Daniel Bryan medically cleared to return to in-ring action

[Oh Cry Me a Screwball]

Mar 21, 2018 5:48:37 GMT -5 @returnofthestryker said:

Mar 21, 2018 5:46:50 GMT -5 Oh Cry Me a Screwball said:

On a sidenote, WWE.com went to the trouble of moving Owens and Zayn's profiles to the alumni section. I love that they got through that fine detail every time this happens.

I love how WWE does this yet TNA actually fires guys and has them in the roster screen for months. It's a microcosm.

The last time I saw it, Impact's roster page was so broken that I can't imagine anyone wanting to touch it in fear of it becoming an apocalyptic black hole.

[Alice Syndrome]

By the way, props to Zayn and Owens for doing the most brutal looking but softest beatdown in history, especially considering that a mistimed Helluva Kick is the reason Corey Graves retired.

[Nr1Humanoid]

So much quotable material here if the sceptics turn out to be right.

[Deleted]

Mar 21, 2018 6:31:10 GMT -5 Alice Syndrome said:

By the way, props to Zayn and Owens for doing the most brutal looking but softest beatdown in history, especially considering that a mistimed Helluva Kick is the reason Corey Graves retired.

We've come so far from fading to black before a Kane chokeslam.

[Deleted]

I didn’t think they’d ever clear him and I hope everything turns out okay for him but it was awesome seeing the passion from both Bryan and the crowd when he finally went on offense with those Yes kicks it’s been missing from the wwe product ever since the last time Bryan wrestled.Good Stuff.

[spagett]

The bit where Bryan said he doesn't know where or when he'll wrestle and the fans in unison all pointed to the Wrestlemania sign made the ten years of the stupid 'Have wrestler point at Mania sign' spot all worth it.

[benstudd]

Man it felt so great seeing a true babyface and a true mega popular guy doing something where the whole crowd is popping for. I had forgotten what it felt like. Shades of 1997/98 Stone Cold. I cannot believe Vince would watch that and not think "this is what wrestling should be like".

[1 Free Moon-Down with Burger]

Mar 21, 2018 9:53:47 GMT -5 benstudd said:

Man it felt so great seeing a true babyface and a true mega popular guy doing something where the whole crowd is popping for. I had forgotten what it felt like. Shades of 1997/98 Stone Cold. I cannot believe Vince would watch that and not think "this is what wrestling should be like".

I really wonder where this ‘Vince hates Daniel Bryan’ is coming from.

Vince booked him as the centerpiece of the top show for an entire year and then some.

[Tenshigure]

Mar 21, 2018 10:03:59 GMT -5 1 Free Moon-Down with Burger said:

I really wonder where this ‘Vince hates Daniel Bryan’ is coming from.

Vince booked him as the centerpiece of the top show for an entire year and then some.

B-b-because it's THEIR FAULT he had to retire and wouldn't let the big mean doctors clear him to return and make tons of money for the company! How dare they be so petty as to force him out of the ring and make him become a commentator and then on-air personality so that people don't forget him, putting him under their thumb so he couldn't possibly have the same kind of draw in the indies as he did when he was in the big leagues. Looking out for the person instead of the wrestler and the money? How dare they!



...wait a minute.

[the2ndevil]

Mar 21, 2018 10:24:52 GMT -5 Tenshigure said:

Mar 21, 2018 10:03:59 GMT -5 1 Free Moon-Down with Burger said:

I really wonder where this ‘Vince hates Daniel Bryan’ is coming from.

Vince booked him as the centerpiece of the top show for an entire year and then some.

B-b-because it's THEIR FAULT he had to retire and wouldn't let the big mean doctors clear him to return and make tons of money for the company! How dare they be so petty as to force him out of the ring and make him become a commentator and then on-air personality so that people don't forget him, putting him under their thumb so he couldn't possibly have the same kind of draw in the indies as he did when he was in the big leagues. Looking out for the person instead of the wrestler and the money? How dare they!



...wait a minute.

My favorite part of all this is how everyone making posts about WWE and their Doctors that amounted to “LOL Z-Paks” look like such massive assholes, now.

[Gerard Gerard]

Bryan's connection with audience is insane. Between the internet and that crowd last night, there's this general air that a long-lost family member has returned into the fold.

[Rican]

Mar 21, 2018 1:45:10 GMT -5 the2ndevil said:

Mar 20, 2018 20:51:43 GMT -5 Corre.222 said:

Amusingly, I just watched that clip on WWE’s YouTube page the day before this announcement.

I watch that clip all the time. It's honestly my all time favorite RAW moment. The crowd slowly doing the Yes chant along with Bryan gives me goosebumps every time.

[Gerard Gerard]

Mar 21, 2018 11:16:54 GMT -5 Rican said:

Mar 21, 2018 1:45:10 GMT -5 the2ndevil said:

Amusingly, I just watched that clip on WWE’s YouTube page the day before this announcement.

I watch that clip all the time. It's honestly my all time favorite RAW moment. The crowd slowly doing the Yes chant along with Bryan gives me goosebumps every time.

