Daniel Bryan has not competed in a match since challenging Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship at a live event in Panama on August 25.
Given his past problems with injuries and concussions, there has been uncertainty about the SmackDown Live Superstar’s in-ring status over the last few weeks, especially as he was not involved at the Clash of Champions pay-per-view.
Writing on Fightful Select, Sean Ross Sapp has clarified that the one-time WrestleMania main-eventer is “fine” and, despite not being used, he was backstage at Clash of Champions on September 15.
Daniel Bryan’s recent WWE storylines
After losing the SmackDown Tag Team titles to The New Day at Extreme Rules in July 2019, Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan became involved in a ‘Whodunnit?’ storyline with Roman Reigns.
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Reigns was the victim of multiple attempted attacks in the backstage area, including a hit-and-run in the parking lot on Raw, but he was able to escape without injury on every occasion.
In the end, Rowan was revealed as the man behind the attacks, prompting him to fall out with Bryan, who branded the former Wyatt Family member a “liar” and slapped him in the face.
This led Rowan to attack Bryan on the September 3 episode of SmackDown by launching him through the announce desk with his Iron Claw finisher.
At Clash of Champions, many people expected Bryan to get involved in the No Disqualification match between Reigns and Rowan. However, the interference ended up coming from the returning Luke Harper, who helped his long-time ally to defeat “The Big Dog”.
What's next for Daniel Bryan in 2019?
Off-screen, Daniel Bryan's most recent social media posts have been about his dog, Josie, who passed away in August, while it was reported last week by PW Insider that the former WWE Champion left Madison Square Garden early before the September 10 episode of SmackDown but it was not clear why.
Now that Reigns has two rivals to face on SmackDown, the outcome of his Clash of Champions match against Rowan has led to speculation that a rivalry between The Bludgeon Brothers and Reigns & Bryan could be on the horizon.
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