioning here that this was the second match of the night for Bryan who wrestled Shelton Benjamin in a bout earlier in the show and made the former United States Champion tap out.
At the time Daniel Bryan was cleared to return, it was reported that the doctors agreed for his in-ring return on the condition that he will be evaluated by medical personals after every match.
Now after almost 2 months of his return, the fact that Bryan is being allowed to wrestle twice in the same night proves that the Officials are finally confident about his health and we can expect him to be part of some interesting rivalries in future.
Daniel Bryan kept a close eye on the latest MMA fight involving CM Punk.
The former WWE Champion fought Mike Jackson in a welterweight bout at the UFC 225 pay-per-view event on Saturday, June 9, 2018, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. As seen in the fight, Jackson dominated it and although Punk showed a ton of heart he was winded after the first round. Jackson was able to pick up the unanimous decision win after a dominant performance.
Bryan made it well known during Brie Bella’s live Instagram video that was recently posted on the social media platform that he’s willing to fight Jackson, who holds a pro-MMA record of 1-1. Bryan stated in the video, “I could beat him on the ground for sure. If WWE would let me fight in UFC, maybe.”
It should be noted that Bryan has had an interest in MMA and has been training in the sport for years. His history with MMA goes back to the days of training at Xtreme Couture as well as at the MMA Lab in Glendale Arizona with former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson.
Bryan is slated to take on Big Cass in a singles match at the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena.
What are your thoughts on Bryan’s? Sound off in the comment section below.
Daniel Bryan has been an underdog in the eyes of the WWE fans for several years now.
The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion and SmackDown General Manager recently did an interview with Inside the Ropes. During this discussion, Bryan talked about how he warned WWE officials that being eliminated quickly in the 2015 Royal Rumble would be a mistake. Here is what he had to say (h/t to Wrestling Inc) “When they told me what was going to happen, I was like, ‘this isn’t gonna work out well for you guys. But, you can do what you want,'” said Bryan. “Like, I don’t run the company, right? If it’s bad — I feel bad for certain people who were negatively affected by that. The year before, 2014, Batista was negatively affected by it. “So like, I always try to say like, ‘hey, I think this is gonna happen,’ and sometimes I’m right, sometimes I’m wrong. But I think, like in that specific case, like I had said that, like I don’t think this is a good idea, and it doesn’t matter what I think, right? And so, I just go out there, and I do my job, and I play the hand that I’m dealt with.”
Also, Bryan stated that his time teaming with Kane as part of Team “Hell No” was the most important moment of his career. The fan favorite would go onto state that the reason he believes that is due to him being able to gravitate to the fans and allow the “Yes” Movement to grow in popularity.
“I think the vital part of my career, like maybe the most important part of my career, was [teaming with Kane],” said Bryan. “I mean, there are certain bullet points you can see like, okay, I needed this to happen. Like a certain chain of events for me, of all people, to main event WrestleMania 30. I needed a certain series of events to happen in this specific timeline for it to work. It was very, like, luck type thing. And one of the things was getting paired with Kane.”
Bryan is slated to take on Big Cass in a singles match at the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena.
What are your thoughts on Bryan’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.
Daniel Bryan has responded to some of the criticism from fans about the current feud he has been booked in.
Bryan is slated to take on Big Cass in a singles match at the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena. Once it was revealed in March that Bryan had been medically cleared to return to in-ring competition, fans started to talk about all of the dream matches that the sports entertainment company could book him in now that he’s back.
After WrestleMania, fans started speculating on what would be his first feud back. Unfortunately, the feud with Cass is not something that was not heavily called for and thus, some backlash from people has surfaced online.
During a recent interview with Inside the Ropes (h/t to Bill Pritchard for Wrestlezone.com), Bryan spoke about some fans not being thrilled that his first big feud since returning is with Big Cass.
