Celebrate the Luck of the WWE, the Fans, and Daniel Bryan

By Matthew Klink (@klinkmatt on Twitter)

3/27/2018

Daniel Bryan in his triumphant return, kicks Kevin Owen's chest in. Courtesy of WWE and whatculture.com.

This may be obvious and it also, sort of, pertains to every company and organization in every industry. Luck. And I don’t blame them for a second! Why?

Luck is something I’m hoping for with every article I write. Maybe this will be the one that will give the Brothers of Discussion a massive following.

Luck is what the small restaurant that opened up down the street hopes for. After all, less than 1 percent of new restaurants make it to the third year.

Luck goes into every corporation’s shipment, communication, and decision, because even a hint of bad luck could mean years of PR trouble.

Two years ago the WWE got a fair dose of bad luck. After mounting injuries, a scrambling of match bookings, and writer’s risking the fan’s impatience, the WWE got its worst news of all. Daniel Bryan injured beyond repair and would be forced to retire. Obviously…this was not lucky.

Before the official announcement, the writing was on the wall. Numerous surgeries, sporadic booking, and hearsay made the fans guess this result was inevitable. What was lucky, was that during this time AJ Styles was beginning to miss the U.S. while at NJPW. It was also lucky, that the WWE was able to attract Shinsuke Nakamura. On top of that! It was lucky that the WWE fans caught on to NXT and the WWE had decided to pivot to a different type of talent selection (which might not even happen without Daniel Bryan being so successful and what his looming departure could mean for the company going forward).

Fast forward two years and every pro-wrestling fan is in the middle of their fantasy booking dreams. Daniel Bryan has returned and the countless “Dream Matches” await. Daniel definitely has some work to get done, both in ensuring he is 100% ring ready and that his most recent feud is taken care of. But once that is complete, I think we’re headed to one of the most exciting times to be a wrestling fan.

This goes beyond the fact that I think we’re headed into one of the greatest WrestleMania match cards of all time. And that card is to the WWE’s credit. I’m not saying everything they do needs luck. For example, they stuck to their guns on Roman Reigns and I’m excited to see him tossed around by Brock Lesnar.

But the fact that Daniel Bryan’s situation happened may have resulted in the greatest opportunity for match booking ever thought possible. A repeat of the Shawn Michaels injury/retirement/return, if you will, but mixed with having a more open mind in wrestling talent and the potential for months, if not years, of amazing Daniel Bryan matches. Matches filled with real emotion and a chance for his personal redemption.

When you dissect the entire circumstance, it is truly a fantastic story. One I’m sure Daniel Bryan isn’t a huge fan of (and I would 1,000,000% take him never getting injured in replace of this situation). However, it happened. And what we stand on the edge of is something special for the man, Bryan Danielson. Something I know he’s readily happy to share with us, the fans. And something I know I’ll always remember, cry about, talk about, and share for as long as people give me a chance to speak.

I for one will celebrate the fact that this man is able to live his dream (and I share it vicariously) and know that his hard work, determination, and skill will make this a tremendous comeback story.

The WWE was not lucky, but caring, in their decision to keep Daniel close. The WWE was not lucky in deciding to give Daniel Bryan a chance to seek help from more doctors. The WWE was not lucky when they re-signed Daniel as a pro-wrestler this past week. Those are smart decisions by a smart company. But it’s a little luck and plucky stick-to-itiveness from Bryan that gives the WWE an amazing opportunity to tell a great story.

There is no suggestion of fault. There is no wrong-doing. Hopefully, no one has regret. However, luck is incredibly important. I feel lucky that I can tune in to SmackDown and see one of my favorite superstars wrestle again. The WWE now has main event storylines that will write themselves. Bad luck will make its back to the forefront (as it does everywhere), but now…let’s celebrate the good luck and the almost “too good to be true” story that is ahead.

Matthew Klink (@klinkmatt on Twitter)

@BODPodcast for Twitter and Facebook