After an unbelievable start to 2014 was met with a screeching halt in the form of a neck injury, Daniel Bryan is slated to return to active competition in a WWE ring at the Royal Rumble later this month in what could be the start of something big for the WWE in 2015.
No Superstar was hotter than Bryan in the beginning of 2014, but the surgery on his neck and subsequent loss of feeling in his arm stunted his momentum and caused him to drop the WWE World Heavyweight Championship early on last summer and miss the rest of the year.
With fans fearing the worst, Bryan teased an announcement on RAW this past week and revealed that he will return to the squared circle when the WWE presents the Royal Rumble on Jan. 25 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
5 Predictions for the WWE In 2015
The WWE has been planning on a Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar main event for WrestleMania 31 on March 29 at Levi's Stadium in California for a long time, but Bryan's return for the 30-man over-the-top-rope Royal Rumble Match certainly adds a wrinkle to the proceedings.
Bryan vs. Lesnar was rumored for SummerSlam last year prior to his injury, and now that Bryan is back the WWE should at least consider putting on "The Beard" vs. "The Beast" at the "Show of Shows."
Here are three reasons why we think a Bryan vs. Lesnar match would be the better route for the WWE to go than a Lesnar-Reigns clash for the biggest show of 2015:
1) Bryan's already proven he can be "The Man": Heading into WrestleMania XXX last year in New Orleans, the WWE had grand plans to put "The Animal" Batista over "The Viper" Randy Orton in a singles match at the event.
The WWE Universe turned on Batista after the WWE predictably gave him a Rumble Match win last January, the second such win of his career with the first one coming back in 2005.
The negative reaction mixed with a groundswell of support for Bryan caused the WWE to flip the script, leading to one of the greatest WrestleMania moments in history at a landmark anniversary of the WWE's biggest event.
Bryan went on to defeat Triple H and then Orton and Batista in a Triple Threat Match in what was one of the best feel-good stories of the year for the company. The crowd ate it up and the underdog became "The Man" in front of everyone's eyes at WrestleMania with the wrestling world watching on.
Vince McMahon likes to say that he listens to his audience, well the biggest pop of the night this past Monday was for Bryan announcing his return to the ring. Vinnie Mac should open up his ears, remember how good last year was, and give Bryan another shot.
2) Roman Reigns isn't ready: The WWE may love Reigns for his look, but his in-ring performances and promos need a lot of work and it is too soon for him to become the top guy in the company.
Reigns has a few exciting moves in the ring, but most of his long-term singles matches have fallen flat in the early stages of his solo career which doesn't bode well for the main event of the biggest show of the year.
Reigns even had to take acting lessons to improve his skills on the microphone, but he still often seems lost out there when he has a mic in his hand.
The WWE tried to force Reigns down the throats of its fans before The Shield even split, allowing him to eliminate four of the five members of the opposing team at the Survivor Series in 2013 and then booking him to end Kane's elimination record at last year's Royal Rumble.
Since the split of the Shield in June, the WWE has only furthered his monster push and it hasn't come with the greatest results. Let's not forget, Reigns missed significant time from September-December with an injury, killing nearly four months where he could have developed further in the ring.
While Reigns has the look of a main eventer, he doesn't seem ready for the spotlight that a WrestleMania main event offers while Bryan already proved that he can thrive under the bright lights of the "Show of Shows."
If the WWE opts to keep Reigns as the No. 1 contender come March 29, it could be yet another case of the company pushing someone before they're ready, which could hamper the entire career of the former Shield member.
3) David vs. Goliath storyline: While Bryan doesn't have the build that Reigns does, a good underdog vs. unstoppable monster storyline could go a long way for the WWE.
The company could use the tale of the tape to tell a story and make it seem like Bryan will once again have to overcome the odds like he did at WrestleMania XXX and in his comeback from a major injury.
Admittedly, Bryan knocking off a guy who ended The Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania XXX and then went on to dominate Cena at SummerSlam and mow down everyone in his path may be a hard sell, but this is professional wrestling and if Hulk Hogan can slam Andre the Giant and Bret Hart can overcome Yokozuna at WrestleMania X, why is Bryan toppling Lesnar so unbelievable?
Yes, the WWE has booked Lesnar to live up to "The Beast" moniker, but it will make all the more impact when someone finally knocks him off, especially if it ends up being his final match in the squared circle amid UFC rumors.
Perhaps the WWE booked Lesnar to look too strong, but a match built on an unstoppable heel monster against a babyface underdog is Wrestling 101.
Bryan and Lesnar were reportedly supposed to face-off at SummerSlam in August, but Bryan's injury led to Cena getting the nod. The WWE now has a chance to book "The Beard vs. The Beast" for the biggest show of the year and to sell the ultimate underdog story one last time.
While it seems likely that Reigns will win the Royal Rumble Match and go on to face Lesnar at WrestleMania, Bryan is clearly more over and would make a logical choice to battle "The Beast" at the biggest show of the year.
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