“I’m a big believer—I know that everybody wants to see the big matches—I would have loved to have come back and gotten right into the big matches. We did a match with me and AJ Styles on Smackdown, but especially now with the brand split—Samoa Joe, Shinsuke Nakamura, all of these things. But I also think you need to build to those. I’m somebody that’s always been, whether it’s been here or Ring Of Honor or whatever, I’ve worked hard at helping to bring new guys up. The idea of the old-timer who is trying to ‘keep his position’ and hold everybody down… I don’t think that works. I don’t think that’s sustainable and I think we need to build everybody up, and if everybody seems like Superstars, then the whole company is more fun to watch. I’ve actually enjoyed—I don’t enjoy getting booted in the face—I enjoy the challenge of wrestling somebody who is that big and newer, that sort of thing. I think it’s a good opportunity to show everybody what he can do. It’s also fun for me to go ‘OK, what do we have here?”
Bryan continued by stating, “One of the things that I miss as an independent wrestler—is wrestling people that you don’t know very well. That’s a test to how skilled you are. Here’s this guy that you don’t know—first time I wrestled Dean Ambrose—it was on a Wednesday, and my flight was delayed. I’m getting dressed in the car on the way to the show. I have to go straight from the car, and it’s freezing cold, in my gear, so I’m changing with these guys that I never met before. I’m getting naked in the back of their car putting my stuff on, and I go straight from the car to the ring to wrestle Dean Ambrose, who I’ve never met before. That’s a real test of your skill. How good are you, how good is [the opponent]? When I wrestled Ambrose I didn’t know what I was going to get. I wrestled him and I was like ‘this guy is really good! Who is this guy? How have I not run into him before?’ So, I like that kind of stuff”
What are your thoughts on this feud? Sound off in the comment section below.
Mick Foley has given his take on former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan being medically cleared.
The WWE Hall of Famer recently spoke with TV Insider about various topics. In this interview, he was asked about Bryan getting cleared by WWE and working safer these days.
“WWE is very safe as far as letting go of one of the biggest acts in the company for the sake of his own safety. They have people looking out for his best interest. I’d been on the road and been so busy, I haven’t seen Daniel since he returned with the exception of the WrestleMania match. There are certain things he can do on house shows to make life easier on himself and nobody would think less of him if he worked a slightly less physical style. That’s something that I did toward the end of my career, and a lot of guys have done.”
Bryan is slated to take on Big Cass in a singles match at the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena.
What are your thoughts on Bryan’s run in WWE thus far? Sound off in the comment section below.
The Background
Bryan was forced to retire two years again due to his history with concussions. Despite that his run on top in WWE was short-lived, he no doubt made a mark on the history of the sports entertainment company. Then it was revealed in March that Bryan had been medically cleared to return to in-ring competition and worked his first match back by teaming up with Shane McMahon to take on Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a Tag Team match at WrestleMania 34.
– During a red carpet interview at WWE’s For Your Consideration event in Los Angeles, California on Wednesday night, Brie Bella said she’s considering having a baby “next summer,” but only after she returns to the ring.
Brie said to E! News that she had a conversation earlier with her husband, Daniel Bryan — real name Bryan Danielson — about having another child. Bryan is eager to “start trying,” whereas Brie is eyeing 2019 for an addition to the family.
“I need to kick more butt in the ring still,” Brie revealed she told her husband. “‘Next summer.’ In mom world that’s like really close. So, next summer.”
– Sonya Deville and Lana are in attendance at tonight’s GLAAD + Ty Herdon’s Concert for Love & Acceptance event in Nashville, Tennessee, “featuring a coalition of artists and celebrities appearing and performing to accelerate acceptance for LGBTQ people.”
The SmackDown LIVE Superstars are documenting their experience on social media.
– John Cena’s entrance theme briefly played during the second period of tonight’s NHL Stanley Cup finals Game 5 between the Washington Capitals and the Las Vegas Knights (taking place in Las Vegas, Nevada at the T-Mobile Arena).
Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan gave some praise to NXT General Manager William Regal in a response to Regal’s initial tweet in which he said that he did not train Bryan and Brian Kendrick. Bryan wrote the following:
“To classify us as “great” in 2000 would be a generous overstatement. Rudy and Shawn provided excellent training for a beginner who wanted to learn, but I would have never had the success I did without your mentorship #fact.”
Bryan is slated to take on Big Cass in a singles match at the upcoming WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view event on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena.
Unhappy Sin Cara
As seen on this week’s episode of SmackDown Live in Corpus Christi, TX at the American Bank Center on the USA Network, Sin Cara was brutally attacked backstage by Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas. Now, they will square off next week in a match on SmackDown. Sin Cara took to Twitter to give his thoughts on his former friend:
Better to have an enemy that slaps you in the face, than a friend that stabs you in the back! ?
