"Smackdown Live" General Manager Daniel Bryan has not wrestled in the ring for more than two years, yet fans are still picking him to emerge as the winner in this year's Royal Rumble match.
Betting site aggregator Oddschecker revealed that Daniel Bryan ranks third in the list of wrestlers that people are betting on to win the annual contest with 4:1 odds, just behind Shield member Roman Reigns at number two and Shinsuke Nakamura at the top spot.
Of course, this may just be the fans wishing that the "Yes Man" finally gets allowed by the company to return to active competition. His retirement in February of 2016 was due to the wrestler suffering concussions after his many years of hard-fought battles. Some were even so severe that he would have seizures after his matches.
There was even one match against Irish superstar Sheamus that Bryan seemed to have a seizure right in the middle of the fight, after receiving a nasty kick to the head.
The wear and tear that he received after all these years is no joke, as Bryan is famously known for being a product of the independent scene, and many fans are aware that indie companies are known for allowing their wrestler to utilize very strong moves, strong enough to end a wrestler's career if improperly executed. And Bryan has been in the receiving end of those moves for several years.
For now, he seems to have acclimated to the managerial role that the company has given him. But Bryan is still very vocal about returning to the ring, in fact, the superstar has claimed to have visited several doctors, all of whom has cleared him to return to wrestling. Even his wife, WWE superstar Brie Bella, has given him her blessing to return.
The company, however, will still have the final say regarding the matter. But Bryan says he has no problem if he does not get cleared to compete since he has plans to wrestle outside of the WWE after his contract expires if that is the case.
