The following editorial was written by Tyler Treese and does not reflect the views of WrestleZone as a whole. Feel free to chime in on the Daniel Bryan heel turn in the comments below.
Earlier this year saw the impossible happen as Daniel Bryan returned from a medically suggested retirement by World Wrestling Entertainment. Very few within the wrestling world still had hope that the former WWE World Champion would return to wrestling inside Vince McMahon’s promotion, but he wound up defying the odds by getting medically cleared.
His comeback at WrestleMania 34 was an emotional one. While the match was just a pretty standard tag match, as he teamed up with Shane McMahon against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, there was a gravity to it that most fights can’t replicate. Fans watched with fear at every bump that Bryan took, and everyone was relieved when he picked up the victory without injury.
To think that the returning hero, one that had defied the odds, would become one of the top heels in the company less than a year later was unthinkable at the time. However, that’s exactly where we are at going into WWE Survivor Series thanks to the Daniel Bryan heel turn.
The Daniel Bryan Heel Turn Heard Around The World
This Tuesday, the intense competitive rivalry between Daniel Bryan and then WWE Champion AJ Styles hit its peak. The two had gotten into a tussle earlier in the show after being goaded into it by Paul Heyman, and they were putting on one heck of a match until Bryan decided to take advantage of a downed referee by hitting Styles below the belt. It was a dirty trick, one that was beneath Bryan, but was understandable given what was on the line. However, the full heel turn was cemented when Bryan assaulted Styles after he had already won the belt.
That means Survivor Series will be headlined by a match between Brock Lesnar and Bryan. It’s a match that Bryan has discussed heavily in the past. He even talked about developing a special wrestling style for the match, so it would be safe on Total Bellas. Check out the clip on WWE’s website (which aired nearly two years ago) to see a potential preview of the match.
Both the short and long-term future of Daniel Bryan is extremely interesting. Obviously, AJ Styles has unfinished business with Bryan. It wouldn’t be shocking to see him interfere during the Survivor Series match. Long-term, there’s the relationship between Bryan and Shane McMahon to explore. It had looked like Shane McMahon was turning heel himself, but this might force him back into a babyface role. Could we see the two former teammates go against one another at WrestleMania 35? There’s also the unfinished rivalry with Miz, which would be extremely interesting to see with both sides swapping their traditional face/heel roles with one another.
Stay Tuned
Where does it all go from here? I have no idea! While sometimes that type of confusement can be frustrating, it can also be exhilarating. It all depends on the story WWE goes on to tell, and if it winds up at a satisfying conclusion then this could be the start of something truly special. Either way, I’ll be tuning in to see where things go from here. In that regard, WWE has definitely hit a home run.
We all know thanks to Bryan’s previous heel work, both in WWE and in Ring of Honor, that he’s just as good as a bad guy as he is a babyface. I have no doubt in the performer’s ability, it just remains to be seen if the company will make his actions count going into WrestleMania 35 and beyond.