I may wear a mask but you are the one ?? that is two faced! I didn’t lose a friend, I just realized I never had one! This is far from over Andrade! ?????#Enemigos ?? pic.twitter.com/v3nxAqUer5
Daniel Bryan didn’t have a response to Big Cass’ Smackdown promo until after last night’s show. Bryan was interviewed by WWE backstage correspondents for a WWE.com exclusive interview.
“Big Cass, guess what? You said you’re going to break my leg in half? You don’t even know how. You haven’t trained hard enough, you haven’t been in the gym hard enough, you don’t know how to wrestle hard enough to break my leg in half. Do you know what’s going to happen at Money in the Bank? I am going to make you tap out one more time, whether it’s the YES Lock, whether it’s the heel hook, whether I just knee you in the face and stomp you in the face until you give up, that’s what’s going to happen at Money in the Bank. And you can’t teach surviving that.”
transcripts courtesy of Cageside Seats
Daniel Bryan vs Big Cass Rivalry
The story WWE appears to be telling with the Daniel Bryan vs Big Cass rivalry is that Big Cass wants to show Bryan he can’t “hang in a big man’s world”. Bryan, on the other hand, wants to prove that good wrestlers can beat naturally gifted athletes such as the 7-foot tall Big Cass.
It’s been an interesting in-ring return for Daniel Bryan these last few months. Not including house shows, Daniel Bryan has wrestled 8 times for WWE since returning to action at WrestleMania 34.
Daniel Bryan’s WWE Record Since Return
not including house shows or dark matches
WrestleMania 34: Shane McMahon and Daniel Bryan defeated Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
April 10th, 2018 Smackdown: AJ Styles vs Daniel Bryan went to a no-contest.
April 17th, 2018 Smackdown: AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan defeated Aiden English and Rusev via DQ.
Greatest Royal Rumble: Set a new record for longest time in a Rumble match but did not win.
May 6th, 2018 Backlash PPV: Daniel Bryan defeated Big Cass.
May 8th, 2018 Smackdown: Rusev defeated Daniel Bryan (MITB qualifier).
May 22nd, 2018 Smackdown: Daniel Bryan defeated Jeff Hardy.
May 29th, 2018 Smackdown: Samoa Joe defeated Daniel Bryan and Big Cass (MITB qualifier)
WWE has officially announced Daniel Bryan’s opponent at the Money in the Bank PPV.
On Saturday morning, the sports entertainment company announced that Bryan would take on Big Cass in a singles match at this upcoming event.
If you recall, this marks the second singles match between them as they wrestled each other at the Backlash event just last month that saw Bryan win by submission.
It should also be noted that the PPG Paints Arena is advertising Bryan vs. Cass in a singlesmatch for the upcoming Extreme Rules PPV event that takes place Sunday, July 15, 2018, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Thus, it appears that this feud will be continuing for at least another month.
The Money in the Bank pay-per-view event takes place on Sunday, June 17, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois at the Allstate Arena and will air on the WWE Network and some traditional pay-per-view outlets. Both Raw and SmackDown brands will be featured. Here is the updated card:
– Men’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Braun Strowman vs. Finn Balor vs. The Miz vs. Rusev vs. Kevin Owens vs. Bobby Roode vs. Samoa Joe
– Women’s Money In The Bank Ladder Match: Ember Moon vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch vs. Natalya vs. Lana vs. Naomi vs. Sasha Banks
Earlier this week on SmackDown Live, a Triple Threat match took place to determine the final participant in the men’s Money In The Bank (MITB) Ladder match next month in Chicago.
Samoa Joe, Daniel Bryan and Big Cass battled it out for the opportunity. In the end, it was Joe who emerged victorious and earned his spot at MITB. Many fans were disappointed that it wasn’t Bryan who earned his way into the match.
It turns out there’s a good reason WWE decided to hold Bryan out of the match. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that the reason the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion is being held out of the MITB match is because Ladder matches increase the probability of neck injuries and concussions.
WWE’s primary focus seems to be keeping Bryan healthy. In addition to this, it looks like the feud between Bryan and Cass will continue on as a match between them has already been advertised for the Extreme Rules pay-per-view (PPV).
