Gauging Daniel Bryan's Potential Next Steps in WWE Career

Daniel Bryan doesn't stand at a fork in the road in his WWE career, but rather a point where the river splits off into numerous tributaries.

Fans don't know what to expect from the Superstar long stuck on the sidelines. Bryan could easily be WWE ambassador or TNA world champ by the time summer arrives.  

After suffering a concussion in April, Bryan has remained on WWE's bench, not sure when or if the company will clear him to compete again. His story since has been stagnant with few updates. That may soon change, though.

Mike Johnson reported on PWInsider.com, "Multiple sources have confirmed that Bryan is scheduled to head to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania later this week, where Dr. Joseph Maroon (who oversees the company's Wellness Policy) is based, which could suggest WWE and Bryan are working toward some form of resolution on the issue."

Assuming that Bryan is indeed heading to Pittsburgh for a medical evaluation, there promises to finally be some movement with this situation. Bryan could be pushing for WWE to make a decision. The company may be set to do just that.

With concussion lawsuits hanging over the company's head, WWE has been hesitant to send Bryan back into the fray. Will that hesitance grow stronger, or will officials shift their stance? And will they do the latter in time for the annual 30-man match that is just days away?

Bryan Returns at the Royal Rumble

The Royal Rumble has often been used to welcome back injured Superstars. John Cena, Edge and Triple H all made triumphant returns at the event over the years.

With it now being nine months since Bryan left the ring, it's natural to wonder if the Rumble is when he'll finally come back. The folks at the Mat Men Podcast are among those with that possibility on their minds:

That's certainly far from a safe bet.

For one, there are currently no plans to have Bryan enter the Rumble match, according to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t PWMania). Plans change, of course, but this report makes it doubtful that the bearded warrior will charge into the Rumble.

Besides, it would be a huge mistake from a booking standpoint.

In the last two years, the Royal Rumble has ended with a babyface suffering backlash because he was not Bryan. Batista earned boos after winning in 2014. Roman Reigns received the same treatment last year.

Unless WWE plans to put the world title on a guy who had to relinquish his last two titles because of injury, the company stands to have history repeat itself. It can't afford to have three straight Rumbles that end with an irate audience.

Bryan Remains in Limbo

WWE continues to keep Bryan out of action but has so far refused to release him. He can't wrestle for Vince McMahon. He can't wrestle for anybody.

There has been no announced timetable for Bryan's return. Instead, he's been waiting around for medical clearance so long that his time on the sidelines has become the source material for running jokes:

As much as WWE would like to keep Bryan off TNA's roster while also not risking another concussion on its own watch, this can't continue for much longer.

Bryan's impatience will grow. He will insist on an answer. 

He won't let his 30s evaporate waiting around for WWE to make a move. Something will have to give soon.

Bryan Returns Eventually

Bryan is too talented and too popular not to tempt WWE to consider bringing him back.

If he does return to action en route to WrestleMania or afterward, it's likely the company will try to get Bryan to tone down his devil-may-care approach to wrestling. As Kurt Angle pointed out when he spoke with Cult of Whatever about Bryan's in-ring style, "He's his own worst enemy. When he goes out to the ring, he puts everything on the line, especially his body."

What makes this scenario unlikely is that WWE didn't pull the trigger at its most desperate moment.

Injures beset the roster at the end of 2015, and WWE didn't make a move. If WWE officials didn't panic when John Cena joined a disabled list that already included Seth Rollins, Randy Orton and Cesaro, why would they now?

And if WrestleMania season, when an all-hands-on-deck approach is most necessary, passes without Bryan emerging, it's time to start speaking of his WWE career in the past tense.

Bryan Announces Retirement

As much as fans don't want to hear it, one of the more likely scenarios following Bryan's next evaluation is that he may decide that WWE is right: He's not healthy enough to compete.

Last May on Raw, he gave a tearful speech about having to vacate the WWE Intercontinental Championship. "They said I might never be able to wrestle again," he told fans.

How much of that was for the camera and how much was real was hard to tell, but boy did that moment when he choked up sound genuine. 

With scared wife Brie Bella in his ear and doctors warning him of what could happen if he suffers future concussions, he may decide to hang up his boots at just 34.

Bryan told Meghan Sullivan of IGN, "If they send me to a third neurologist who's also highly respected in the concussion field and they say literally no... Well, then is it really smart to go against two doctors? I get all fired up... And then I'm like, maybe that's not the best thing for me and my family going forward."

WWE would certainly love to have him around in a non-wrestling role, in that case. He's been working as a company ambassador during his time on the shelf.

Bryan would be valuable doing that full-time or working as a trainer at NXT. But signs point to his not accepting that kind of position. 

On a recent Instagram post, he said he is training as if he will return:

His passion for wrestling is clear. At such a young age, it's hard to imagine his putting that aside unless the doctors give him evidence that he simply must accept.

WWE Releases Him

Concussions led WWE to move Corey Graves from the ring to the announce desk. Christian quietly ended his active tenure after dealing with head injuries of his own.

Those situations, though, are much different from Bryan's. 

Christian was at the end of his career anyway. Graves hadn't built up the kind of fanbase that Bryan has. With Bryan, WWE knows it would be letting go of a major asset.

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

And its rivals would gladly scoop him up.

On PWInsider.com, Johnson wrote of the expected interest in Bryan: "TNA is starting to spend money to sign talents again and Bryan would bring eyeballs from fans who usually would not watch TNA. Likewise, a Bryan return to Ring of Honor would be seen as a homecoming for a legend that put the company on the map, similar to Samoa Joe's run before signing with WWE."

So it's understandable that WWE has been so slow to make a move. Any choice involving Bryan involves risk right now.

But Bryan won't remain still forever. He continues to express his desire to strap on his boots again.

If WWE decides to deny him the chance to do that, rest assured he will go elsewhere. He will be the hottest free agent on the market—a man ready to prove WWE wrong.

He can't do that, though, until WWE lets him go. As difficult as it must be for the company to make this kind of choice, it has to do so soon.

Bryan deserves a timely resolution. WWE can't just keep an anchor around his ankle while it remains unsure how to proceed.