Bray Wyatt spoke on the fact that this reaction was made all the more powerful for the fact it took place in Providence, Rhode Island, which the wrestlers seem to rank up beside Corpus Christi in terms of quiet crowds.

[Deleted]

I kind of love how happy it made me seeing Owens lay him out just on the basis of, "It's true, they're really going to let him bump." I assume that's why the crowd popped when it happened.

[Nosnorb]

Mar 21, 2018 10:03:59 GMT -5 1 Free Moon-Down with Burger said:

Mar 21, 2018 9:53:47 GMT -5 benstudd said:

Man it felt so great seeing a true babyface and a true mega popular guy doing something where the whole crowd is popping for. I had forgotten what it felt like. Shades of 1997/98 Stone Cold. I cannot believe Vince would watch that and not think "this is what wrestling should be like".

I really wonder where this ‘Vince hates Daniel Bryan’ is coming from.

Vince booked him as the centerpiece of the top show for an entire year and then some.

An entire year and then some? Assuming you are refering to 2013 and 2014, before John Cena in storyline literally picked him as his opponent out of the entire roster, he was in the midcard and returned there in the fall when it was time for Cena - Orton part 29841345454. He spent a large chunk of time feuding with The Wyatt Family before then.

Bryan was important sure, but he wasn't the centerpiece, not with Batista, Cena, Orton and Triple H being arguably a bigger focus.

[edgestar]

Mar 21, 2018 10:34:15 GMT -5 the2ndevil said:

Mar 21, 2018 10:24:52 GMT -5 Tenshigure said:

B-b-because it's THEIR FAULT he had to retire and wouldn't let the big mean doctors clear him to return and make tons of money for the company! How dare they be so petty as to force him out of the ring and make him become a commentator and then on-air personality so that people don't forget him, putting him under their thumb so he couldn't possibly have the same kind of draw in the indies as he did when he was in the big leagues. Looking out for the person instead of the wrestler and the money? How dare they!



...wait a minute.

My favorite part of all this is how everyone making posts about WWE and their Doctors that amounted to “LOL Z-Paks” look like such massive assholes, now.

I wouldn't personally call those fans "massive assholes", though I do understand the Z-Pak joke. My concern was for Bryan to be able to live a healthy life, and not try to keep wrestling through the concussions, with a wife, and baby on the way/at home. That would be inconsiderate to them, as they should have a healthy husband and father. When I didn't know if I was a candidate for surgery, to see where my seizures were coming from, I was terrified of the thought of memory loss. Then I looked into it, and other risks include paralysis. When the doctor told me that I was able to live normally, the way I have been (just taking the medicine), I am not a candidate for surgery. I was so happy, I think I cried. I can't try to imagine how Bryan must have felt, upon being told that he could compete again.

That being said, I wouldn't call people posting about the WWE doctors looking like massive assholes. They don't want Bryan to be hurt on WWE's watch, and if he did leave WWE, they wouldn't want him to get hurt in ROH or New Japan.

[Tenshigure]

Mar 21, 2018 11:44:21 GMT -5 edgestar said:

Mar 21, 2018 10:34:15 GMT -5 the2ndevil said:

My favorite part of all this is how everyone making posts about WWE and their Doctors that amounted to “LOL Z-Paks” look like such massive assholes, now.

I wouldn't personally call those fans "massive assholes", though I do understand the Z-Pak joke. My concern was for Bryan to be able to live a healthy life, and not try to keep wrestling through the concussions, with a wife, and baby on the way/at home. That would be inconsiderate to them, as they should have a healthy husband and father. When I didn't know if I was a candidate for surgery, to see where my seizures were coming from, I was terrified of the thought of memory loss. Then I looked into it, and other risks include paralysis. When the doctor told me that I was able to live normally, the way I have been (just taking the medicine), I am not a candidate for surgery. I was so happy, I think I cried. I can't try to imagine how Bryan must have felt, upon being told that he could compete again.

That being said, I wouldn't call people posting about the WWE doctors looking like massive assholes. They don't want Bryan to be hurt on WWE's watch, and if he did leave WWE, they wouldn't want him to get hurt in ROH or New Japan.

I think the bigger issue here is that there's so much hate on the WWE doctors thanks to the hearsay from guys like CM Punk (the aforementioned reason behind the Z-Pak jokes), that any actual medical decisions made by them are OBVIOUSLY only in the best interest of the WWE and in no way thinking of the people injured. This story gets played off in two ways:

- Daniel Bryan is being held back by the MAN, these company-owned doctors don't know better than these internationally renowned professionals, and are only holding him back because Vince hates the fact he went over organically instead of being hand-picked to be the star!

OR

- Daniel Bryan has no reason to ever step foot back in the ring, how can these company-owned doctors possibly clear him of his multiple seizures and head trauma that took him out in the first place. They're only bringing him back because he threatened to leave the company, now they've got him back in the fold and he's going to get himself killed!