Discussion: What are your thoughts on Bryan being left out of the MITB Ladder match?
SmackDown Live star Daniel Bryan recently did an interview with Inside The Ropes to talk about several professional wrestling topics. In the interview, Bryan discusses his experience working in Saudi Arabia at the Greatest Royal Rumble.
Bryan shared a story he had with Titus O’Neil shortly after O’Neil’s embarrassing fall on his way to the ring during the Rumble. Bryan said Titus sort of took out his embarrassment on his face when he got into the ring:
“Titus slides into the ring and punches me in the face like really hard. He’s got these big, huge hands and it’s like ‘boom.’ I’m like ‘woah, what happened?’ I was like enraged and I was was going to kick him in the face.
“I glance up and you see the tron and they played it like twelve times in a row of him tripping, falling and sliding under the ring. I’m like ‘you know what? I understand. I’m going to go over here,’”
Daniel Bryan recently appeared on the “Why Not Now?” podcast hosted by Amy Jo Martin. During the episode, Bryan spoke about how he struggles to advocate for himself and his character backstage.
“I’ve never been very good at being like, ‘Hey you guys should do more with me’ or ‘you guys should do this or do that with me’,” Bryan stated during the podcast. “I’ve never been someone who is motivated by that or pushes himself towards that or pushes myself towards financial goals, or pushing myself towards anything other than what I love to do. And I’m constantly having to remind myself, like, ‘hey, if you want to get to the next level where I want to be, you do have to do some pushing here.’ And so yeah, that’s a constant thing that I struggle with.”
Heads-up book lovers: @WWEDanielBryan & I have started a book club! The 1st book is Factfulness by @HansRosling. We'll review it together on the Why Not Now? podcast in June. To join us, just read the book & share your thoughts using the hashtag #WhyNotNowReadABookpic.twitter.com/c5mE3OeTvo
Bryan and the show’s host are starting a book club as well. They will be reviewing Hans Rosling’s “Factfulness” beginning next month.
Daniel Bryan in 2018
It’s been an up and down return to WWE recently for Daniel Bryan. Including house shows, Bryan has now wrestled 16 matches since being medically cleared to compete. Bryan teamed up with Shane McMahon at WrestleMania and they beat their rivals Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in his first match back after 3 years.
A dream match between Bryan and AJ Styles went to a no-contest on the first episode of Smackdown after WM34. Bryan then lasted a record amount of time in the Greatest Royal Rumble from Saudi Arabia. At Backlash, Bryan submitted Big Cass in just under 8 minutes. He then suffered his first televised loss in a single’s match to Rusev on the May 8th edition of Smackdown. Rusev qualified for the Money in the Bank match as a result of the victory.
This week on Smackdown, Bryan submitted Jeff Hardy in a match where the winner qualified for another shot at MITB qualification. Bryan will meet Samoa Joe next week with the winner moving on to the MITB match.
Former WWE Superstar Reacts To Bobby Lashley’s “Sister” Segment On RAW
This past Monday’s segment on RAW featuring Bobby Lashley, his three “sisters,” and Sami Zayn was very poorly received by fans. Many in the crowd were booing during the segment, and a lot of people disliked it because they interpreted it as Lashley attacking transgenders.
Former WWE Superstar Ken Shamrock recently took to Twitter to offer his thoughts on the segment. Here’s what he had to say:
When it's good, #RAW is great entertainment and unparalleled athleticism. When it's not, it can feel awkward to watch. The overall reaction to the Lashley bit makes me wonder, they had something more controversial written and the sister skit won out?
Renee Young recently interviewed Daniel Bryan after picking up a win over Jeff Hardy on SmackDown Live. As a result of his win, he’ll challenge Samoa Joe in a Money In The Bank (MITB) qualifying match next week.
Joe recently said in an interview with Young that he’d put Bryan to sleep. The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion said that Joe only says that to people who are afraid of being put to sleep – and he’s not. He then threatened to put Joe out-of-action for 6-9 months by tearing his ACL with the same heel hook he took Big Cass out with:
An interesting stat about Daniel Bryan and Samoa Joe has surfaced online.
