Daniel Bryan's recovery was the primary topic of conversation for those in power at this week's RAW event in Indianapolis. Not only is Daniel Bryan's rehab going slower than anticipated, but he's actually losing strength in his right arm during the process, which is very concerning. As a result, Bryan is being sent back to Dr. Joseph Maroon, who did the surgery on his shoulder, to try and find out what is wrong.
There is reportedly a lot of pressure on Daniel Bryan right now, because even though there are signs that he might not be ready to compete by the Money In The Bank pay-per-view, WWE isn't ready to change the plans officially. They are still going with the idea that Bryan vs. Kane for the title will headline.
WWE has learned from past mistakes, however, and are making sure they have a backup plan just in case. That's why the stipulation was added that if Daniel Bryan is unable to compete, the MITB ladder match would no longer be for the briefcase, but rather the title itself.
The situation is being compared to the 2012 Hell in a Cell pay-per-view where Vince McMahon assumed John Cena would be ready to face CM Punk following his injury. However, Cena wasn't ready and WWE ended up putting Ryback in the match, forcing his undefeated streak to end too soon. While pay-per-view numbers did well — better, in fact, than what they likely would have been if Cena was healthy and able to compete — Ryback's career certainly went in a different direction than it would have otherwise, and most feel like that match was the beginning of his downfall.
Daniel Bryan is scheduled for Raw this week and is supposed to confront Stephanie McMahon.
