Opinion

What’s Next For Daniel Bryan In WWE?

After returning from injuries, what’s next for the pioneer of the YES Movement in WWE?

Published

7 years ago

April 26, 2018

The dust may have settled on his miraculous comeback, but Daniel Bryan is still very much the talk of the town. More specifically the WWE Universe are busy talking up potential dream matches for the bearded one since he made the transition from General Manager to full time superstar once again. Bryan’s return to the squared circle at WrestleMania 34 may have been an underwhelming match, but it did what it needed to do in tying up loose ends story wise and was a nice, feel good way to reintroduce him to full time competition.

But what is next for D Bry? He is obviously worthy of becoming a main eventer once again, but would WWE be right to push him straight back to the top so soon? Are there other superstars on SDLive who have earned their chance prior to his comeback? Does he even need a championship to be a ‘top guy’? Let’s take a look at some of WWE’s best options for the leader of the YES! movement…

The Miz

The match that has been years in the making. The Miz vs Daniel Bryan rivalry goes way back, and despite never having a physical confrontation the animosity between the two has almost led to fisticuffs on numerous occasions. Throughout DB’s tenure as GM on the blue brand he would often find himself on the receiving end of abuse and insults from The Miz, and would regularly do his best to screw over The A Lister. Even when Miz was shipped back over to RAW the bitterness lived on through social media, Miz’s outstanding promo’s, stealing Bryan patented YES Kicks and the amazing outburst on an episode of Talking Smack.

Fast forward to 2018’s Superstar Shake Up. The Miz was shocked to find out he had been drafted back over to SDLive without his trusty Miztourage (who will unfortunately fade away to obscurity without him) and Daniel Bryan was all too happy to remind his adversary of a desire to punch him in the face. By the time this post goes live I would expect a confrontation to have already happened. However, I want this to be a long burn. It’s a WrestleMania 35 worthy match from two guys who will 100% bring out the best in eachother. Let them both do their own things, pursuing whichever titles they must, all the while still keeping that tension and animosity lingering in the background. This feud could be phenomenal… speaking of which…

This match would be… you guessed it… GREAT! Oh sorry. I meant… AWESOME! I forgot every single Miz photo must have an accompanying AWESOME caption. Balls to originality!

AJ Styles

Dream match. Dream match. DREAM MATCH. The kind of program that gets internet fanboys foaming from the mouth and penis, this one will almost certainly happen. But will it happen soon? Does it even need to? While AJ may be busy fending off multiple punches to the dick from Shinsuke Nakamura, Bryan’s involvement is almost certain to lead to a title opportunity further down the line and potentially even a tasty looking triple threat.

For now, I feel this match can wait. We all want to see it, and we are all fairly certain it’ll happen. But Daniel Bryan doesn’t need to be in the WWE Championship scene straight away. Yes. his career was derailed, and yes he does deserve the opportunity but so do a LOT of other guy’s who have busted their balls in his absence. Bare in mind that he wasn’t even in the main title picture when he retired. He was competing for, and winning, mid card titles like the United States and Intercontinental Championships. Bryan would be better off working his way through a mid card feud to shed any ring rust he might have, while letting those aforementioned superstars have their day. Speaking of days…

Part time wrestler. Part time builder of houses

Rusev

ITS RUSEV DAY! Or is it? Has it ever really been? It sure doesn’t feel like it at this point.

Rusev came into WWE built as an absolute monster. He went on a year long undefeated streak, capturing the United States Championship along the way and was destined for even bigger things. Then WWE just decided they were done with him. He lost the streak to good old American hero John Cena. Then he was placed in the worlds worst storyline as part of a love square between himself, Lana, Summer Rae and Dolph Ziggler. Then something magical happened. He got himself over naturally with the WWE Universe through the Rusev Day movement. With Aiden English by his side, Rusev became the most over guy in the entire company. Rusev Day chants filled every arena regardless of which show. They even filled the damn streets…

Then WWE’s golden boy no. 2 came along. Rusev was fed to Randy Orton. Then he became Vince McMahon’s new favourite thing by shipping a shitload of merchandise and making Vinnie some sweet dolla dolla. He saw out 2017 by competing in some outstanding tag matches alongside The Uso’s, The New Day and Benjable… then nothing. Shortly after it was reported that Rusev had asked to have his contract terminated, which forced WWE’s hand into putting him into the US title scene again. Can you guess what happened next? Go on have a guess. Did he win the title? Did his talent go rewarded? Did WWE spot the untapped goldmine they had in their midst? Nope. He was pinned by Jinder Mahal at WrestleMania 34.

I give up. I literally give up. Just when it seems WWE have had a very rare moment of clarity. They go ahead and screw it up again. Rusev needs this match with Daniel Bryan more than Bryan does himself. It would do wonders for both men to be fair. Bryan needs a good heel like Rusev or The Miz to go up against, English could serenade us with some wonderfully insulting songs regarding Bryan’s injuries and their individual styles would compliment eachother well. A marquee match up against one of the companies top guys could resurrect what is left of The Bulgarian Brute’s flagging career and help him to make an big impact again.

IT’S RUSEV BLIP !!!

Big Cass

Did someone say big impact? What better way to announce your return from a long injury lay off, than nearly kicking the former GM’s head off on your first night back?

Following the fantastically well told break up of Enzo Amore & Big Cass, the 7 foot tall behemoth went on to have a quite terrible rivalry with his former compatriot. The rivalry did nothing for the big man’s career, so WWE did what they almost always do when they have no idea how to use somebody. They put Cass against The Big Show! Another uninspiring feud followed with piss poor matches and very poor mic work from Cass. A feud with Cass is the perfect opportunity to focus on Bryan’s ‘underdog’ status, with him going up against a much bigger and more dominating superstar. No-one does ‘against all odds’ quite like ol’ goat face.

A feud with Daniel Bryan makes a great deal of sense following the heinous attack last week, and its exactly what Cass needs on his return. The Enzo feud did what it needed to do. It showed Enzo as the weak link and backed up all of the claims made by Cass. The less said about the program with Big Show, the better. Cass needs a good worker to make him look good in the ring, and they don’t come much better than Bryan. I’d even consider having Cass team up with The Miz. We’ve seen on multiple occasions now how Cass isn’t the best on the mic, some superstars just aren’t cut out for it. A manager could do the world of good for Cass, after all… it didn’t exactly do Brock Lesnar any harm did it? Paul Heyman is the only thing keeping Lesnar relevant or interesting, and almost instills a small amount of charisma into The Beast.

Regardless of who Bryan faces next, its just good to have him back doing what he is best at. I for one never thought I would be writing about the next chapter of his in ring career. Hopefully his tumultuous injury laden past doesn’t cacth up with him and we get to see his best for many more years.

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Launched in 2017, the Chairshot Radio Network presents you with the best in sports, entertainment, and sports entertainment. Wrestling and wrestling crossover podcasts + the most interesting content + the most engaging hosts = the most entertaining podcasts you’ll find!

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FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

2 weeks ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

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SUNDAY – Keeping the news ridiculous… The Oddity / The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE’s PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS…IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O’Dowd’s 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

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About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

TUESDAY - Musical Chairs (music) / Hockey Talk (NHL)

WEDNESDAY - The Greg DeMarco Show (wrestling)

THURSDAY - Keeping the news ridiculous... The Oddity / Chairshot NFL (NFL)

FRIDAY - DWI Podcast (Drunk Wrestling Intellect)

SATURDAY - The Mindless Wrestling Podcast

SUNDAY - The Front and Center Sports Podcast

CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

All Shows On Demand

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

1 month ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1