The sports entertainment company has officially announced that the former WWE Champion would take on the former NXT Champion in Raleigh, NC at the PNC Arena on SmackDown Live next Tuesday night in a Money in the Bank qualifying match.
The winner of this match will go on to compete in the men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match at the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view event.
The interesting stat that was first brought to light by slotrod on Reddit is the fact that the last time that Joe and Bryan wrestled each other was back on December 8, 2006 for the Ring of Honor World Title in a Steel Cage Match.
From the time of that match to the upcoming bout is 4,191 days since they last worked a match against each other.
Who do you think will win this match? Sound off in the comment section below.
2018 has been a rollercoaster of a ride for Daniel Bryan.
Bryan was forced to retire two years again due to his history with concussions. Despite that his run on top in WWE was short-lived, he no doubt made a mark on the history of the sports entertainment company. Then it was revealed in March that Bryan had been medically cleared to return to in-ring competition and worked his first match back by teaming up with Shane McMahon to take on Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a Tag Team match at WrestleMania 34.
Daniel Bryan strongly disliked his role as SmackDown GM
“It was just the best. It was weird because as the GM they would play my music, sometimes I would get a really good reaction and it would make me smile sometimes but it didn’t make me happy. There’s a difference, right? “A lot of the time I get this thing where I feel very lucky to be in the position I’m in doing this thing that l love, to where I would go in front of 50 people, my music would hit and nobody cared. You’re trying to work to make them care and no matter how hard you work, they don’t care. The hard work is the in-ring stuff but sometimes the hardest thing is getting the fans to accept you. That’s already done [for me] so it’s really cool.” “It was very difficult. I disliked it, strongly. I would try and leave as soon as I could and if I found out they might not have a segment for me on TV, I would be texting the writers being like, ‘Hey can I just stay home’ – a portion of that is not liking it and portion of that is because now I’m being away from Brie and my baby to do something I’m not passionate about. That was a weird mental thing for me.”
There was some speculation that he would be working a part-time schedule following his return but he will be working a full-time schedule as he just completed the recent UK tour.
Ever since it was announced that he would be competing once again, there has been a lot of dream matches pitched involving him.
When asked about it, Bryan has several names in mind including one feud with Roman Reigns and a match that he has wanted for years, which is against WWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar.
Daniel Bryan wants Brock Lesnar
“I want to work with everybody. When I look at the roster of Smackdown Live specifically: Shinsuke Nakamura – yep! Samoa Joe – of course. Andrade Cien Almas – sure! I did the match with Rusev – it was the first match we had ever wrestled each other before. I’ve been wanting to wrestle Rusev for a long time. I also think there’s something there with me and Roman Reigns, somewhere down the line. I just feel there’s something there. “And the big match that I always say – I really want to wrestle Brock. I’ve been wanting to wrestle Brock for years, when I came back from my neck surgery in 2015, it was the match that I wanted. I’m sure Brock doesn’t want it, he doesn’t care! “But there’s a lot of stuff that I get really excited about when I think about it and also that a lot of my friends from the independents are now here in the biggest wrestling promotion in the world. I think that’s the coolest.”
Who do you want to see Bryan feud with next? Sound off in the comment section below.
Some interesting news has surfaced online that has implications for tonight’s WWE SmackDown Live and the Money in the Bank PPV.
It’s well known by now that as a result of the ongoing storyline injury angle with Big Cass, WWE has booked Daniel Bryan vs. Jeff Hardy for tonight’s episode of SmackDown Live in Worcester, MA at the DCU Center on the USA Network. The winner of this match will face Samoa Joe next week on SmackDown Live in a Money in the Bank qualifying match.
The WrestleVotes Twitter account is reporting that as of last week, the plan was to have a United States Title match take place at the upcoming Money in the Bank pay-per-view event.
With Hardy holding the U.S Title, it’s likely that either he will not win tonight against Bryan or lose to Joe next week, which would allow him to defend the title at MITB.
“Regarding Smackdown tonight, as of last week a US Title match was planned for Money In The Bank. With that said, I’m not expecting a Jeff Hardy win tonight unless those prior MITB plans have changed. I guess he could theoretically win & lose to Joe next week but we’ll see.”
WWE has announced one big change to a top match that will take place on this week’s SmackDown Live.
