10 Most Important WWE Moments Of 2014 - 4

4. Daniel Bryan’s Career Possibly Being Derailed

Daniel Bryan’s on-screen 2014 was quite the roller coaster ride. Daniel Bryan’s off-screen 2014 was an even bigger one, full of some of the biggest highs and lows a person can experience. Making it worse, all of these events (winning the WWE World Title, his marriage, the passing of his father, the passing of Connor “The Crusher” Michalek, and having to put his career on hold for neck surgery) happened within the span of about a month.

Even if you just look at his on-screen year, it’s quite the fall to go from the biggest win of his entire career to possibly never wrestling again in the span of five weeks. It’s as close to a tragedy that doesn’t involve death that you’re going to see in the world of pro wrestling. He hasn’t wrestled in seven months, and depending on what day you’re reading the reports, he might still be a couple months away from returning, at the earliest. With the Royal Rumble just around the corner, it’s the time of year for everyone to start fantasy booking some surprise entrants in the Rumble match itself, and of course, Bryan is leading the charge there. For months, people have talked about how magical a moment it would be for Bryan’s music to hit, announcing him as the 30th entrant. It would blow the roof off of the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, that’s for sure.

Unlike many wrestling injuries that feature generally set timelines for returns, this is one where fans have to continue monitoring the progress all the time. With something like a torn knee ligament or bicep, you have an idea of things… it will take this long until the person can begin training again, and then this long for a return to certain physical activities, and then this long for a return to the ring. With Bryan’s injury, the nerve damage comes into play, and that’s making things unpredictable. It means you have no idea when he’ll be able to return, if at all. It could be at the Rumble. It could be at WrestleMania. It could be over a year after he had his surgery. That’s the type of “wait and see” approach that is driving wrestling fans crazy right now.