The wrestling world is always full of surprises, 2018 is no different. We have waited with baited breath to see in Daniel Bryan would ever be able to make an in-ring return to the WWE, luckily for us, Bryan is back. There are endless possibilities of feuds, storylines, and matches that Bryan could have. Now that he is no longer the Smackdown Live GM, the fantasy booking can begin. Looking at the WWE Roster, it is as stacked as its ever been; people in the company that many thought would never be here. While Bryan has faced many people throughout his career the possibility that he could now face some former opponents in a WWE is mind-boggling.
Case in point, Finn Balor; their career paths took them all over the world, where they only faced off in the ring one time. Bryan vs Prince Devitt took place over ten years ago and a return match up could be amazing. Both have a hard-hitting style, but with Finn being a bit more high flying; a match between the two now would main event any show WWE puts on. Bryan is one of the most beloved superstars in WWE history and Finn currently one of the most popular, this match would just be a fantastic showing of what wrestling is all about; everyone wins here.
Shinsuke Nakamura has always wanted to face off with Bryan in a WWE ring, he considered it an honour just to have Bryan ref one of his matches. Nakamura and Bryan were both in New Japan Pro Wrestling at the same time, but only ever faced off in tag team matches. The WWE has an opportunity to have a first ever match between the two, and we know how much WWE loves first evers. With Nakamura’s new heel character, it would be interesting to see how the fans react to him against Bryan. This eventually could be a match for the WWE Championship, but even without a title on the line, this matchup would be special. Knee to face against the Yes Lock, it’s time to see it.
At WWE Axxess this year, Daniel had said he wanted Johnny Gargano to lose his NXT TakeOver match so he could come to Smackdown, while we all know that Gargano gained his NXT job back, the door is still open for an eventual Smackdown call-up. Johnny has faced Bryan twice both at AIW, where one went to a time limit draw and the other Johnny was the victor. A matchup now in a WWE ring would give Bryan a chance to finally get a victory over Johnny Wrestling. At the same time, WWE fans would get a quick paced match up between two of the best in the world today.
Another dream matchup for Bryan would be the current NXT Champion Aleister Black. While they have faced each other in wXw, everything is different in a WWE ring. Aleister is one of the most intriguing superstars to come to the WWE in ages, he is mysterious and has a tremendous kickboxing background which would be exciting to see Bryan go up against. The best would be brought out of each other and the storytelling would be amazing.
But the ultimate dream matchup is the Miz. Ever since Bryan was on the original NXT, there has been the best tension and hatred between the two. The Miz, upon Bryan’s retirement, made the “It” kicks and would act like Bryan. The Miz wanted to make everyone know that he was going to do everything Bryan never got to do and do it better. Now that Bryan can wrestle again, he gets the opportunity to punch Miz in the face and show who the true innovator of the YES kicks really is. Bryan gets to put Miz in his place and all will be right in the WWE Universe again.
Daniel Bryan is back and everything seems to make sense again in the world. These are just a few dream matchups, but the possibilities are endless.