WWE WrestleMania: Daniel Bryan going back to where it all began
Monday 9 April 2018 05:26, UK
On Sunday night, Daniel Bryan makes his long-awaited return to in-ring competition at WrestleMania 34. It’s particularly poignant for this fairy-tale journey to come to an end in New Orleans, the city where Bryan enjoyed the biggest moment in his WWE career four years ago.
The Mercedes-Benz Superdome hosted WrestleMania XXX back in 2014 when Bryan defeated Randy Orton and Batista in a triple-threat match to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Bryan had been locked in a near year-long feud with Triple H and The Authority after The Game betrayed him at SummerSlam in 2013. Having been cheated out of the world title on numerous occasions and denied a spot in the 2014 Royal Rumble, Bryan finally snapped.
In one of the most memorable moments in WWE history, Bryan and his 'Yes' Movement took over Raw, occupying the ring and demanding a match with Triple H, with a caveat that the winner of the match would be inserted into the WWE title match later in the evening.
An irate Triple H accepted the challenge, much to the chagrin of Orton and Batista. Bryan defeated The Game in the second contest of the 'Mania XXX card and overcame the odds in the main event, forcing Batista to tap out to the Yes Lock.
It was just a short time later that Bryan would suffer his first major injury, forcing him to relinquish the belt.
He would eventually return to action in December and went on to win the Intercontinental title at WrestleMania 31 in March 2015. But his final televised appearance came a few weeks later and Bryan was forced to announce his retirement in February 2016 after a long battle against injury.
Despite Bryan's claims that he had been cleared to wrestle by numerous external doctors, the WWE medical team did not deem him fit to return. They still saw him as a valuable asset, though, and five months later, he was named General Manager of SmackDown, much to the delight of the WWE Universe.
Speculation that Bryan would be cleared to wrestle by WWE medics continued to circulate and he finally got the nod two weeks ago - just in time for WrestleMania, where he'll team with Shane McMahon to face Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
Even with all the major WWE titles on the line at WrestleMania 34, the magnitude of Bryan's return has the potential to be the biggest moment in New Orleans.
