Daniel Bryan vs. the Authority Must Continue After the WWE Star's Return

Daniel Bryan recently returned to WWE programming and announced his entry into the company's Royal Rumble match, which will be held Sunday, January 25.  The former world champion's future had been in question since his surgery back in May 2014 and his fate unknown until he finally broke the news of his comeback.

And while many fans are anxiously awaiting Bryan's return and possible new directions his career will take, the fact is that he has unfinished business to attend to first.  Despite how much time has passed, Bryan versus The Authority must continue when he comes back.

The news is likely not good for many fans.  After all, this feud ran throughout much of 2013, and when he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 30, it seemed to be the end of the angle.

By all rights, it should have been.

Triple H and Stephanie McMahon did everything in their power to keep Bryan down.  They threw every obstacle in his path, including virtually every member of The Authority, and they tried to kill his morale every week on TV.  More importantly, they tried to kill his spirit. 

credit: wwe.com

Bryan represented the working-class man, the average Joe who was chasing a dream and wanted to reach the heights of the company.  Bryan was a modern-day Dusty Rhodes because of his connection to the blue-collar fans and his incredible fighting spirit.

Bryan was living the American dream even though The Authority was against him.

But the biggest night of Bryan's pro wrestling career was Wrestlemania 30.  In one night, he defeated Triple H, Batista and Randy Orton to gain the top prize in the industry.  Finally, Bryan won the big one.  Finally, he overcame the odds and realized his dreams on WWE's biggest stage.

Finally, he conquered The Authority.

When that happened, it should have been the end.  Bryan's win should have splintered Triple H's group, and the new champ should have moved on to new challenges against new antagonists.  Bryan was poised to take over the world that had held him back, and the future was bright indeed.

credit: wwe.com

But none of that came to pass.  

Bryan's injury sidelined him, and suddenly, the hottest Superstar in WWE was on the shelf. All of his momentum was gone, and his incredible rise to the top was quelled in an instant.  Bryan was out, and his enemies carried on.

The Authority continued in WWE.  The group's reign was renewed, as the championship eventually landed on Brock Lesnar.  Triple H had a champion who would cooperate with him, and WWE was well in hand.

Of course, all that seemed to end at Survivor Series when Sting debuted and cost Team Authority the main event match.  The Authority was out of power, and WWE was once again free to run independent of heel control.

But on the very night that Bryan returned on Raw, The Authority made its return as well. Suddenly, WWE's biggest underdog and his primary opposition were back on the very same program.  Needless to say, many fans were likely upset at this turn of events.

They were destined to cross paths again, and that is exactly what happened on the January 12 edition of Monday Night Raw.

Seeing Stephanie and Bryan in the ring surely felt like old times to many fans.  They fell right back into their opposing roles, and when Kane came to the ring, it all began to feel like deja vu.  The man who had risen to the top of the company found himself back in the sights of those who sought to hold him down.

And that will surely continue.

There's just too much bad blood between both sides, too much negative history for the fire to just burn out.  WWE fans may want to see Bryan win the Royal Rumble and go on to once again main event WrestleMania, but that will not come without a price.

Any road leading to the top of WWE will go through The Authority.  As long as that group is in power, no WWE Superstar will be able to take a step forward without taking two steps back.  This is especially true of Bryan, who was the biggest threat The Authority has ever seen and dealt the biggest blow the group had faced at the time.

If Bryan's character is meant to be elevated once again, fans must prepare themselves for the inevitable second war that is sure to be waged against The Authority. And this time, the end result must be a total defeat of Triple H's group.  Anything less will likely not satisfy the fans and will also not firmly cement Bryan as the top guy he deserves to be.