Due to a series of concussions, WWE will not allow Daniel Bryan to wrestle. The current SmackDown Live General Manager has made his displeasure with that clear and when his WWE contract ends next September, it's widely believed that he'll leave the company and start competing on the independent circuit. Why, though, has Kurt Angle been allowed to return to in-ring competition?
After all, he's had a fair few concussions and his neck has been a problem for the Olympic Gold Medallist for years. Well, during a recent interview, Angle attempted to explain WWE's thinking.
"No, it’s not Daniel Bryan’s neck. No, it’s concussions. That’s a serious thing today. You obviously see in the NFL there are a lot of lawsuits being thrown back and forth. It’s a very dangerous thing. I talked to Daniel personally. I passed the physical. I haven’t had an issue with my neck in 12 years. I did break it four times in two years back between 2004 and 2006, but I’ve been fine since. You have a protocol you need to follow. The physical entails a certain amount of things and the most important is the concussion test.
"Daniel couldn’t pass it. He had 10 concussions that he knows of. That’s huge liability. Can Daniel eventually wrestle? I think he can, but it comes down to him passing the concussion test. I know in time your brain heals, so we don’t know how much damage has been done thus far. Is there a possibility of him wrestling? Maybe, I hope so. I feel bad that he took it personally that I was able to wrestle. He wasn’t mad or upset; he just couldn’t understand how they passed me but not him. But they were two different things.
"If I had a dream match that I wanted, it would be against Daniel Bryan. He’s awesome."
A match between Angle and Bryan really would be a dream come true and if WWE sees sense and gives Bryan the chance to wrestle again, it would be a great return match for the American Dragon. We'll just have to wait and see but it does seem a tad unfair that Angle has been allowed to wrestle again but Bryan has not, especially when his condition is arguably more serious. What do you think?