WWE Rumors on Daniel Bryan-CM Punk, Stone Cold-The Godfather, Jimmy Uso's Injury

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from WWE and AEW.

WWE Offers No Edict to Avoid Daniel Bryan

When a wrestler leaves WWE, oftentimes the company erases them from their history; when's the last time you heard the name Dean Ambrose or saw any Shield highlights with his name mentioned? The name CM Punk was seemingly taboo for years. 

Mike Johnson of PW Insider reported no such edict of silence exists with Daniel Bryan, whose contract with WWE recently expired.

The overwhelming expectation is that Bryan will return to WWE—albeit not on the SmackDown brand. Bryan's loss to Roman Reigns effectively ended his time on the blue brand, but there just so happens to be two more brands he's not banned from should he sign a new contract with the company.

As much fun as it is to speculate about Bryan Danielson showing up in AEW or NJPW for a few dream matches, he's almost certainly finding his way back to WWE. Bryan's found his greatest success with the company, and his wife was just named a Hall of Famer for the company. WWE's production company also handles Total Bellas, the reality show in which Bryan is one of four stars.

As he approaches his 40th birthday, Bryan is likely just trying to position himself to decide the type of arrangement he wants from his next contract.

The Godfather Set for Broken Skull Sessions

Johnson also reported that Charles Wright, known as The Godfather, Papa Shango and Kama Mustafa, will be a guest on Stone Cold Steve Austin's Broken Skull Sessions.

The 59-year-old should make for an interesting episode, given his three major gimmicks in WWE were all memorable for their own reasons. Papa Shango was an attempt to create another supernatural-type character following the success of The Undertaker, using voodoo as its basis. Kama Mufasa was in the Nation of Domination in its infancy, which helped launch The Rock into worldwide superstardom.

However, he remains best known for The Godfather, a gimmick that was the epitome of the Attitude Era—for better and for worse. It will be interesting to see how WWE and Peacock's PG rating will discuss The Godfather character without the obvious allusions to prostitution and the use of derogatory language toward women.

The Godfather remains a mostly beloved gimmick and is by far the most famous period of Wright's career, just not one that would hold up well with 2021 audiences. 

Jimmy Uso Cleared for Return

If it wasn't obvious based on his on-screen return for Friday's SmackDown, Jimmy Uso has received full clearance from WWE doctors to return to the ring, per Johnson.

Uso missed more than a year of action after suffering a knee injury at WrestleMania 36. It appears he's headed into some sort of angle where he attempts to come between the bond forged by his brother, Jey, and Roman Reigns.

Jimmy tried to push Jey into breaking away from Reigns during Friday's SmackDown before ultimately choosing to help his brother and cousin when they were attacked by Cesaro.