5 ways to book Daniel Bryan's return

Daniel Bryan was a popular choice as a title winner at consecutive Wrestlemanias.For the last five months or so, persistent rumors have hung around about Daniel Bryans status within the WWE. After head and neck injuries have plagued the popular superstar in recent years, those rumors have ranged from pending return to pending retirement.One thing is certain: If and when Bryan returns, fans will be ready to see him. Hes the ultimate face at this point, so WWE has a huge opportunity awaiting to really boost crowd support. Now the easiest path for his return would be to target the Intercontinental Championship he vacated earlier this year, but Kevin Owens needs to hold the belt a while and fans will want to see Daniel Bryan win.So heres five other ways to book his return.

#1 Win the U.S. title

Bryan held the U.S. title as a younger and less hairy man.

Can you imagine the crowd reaction if, during one of John Cena’s U.S. Title Open Challenges, Daniel Bryan’s music hit and that’s how he returned to WWE action? Now, of course, if that’s the moment he came back, WWE creative would have no choice but to take the belt off Cena and put it on Bryan.

But if pulled off appropriately, that moment could be one of the biggest crowd pops in WWE history. Add in the ensuing match between Bryan and Cena, and that would make for a Raw like WWE hasn’t seen in a long time.

#2 Feud with Rollins

Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins are no strangers in the ring.

Fans would love to see Daniel Bryan feud with Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship. After all, the two are complete opposites from a character perspective: Bryan as the beloved face who has been held down by The Authority and Rollins as the despised heel who has had everything given to him by The Authority.

But even if this feud, and Bryan’s return, were to come after Rollins loses the title, the ring work would still be incredible. These two have proven their talents both in the WWE and in other promotions, and they’d put on a show.

#3 Full underdog

Bryan’s “Yes Movement” helped him connect with the fans at WWE events.

Speaking of being held back by The Authority, perhaps no wrestler in the PG Era has been as over with the fans as when Daniel Bryan was being held back from the WWE World Heavyweight Championship by Triple H and his cronies.

This time around, WWE writers would have an even greater opportunity to book him as the ultimate underdog. Because he’s had to relinquish two titles in as many years, The Authority could make him start over from the bottom, wrestling in awful circumstances in inconvenient matches, only to rise above it all to reach glory once more.

#4 Revenge on Sheamus

Sheamus and Daniel Bryan have squared of many times in the WWE.

Even if Sheamus didn’t actually knock Daniel Bryan out of action this time around, the work surrounding his exit would certainly lend itself to that explanation. In fact, Sheamus made his own return with the goal of taking out “little fellas” like Bryan.

Because of that, it would make complete sense for Bryan’s comeback story to be one of vengeance against the man who cost him several months of his career as well as a title. And if Bryan’s first time back in action came when he was stopping Sheamus from cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase, the roof might be blown off the arena.

#5 Manager/GM

Daniel Bryan spoke on Raw earlier this year and made fans think that he might be retiring then.

Of course, the possibility still remains that Daniel Bryan’s in-ring career either is already over or should be. If the final call is that he’s hanging his furry boots up, though, there are plenty of other roles he can fill in WWE.

He could either serve as the manager for some younger talent, or, even better, he could be a general manager or leader of some type of counter effort to The Authority. That would capitalize on his connections with the fanbase, while also keeping him a central figure in the story.