Daniel Bryan Forced to Leave WWE SmackDown After Loss to Roman Reigns

WWE SmackDown made its debut 22 years ago on April 29, 1999! In these 22 years, SmackDown has given fans some of the most memorable moments in WWE history. One such memorable moment came last night when Daniel Bryan fell short to Roman Reigns, forcing  him to leave SmackDown.

Daniel Bryan bids adieu to WWE SmackDown thanks to Roman Reigns

Last week on SmackDown, Roman Reigns granted another Universal Championship shot to Daniel Bryan this week. However, he added a stipulation that if Bryan was to lose, he would leave SmackDown forever. And guess what? Bryan fell short.

WWE made it seem like a very big match, and it certainly felt that. The hype for the match, the presentation, the time they gave the match, and everything else made it a perfect main event for WWE SmackDown in a long-time. Both men showed one more time that they work flawlessly together.

Bryan and Reigns were pretty even in terms of momentum throughout the course of the match. Bryan worked on Reigns’ right arm, weakening it for the Yes! Lock. In fact, Bryan had Reigns in the Yes! Lock for a while, but the ‘Head of the Table’ fought out of it.

After fighting out of the Yes! Lock, Roman Reigns hit Bryan with several forearm shots, and slammed him twice before going in for the Guillotine Choke. However, D-Bry blocked it by holding onto Roman’s arm. Sadly for Bryan, Reigns was a one step ahead, and switched arms to lock in the Guillotine.

Daniel Bryan did not submit to Roman Reigns, but he passed out to the Guillotine choke like many have in the past few months, including Drew McIntyre. This loss means the ‘American Dragon’ will not be on the blue brand moving forward. But its interesting to note, he won’t be on the blue brand. He can very well appear on the Red or even the black and gold brand right?

What’s next for the Leader of the Yes! Movement?

WWE wrote Daniel Bryan off TV with a perfect ending this week on SmackDown. It’s certain he won’t come back to SmackDown, but where will go then? Well, luckily for Bryan, the stipulation was only for him to leave SmackDown. In that case, he could very well appear on Raw or NXT.

Daniel Bryan hasn’t wrestled on Raw in over two years now. In 2019, he wrestled three matches for the red brand, but even then, he was a member of the SmackDown roster. It would be really refreshing to have Bryan return to Raw, and ignite some new feuds going forward.

Another possibility is NXT. Why NXT? Well, as per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Bryan could go to NXT to have his style of matches against the people he can pull-off those matches with. Let’s see what happens. However, we feel he’ll take a hiatus for a few months before any appearance.

Also Read: CM Punk Names the Only Promotion He Would Join in Potential Wrestling Return.