This is the tweet that shocked the wrestling world this morning. Daniel Bryan, who vacated his IC title 9 months ago due to medical reasons, has announced his retirement. For a while, Vince and I thought this has to be a work. Maybe he'll pull a Mark Henry, who announced that he was retiring and later fooled everybody (this is where the infamous "Y'ALL A BUNCH OF PUPPETS!" came from). Maybe he might come back as a heel, to help create excitement on the Road to Wrestlemania. The point is, like everyone else, we thought that Bryan will finally return to WWE. We just didn't expect him to return in this manner.
It's not a work. It's not an angle. It's real. And that is the hardest part of Bryan's announcement to accept. However, Bryan did something more than just say goodbye; he chose his home state to announce his retirement, he thanked the people in the back as well as Kane and William Regal for being his mentors, he cheesily joked about Brie saying "YES! YES! YES! every night (prompting a "That's what she said!" chant), and most importantly, he thanked the fans for behind him the whole time.
Not since Edge's retirement speech in 2011 had the WWE Universe seen a young wrestler who was forced to retire due to medical reasons. In the long run, this was the right call for him to make. Bryan admitted that he had sustained many concussions over the course of his career. If anything, this is bringing to light of WWE's priority in putting their employees health above anything else. All of the injuries that have put a lot of current superstars out - Rollins, Orton, Cena, Cesaro, to name a few - has been devastating and difficult for booking their shows and PPVs but it's better that they take time off to recover rather than wrestle through the injuries and ignore their doctors (which is sadly what Bryan also did, as mentioned in his book). Bryan broke the mold for professional wrestling, is highly respected across other wrestling promotions, and has accomplished so much in WWE before even turning 35. There won't be another wrestler like him.
Aside from the somber tone, Monday Night RAW saw a few major developments leading to Fastlane:
Ambrose, Reigns, and Lesnar's contract signing for the main event devolved into chaos as Ambrose repeatedly taunting Lesnar, begging for more F5s, and low-blowing him. This is the second week where the focus is on Ambrose and Lesnar while Reigns is just being the silent third wheel.
The Divas storyline is back on track with showcasing more of Charlotte, Becky, and Sasha. Becky and Sasha have reluctantly teamed up to go against "Naomina."
The Dudleyz have turned heel and are targeting the Usos. Vince and I both cheered for this
There's probably going to be a Kevin Owens vs Ziggler match for Fastlane
With over a week left, Fastlane is the only PPV left to set up storylines and matches leading to Wrestlemania. It feels like some rewriting is being done at the last minute - notably with Ambrose - so here's hoping that whatever plans they have in mind will not get sidetracked with another injury moving forward.
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