What if Daniel Bryan Hadn’t Retired In 2016?

Early 2016 saw one of the saddest moments in recent wrestling history. After his meteoric rise to the top of WWE, Daniel Bryan’s head injuries caught up to him, and he was compelled to announce his retirement. Bryan himself was open about feeling emotionally devastated, and many fans were left sorely disappointed as well.

As we all know, Bryan would wind up being able to resume his career, as two years later he was cleared to return to the ring. Since WrestleMania 34, he’s been tearing it up for WWE again, returning to form on the shortlist of the best all-round performers the company has to offer.

Still, we can’t help but wonder what might have been if Bryan hadn’t had to retire in the first place? He missed two years at around the peak of his abilities and the peak of his popularity, and there’s little doubt he would have had a serious impact on the WWE product during that time.

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#5 Roman Reigns goes through with his heel turn

Fans have clamored for a heel turn from Roman Reigns--might we have seen it if Bryan were around?

One of the biggest obstacles to Roman Reigns getting over as the top face in WWE was the fact that such a large proportion of the WWE audience was so much more invested in Daniel Bryan’s underdog story. Reigns did, arguably, get more over in Bryan’s absence, though he remains to this day a controversial figure.

Reigns himself has made mention in interviews that if he were to have turned heel, Bryan would have been the wrestler to do it opposite, to capitalize on Bryan’s wicked popularity, and just how much heat Reigns might draw for decimating the smaller man.

There’s no guarantee WWE ever would have turned Reigns heel. Without Bryan, there was no one so well established or universally liked to for him to go rogue against, though, leaving the possibility that if Bryan were around, we might have seen this huge change.

#4 Daniel Bryan Vs. Brock Lesnar

2016-2017 would have been the window for Lesnar vs. Bryan.

Twice it appeared that WWE flirted with the idea of Daniel Bryan vs. Brock Lesnar, in the ultimate David vs. Goliath showdown. The first time was SummerSlam 2014 after Lesnar ended The Undertaker’s streak at WrestleMania 30, and Bryan won the WWE Championship.

There’s every reason to believe that the squash John Cena wound up absorbing at SummerSlam was originally earmarked for Bryan. From there, when Bryan returned in 2015, there were hopes he’d take Roman Reigns' spot battling Lesnar at WrestleMania 31, but WWE was too committed to its plan (and perhaps gun shy then, too, about Bryan’s health).

Bryan vs. Lesnar would have the potential to hit similar notes to Lesnar’s SummerSlam 2013 match with CM Punk, and his Survivor Series 2017 clash with AJ Styles, with an outsized, hellacious worker going full throttle against insurmountable odds. Had Bryan not been missing from the WWE landscape for 2016 and 2017, we may well have seen this dream match finally materialize.

#3 General Manager Ric Flair

Ric Flair may have been pegged as SmackDown general manager.

When WWE created the current brand split, it appointed buzz-worthy, near-universally loved figures Mick Foley and Daniel Bryan to the general manager positions of the respective brands. If Bryan had remained active in the ring during this period, someone else would have had to have filled his spot.

WWE has no shortage of well-liked legends they might have drafted, but arguably the greatest legend, not to mention a great talker who has succeeded as an authority figure before, would have been Ric Flair. This is particularly because of the traditional breakdown of the brands. Raw is known for being the more sports entertainment heavy brand, such that Foley worked as a representative of the Attitude Era.

Meanwhile, Flair could have successfully headed up a brand more geared toward traditional wrestling fans, not unlike the style Bryan represented. For better or worse, of course, Flair’s story wouldn’t have culminated in him ultimately getting back in the ring alongside blue brand commissioner Shane McMahon.

#2 Team Hell No reunion could have been earlier

The world wouldn't have waited until 2018 for Team Hell No's return had Bryan been in action sooner.

In a crowd-pleasing moment this summer, Kane came to Daniel Bryan’s aid opposite the Bludgeon Brothers. The much-praised tag team from 2012 to 2013 offered a fun, unexpected nostalgia trip to revisit a key part of Bryan’s evolution in WWE, and milk one more run from Kane before he started up his tenure as mayor of Knox County.

Kane has largely functioned as a part-time, utility player, there to work oddball spots as he’s available and as WWE needs him the last few years. His most recent previous run saw him play The Miz’s backup against the reunited Shield, which transitioned him to the position of Braun Strowman’s foil.

Had Bryan been active through 2016 and 2017, there’s every reason to think WWE would have pulled the trigger on a Team Hell No reunion sooner, and perhaps for a big more extended run than the tandem wound up getting in 2018.

#1 No Jinder Mahal championship run

Would Jinder Mahal have gotten his big break with Daniel Bryan in the mix?

The Jinder Mahal WWE Championship reign of 2017 was nothing but an experiment, putting a fresh face into the main event mix, with rumors of the company trying to appeal to the growing market of fans in India. One conclusion everyone seems to agree on—the experiment didn’t work. Mahal didn’t rise to the opportunity granted to him, business didn’t thrive, and it feels as though everyone would just as soon move along as if the reign had never happened now.

While WWE had a stacked roster when Mahal got his big chance, adding Bryan into the mix in 2017 would have offered one more popular star and established main eventer to have turned to. Moreover, while some fans resented guys like Goldberg and Brock Lesnar dominating the Universal Championship scene, Bryan could have offered a near perfect alternative on the blue brand, as a full-timer who habitually works great matches.