The fact is, brain injuries are still a magnificently grey area when it comes to knowing to what extent damage has been done and what can be restored. With people like Edge, Austin, and Paige, their neck and back injuries are ones that are DEFINITIVE when it comes to calling it a career. Every bump someone takes in a ring (or out) results in some sort of head-rattling threat, but we have far more knowledge in the differences in recovery when it comes to muscle tears and broken bones compared to brain injuries.

Bryan had to go through the VERY best neuro and physio doctors' tests to prove his injuries were recoverable. Yes, anyone who has seizures or concussions are exponentially more likely to repeat, but at the same time the kinds of stress and trauma they put through these tests for proof that it can withstand the stress of physical activity can and should put anyone still susceptible to re-aggravation off that path permanently. The WWE, above just about every other wrestling company out there, have by far the most extensive care and support staff available or on retainer. How many of you in the US have had internal injuries before that required you to wait at home for days to even see a consultant for surgery of any kind? The turnaround for the bumps, bruises, and injuries they take is incredible when you factor in the kinds of invasive surgery taking place all the way to the rehab to get them back to "ring ready" condition.

I'd say if anything, him being able to reactivate while still with the WWE is the VERY best case scenario for him with both the combination of having medical resources readily available on-site at every show (if they didn't Lawler would've been dead years ago), while being able to push the edge of his threshold without going overboard (I will turn SUPER hard on Bryan if he ever even tries to go to the top rope).

With all that said though, I will say this about those naysayers who still aren't convinced he's capable of returning to the ring: never underestimate the drive and determination of the human spirit.

[sdoyle7798]

My only concern is what happens when he gets his next concussion.

With wrestling, it's more of a "when" thing than "if".

Don't get me wrong, I'm not in the "Another blow to the head will render him braindead" camp. I just wonder if PCS symptoms would return.

I know concussions are very, very tricky, and there really is no answer for my question.

[Tenshigure]

Mar 21, 2018 12:16:49 GMT -5 sdoyle7798 said:

My only concern is what happens when he gets his next concussion.

With wrestling, it's more of a "when" thing than "if".

Don't get me wrong, I'm not in the "Another blow to the head will render him braindead" camp. I just wonder if PCS symptoms would return.

I know concussions are very, very tricky, and there really is no answer for my question.

One can rightly assume he's going to get the same tests every other member of the roster does, though at the same time they're going to be far more strict with him if the reason behind the concussion is due to his own accord (ie going for a headbutt or a suicide dive vs a mistimed Heluva Kick).

[Tea & Crumpets]

Mar 21, 2018 5:24:43 GMT -5 @returnofthestryker said:

Mar 21, 2018 2:48:39 GMT -5 Tea & Crumpets said:

It's like how some people are so so overprotectively worried for Bryan's health that it doesn't matter how many of the top, top neurologists clear him they're still certain that he's one bump away from a wheelchair. That it doesn't matter how many times Bryan explains that the 'lesion' terminology in neuroscience literally just means something a little different, not a massive cut, and that his brain was healthy, it definitely actually means he's got a hole in his brain.

Sometimes people can get wedded to their narratives and rather than accept contradictory evidence, it's everyone else that is still wrong.

I personally don't think that, he will probably be fine but 1) given his desperation to work throughout this don't necessarily trust his telling 2) think when you have a family you put them first and the fact he had seizures before should mean he takes himself away from in ring competition for the benefit of his family.

Throughout this he's conducted himself like a spoiled kid to my mind.

I will add though that this is a personal thing, and it'd great seeing so many happy and excited for something in wwe. I felt good for Mania anyway so more people with enthusiasm is a big upside.

That's an absolutely fair and reasonable opinon to hold, I'm more referring to some people (not necessarily here) who act like if he takes a single bump he'll end up in a coma and die, and look for any reason to ignore what these latest set of doctors, and many others, are/have been saying in favour of Maroon.

For example, THIS is a 100% valid concern and totally the sort of worry I understand:

Mar 21, 2018 12:16:49 GMT -5 sdoyle7798 said:

My only concern is what happens when he gets his next concussion.

With wrestling, it's more of a "when" thing than "if".

Don't get me wrong, I'm not in the "Another blow to the head will render him braindead" camp. I just wonder if PCS symptoms would return.

I know concussions are very, very tricky, and there really is no answer for my question.

But then you get stuff like this:

Mar 21, 2018 6:46:26 GMT -5 Nr1Humanoid said:

So much quotable material here if the sceptics turn out to be right.

Which almost sounds as though people'd rather he be miserable and one step from the grave, or get injured in his return, in order to be proved right, than admit he might actually be healthy now. If people are wrong and he's healthy, that's a good thing. If people are wrong and he gets hurt, okay people were wrong but how is that 'quotable'? That's not a "win" for anybody. That's a sad f***ing situation and one everyone should hope doesn't happen, and frankly one that people should have faith in the medical experts on over their own armchair opinions.

I want Bryan to be happy and healthy. If he's healthy enough to wrestle, then great, and he's happy wrestling, so double great. The fact that I as a fan also want him to come back doesn't mean the first part isn't true or is somehow compromised, it just means I need to be aware of my own feelings as a fan when considering the matter- which I am.