Daniel Bryan Returns to WWE Programming During Monday Night Raw

After several months on the shelf due to various injuries, Daniel Bryan made his long-awaited return to WWE programming tonight at Monday Night Raw. 

WWE welcomed him back:

With Triple H and Stephanie McMahon talking to the WWE Universe about Team Authority's loss to Team Cena at Survivor Series, Bryan stormed to the ring leading a raucous "Yes" chant that had the crowd in a frenzy. 

Bryan informed the crowd that he's in charge of Raw for at least one evening: 

He wasted little time in using his authority, giving Kane a brand new title:

Bryan also announced that Luke Harper will defend the Intercontinental Championship against Dean Ambrose:

It has often been said that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that was certainly the case with Bryan. He was the most popular Superstar in wrestling before getting injured and he received a thunderous crowd reaction upon his return.

Seeing Bryan back in a WWE ring was a feel-good moment for wrestling fans considering everything he has gone through since WrestleMania XXX. Bryan had the ultimate WrestleMania moment that night when he defeated Triple H and then won a Triple Threat match against Randy Orton and Batista to become WWE World Heavyweight champion.

Bryan seemed poised for a lengthy and fruitful reign, but things didn't go according to plan. After a successful title defense against Kane at Extreme Rules, Bryan had to undergo neck surgery to correct a lingering ailment, as seen in this tweet courtesy of WWE:

What ensued was a wait-and-see approach regarding Bryan's recovery. He wasn't immediately stripped of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, as that can was kicked down the road for a few weeks in order to see if he might be able to come back in a timely fashion.

Unfortunately, it got to the point where Bryan's injury became a long-term issue, so WWE had no choice but to strip Bryan of the titles leading up to Money in the Bank, per WWE's official Twitter account:

Once Bryan was stripped, even more questions arose regarding his status moving forward. Bryan addressed them during the Money in the Bank Kickoff show when he revealed that he might have to undergo another surgery, as seen on WWE.com.

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Well, this is where I've got some bad news. I don't know when I'm going to be back, unfortunately. The strength hasn't come back in my arm and they're talking about maybe doing another surgery. But I promise you I will be back and when I'm back I'm going to be better than ever.

"

A great deal of uncertainty continued to surround Bryan's status during the ensuing months. Per Brian Fritz of Sporting News (h/t Comcast Sports Net), there was still no decision regarding a second surgery by November.

"

I'm not actually sure, nobody really knows when I'll be back. I'm hoping to be back in January and be ready for WrestleMania here in Levi's Stadium but there's no way to know. Right now, there's contemplation of doing a second surgery to my elbow, but we just don't really know. We're just doing our best to get me back and healthy.

"

As much as Bryan's fans wanted to see him back in the ring quickly, legendary WWE announcer Jim Ross said on his blog that a cautious approach was the right one for a star of Bryan's stature.

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Not sure what to believe or not to believe regarding the physical status of Daniel Bryan but most of what I'm reading isn't positive. Oftentimes a surgery will reveal other issues and it seems that may have been the case here. The bottom line to this entire matter is to get Bryan healthy and, above all else, not to rush him back into the ring.

"

Following Bryan's Money in the Bank announcement, he was absent from WWE programming for quite some time. He was mentioned infrequently as WWE allowed him to focus on his recovery. That had to be difficult for Bryan considering the fact that he was the focal point of WWE programming prior to the injury.

Being away from WWE really seemed to hit home with Bryan during July's Battleground pay-per-view as he watched it from home rather than the backstage area:

Bryan faded into obscurity to some degree after that, but his name came up during the build toward the SummerSlam match between Stephanie McMahon and his wife Brie Bella. In fact, Stephanie went as far as to coax Bryan's physical therapist, Megan Miller, into claiming that she had an affair with Bryan.

It was little more than another diabolical plot by The Authority, but it helped bring Bryan's name back into the consciousness of the WWE Universe.

Bryan's focus at this point should be on prolonging his career. He may love to wrestle and entertain, but he just needs to do it a bit more sparingly than he once did.

The return of a top star like Bryan is a major coup for WWE, even if his role isn't in an in-ring capacity. He is an asset it must protect in much the same way as someone like John Cena. Bryan has reached that level in terms of popularity and can be utilized in main-event storylines moving forward.

Having Bryan back in the fold opens up a world of possibilities for WWE. He is one of the most versatile and talented Superstars in the company, and there is no question that the product is better when he is part of it.

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