Newsweek.com is featuring a lengthy article on Daniel Bryan and the news that broke this week that Bryan had been medically cleared to make a return to the ring for WWE for the first time in over two years.
The article features comments from neurosurgeon Dr. Robert Cantu, a leading expert in concussions who consults with the NFL, NBA and NHL. Dr. Cantu also runs his own concussion treatment center in Massachusetts.
Dr. Cantu talked in detail about reviewing Bryan back in February.
“I evaluated Bryan for a neurological opinion on return to WWE on February 26, 2018. Included in his medical records were multiple evaluations by renowned concussion clinicians. I determined that Bryan is currently asymptomatic, has a normal detailed neurological and cognitive neuropsychological examination, normal EEG, and an MRI that showed no definite evidence of a prior brain injury. It is my medical opinion that there is no absolute contraindication to his return to in-ring action in WWE.”
Bryan’s path to getting medically cleared reportedly went all the way up to this past Monday (March 19) when Bryan flew back to the United States following a media tour in Abu Dhabi. Bryan flew to Pittsburg to meet with Dr. Maroon and after more testing, Maroon reversed his previously long-held position that Bryan should retire from in-ring action.
According to Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter, word did start to travel around at the RAW taping on Monday night in Dallas that Bryan may have been cleared. Bryan flew to Dallas the next day and when he arrived, was told he would be cleared and would be taking part in a physical angle with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
The same report by Meltzer stated that unlike any other talent on the roster, Bryan has an agreement that he must visit with WWE doctors backstage after every match and undergo Impact testing and a neuropsychological evaluation. The impression was that Bryan would continue to undergo this process until the company feels more comfortable.
Triple H told USA Today that this is like a “second lease on life” for Bryan.
“It’s been an amazing process. One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do is tell talent that they can’t do this anymore. That you can’t live your dream. And for somebody like Daniel, man, it was soul-crushing. He went through *a lot* to try to get back to where he was, without any guarantee that it would ever work. But you take the advice of the doctors, the same doctors that told you he couldn’t, tell you he can… man, it’s like a second lease on life for him. Really excited, really happy for him. Watching him on TV the other night, just sitting at the monitor watching was unbelievable.”