It was originally announced that Samoa Joe would battle Big Cass in a Money in the Bank qualifying match on this show, which takes place in Worcester, MA at the DCU Center.
However, as a result of the ongoing storyline injury angle with Cass, WWE SmackDown Live General Manager Paige has revealed that Cass will not wrestle Joe on this show.
Instead, Daniel Bryan will take on Jeff Hardy with the winner facing Joe next week on SmackDown Live in a Money in the Bank qualifying match. Paige tweeted out the following:
“Due to @BigCassWWE injury, @WWEDanielBryan will face @JEFFHARDYBRAND tomorrow night on #SDLive in a second chance match… The winner will face @SamoaJoe NEXT WEEK for an opportunity to qualify and enter the Men’s #MITB Ladder Match.”
Former WWE Universal Champion Finn Balor has a certain dream match in mind.
Balor would love to step into the squared circle with Daniel Bryan at the biggest event of the year for the sports entertainment company, WrestleMania. He sent out the following photo on his official Instagram account:
WrestleMania 35 is scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 7, 2019 in East Rutherford, NJ at MetLife Stadium. This event airs on pay-per-view (PPV) and WWE Network and is the most successful and longest-running professional wrestling event in history. Both Raw and SmackDown rosters will be featured.
What are your thoughts on this possible match? Sound off in the comment section below.
It’s been well documented that there is history between The Miz and Daniel Bryan.
Now that Bryan has been cleared to return to in-ring action, it’s just a matter of time before the WWE books Miz and Bryan in a program on the blue brand. If you recall, Miz was Bryan’s coach on the very first season of the NXT reality series. They have wrestled some matches while on the main roster together.
The Miz spoke to Sports Illustrated’s Extra Mustard section last week. During that interview, he was asked about the potential feud with Bryan, which was when Miz started to make headlines. “Daniel Bryan could have quit and went and did all his indies and did all the bingo hall things, but he wanted to fight for his dreams,” Miz said. “But that day, he didn’t fight for his dreams. He walked away like the coward he was calling me. Now you fast forward and everybody wants to see Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz, but the fact is Daniel Bryan isn’t at the caliber I am at. I am sick of people sitting there saying, ‘Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz.’ He doesn’t deserve to be in the ring with me. He’s not at the level that I am. I am showcasing top-level talent, and maybe in a year or maybe in two years, he’ll be at that level. But right now, he’s not at that level. He’s just going on the fame he had four years ago. Things changed. So when Daniel Bryan is ready, and I feel that he is ready, that’s when the match will happen. Until then, he’s not ready for me.”
Miz regularly appeared on Talking Smack while he was on the blue brand and had a famous segment with Bryan on the show. If you recall, this most memorable moment took place on the August 23rd, 2016 edition of Talking Smack. The Miz went off on Bryan after being called a coward for his wrestling style. It was one of the most memorable promos of the past few years and fans were left wondering if it was scripted or not.
SPORTbible was able to speak with Bryan and get his response to The Miz’s comments.
“If you were to look at Miz’s matches since I’ve come back, he’s got a point,” Bryan admitted. “His match with [Seth] Rollins at Backlash, that was by far the best match on the pay-per-view. When I lost to Rusev, he wrestled Jeff Hardy – which was a fantastic match. The knock on Miz for years was that he was a great talker but so-so in the ring. This happened with [John] Cena too where people were like, ‘This guy can’t wrestle’ and while they are saying they can’t wrestle, they learn to wrestle and learn to be the best as far as in-ring stuff.” “On the independents when I was with Ring of Honor, people thought I was the best wrestler in the world – fans would chant it and I think the fans would believe it because they want to believe that their guy is better than the WWE guys,” Bryan responded. “But never once have I considered myself the best – I look at AJ Styles and I look at Rollins right now. I say these matches with Miz were great but Rollins is in those matches – and I don’t know what is different but now he’s clicking on every level. It almost feels like it was for me in 2013 where he’s not the top guy on Raw but he’s starting to get those top guy reactions, more so than other people. You look at these people and think, ‘Ah, he’s better than me at this.’ So if Miz says I’m not on his level, I look at it like, ‘Maybe I’m not’ and that motivates me – how do I get on his level?”
What are your thoughts on Bryan’s comments? Sound off in the comment section below.