It was around this time two years ago when WWE superstar Daniel Bryan officially announced that he had been cleared for in-ring action. The charismatic wrestler had been sidelined for two years prior due serious injuries, including a lesion on the front of his brain, but once he got back in the ring it was business as usual.
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Since returning to the WWE in March of 2018, Bryan has starred in several high profile matches, including clashes with AJ Styles and The Miz, as well as a WWE World Championship title reign. He's one of the best workers in the business and wrestling fans should cherish each and every one of his performances because it sounds like he's ready to scale back his workload.
During a recent episode of The Bellas Podcast with his wife Brie, and sister-in-law Nikki, Bryan explained why he is likely done being a full-time wrestler. Says Bryan (H/T Cageside Seats):
“WWE has been great. They’re gonna give me six weeks paternity leave, which so few places in the United States do that. So I’ll get to be home that first six weeks. But then after that, it’s not long until my contract is up. We’ve been talking about what we do from there. To me, in my mind, it’s almost like, I think I’m just done being a full-time wrestler.”
“I love being a dad. I will always love wrestling, and I always want to do wrestling. But when I say always do wrestling, that means maybe once a month or once every couple months.”
CM Punk Names 4 Matches He’d Come Out Of Retirement For
Former WWE superstar CM Punk names a handful of wrestlers that could force him out of retirement.
Former WWE superstar CM Punk has gotten into twitter feuds with several current wrestlers since rejoining the world of professional wrestling as part of the "WWE Backstage" studio show on FS1. Naturally, wrestling fans hoped that one of the internet beefs would actually lead to Punk's in-ring return but, as of now, nothing has materialized.
During a recent interview on the Swings & Mrs. show, Punk revealed the four matches he'd actually consider coming out of retirement for “if the slate was clean, if the money was right.”
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According to Punk, Daniel Bryan, John Cena and Rey Mysterio are on his short life of potential dream matches, as is New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Will Ospreay.
"As far as people that I’ve worked with before, if there was a clean slate, if the money was right, I think a guy like Daniel Bryan, I would go, ‘I would listen to your idea.’ If you said John Cena, I’d probably listen to your idea. Rey Mysterio, I would listen to your idea. For people I haven’t ever wrestled before, I think Will Ospreay, I would listen to your idea. There’s a lot of moving parts. I’m busy doing other stuff and nobody has found the right combination of ways to approach me. It’s not all up to me, ladies and gentlemen, it’s up to the people who actually run the company."
During his time with the WWE, Punk was a two-time WWE champion which included an impressive reign of 434 days. His last in-ring appearance came as a participant in the 30-man Royal Rumble in 2014.
WWE Stars Brie & Nikki Bella Announce They’re Both Pregnant
The Bella Twins are both expecting babies.
Nikki and Brie Bella have been representing the WWE for years, slowing down in recent times to focus on other ventures and their families. Through their reality show Total Bellas, each aspect of their lives has been on display for the fans to follow, allowing cameras into their homes for the public’s enjoyment. Three years ago, Brie Bella and her husband Daniel Bryan welcomed their daughter Birdie Joe Danielson into the world and now, it looks like they’re expecting another bundle of joy. What makes things even cooler is that, in addition to Brie’s pregnancy, her twin sister Nikki Bella is also pregnant!
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“[It was] a total surprise,” said Nikki Bella to People. “It took even me a good week to come to terms with like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m pregnant.’ I’m not ready for it.” Bella recently got engaged to Artem Chigvintsev following her dramatic break-up with wrestler John Cena.
“Wait, twins being pregnant at the same time? People are going to think that’s a joke,” added Brie. “We both are shocked. People are going to think we planned it, but you can’t really plan pregnancy!”
This will be Brie’s second child with Daniel Bryan and Nikki’s first baby with Chigvintsev. The stars are due less than two weeks apart, making this all the more incredible. Those kids will be friends for life. Congratulations to the twins!
WWE Royal Rumble: Edge Returns, Brock Lesnar Sets Record & More
Who will Edge feud with on the road to Wrestlemania?
WWE kicked off the road to Wrestlemania on Sunday at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, and there is plenty for wrestling fans to be excited about. For one, WWE legend Edge is officially back.
The R-Rated Superstar made his shocking return as the No. 21 entrant in the Royal Rumble event, marking his first real in-ring action in over nine years.
Edge delivered several spears during the Rumble before finally being eliminated by Roman Reigns in the final moments of the match. It remains to be seen which superstar Edge will feud with moving forward, but fans can expect the big payoff to come at Wrestlemania 36 in Tampa in April.
Earlier in the Royal Rumble, WWE Champion Brock Lesnar set a record by eliminating 13 people in a row up until NXT's Keith Lee entered the fold. Shortly thereafter, Drew McIntyre got into the mix and sent Lesnar over the top rope with a well-timed Claymore Kick. McIntyre stared down Lesnar after the fact and later went on to win the Royal Rumble, which will surely set up a clash between The Scottish Psychopath and The Beast Incarnate at Wrestlemania.
Elsewhere on the card, Charlotte Flair won the 30-woman Royal Rumble, "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt defeated Daniel Bryan in a brutal Strap Match, and Becky Lynch retained the Raw Women's Championship against Asuka.
Check out some more highlights from the 2020 Royal Rumble below.