Mar 20, 2018

  • Tim FiorvantiESPN.com

Almost 3 years after his last WWE lucifer, and two years removed from a tearful retirement spoken language in front of a hometown crowd in Seattle, Daniel Bryan has been cleared to return to in-ring action.

As beginning reported by CBS Sports and confirmed by WWE officials, Bryan, 36, has brought a three-year quest to return to the ring total circumvolve.

After suffering from several concussions during his fourth dimension every bit an agile WWE superstar, as well every bit concussion-based seizures that he admitted he originally hid from WWE officials, Bryan was told during experimental testing in early 2022 that he wouldn't be cleared to compete once again in a WWE ring.

He appeared on SportsCenter the following night to explain his decision and what the tests had plain shown.

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Daniel Bryan on concussions: You accept a responsibility to yourself

Daniel Bryan joins Jonathan Coachman to hash out when he knew he had to retire due to concussions, the issues that he suffers from and the bulletin he wants to requite young athletes about protecting themselves from head trauma.

But as Bryan learned more about the testing, and what had been found, he began to dubiousness the results of the tests and sought a bevy of other opinions. He went into detail virtually the confusion and misunderstanding involving his concussion testing during an appearance on "East&C's Pod of Awesomeness" last August with hosts Adam "Edge" Copeland and Jay "Christian" Reso -- both of whom had their WWE careers shortened due to injury.

WWE appear in a news release Tuesday that afterwards more than two years of extensive evaluations, Bryan was cleared by 3 leading concussion experts: Dr. Robert Cantu, the co-founder of the CTE Eye at Boston University School of Medicine; Dr. Javier Cardenas, the director of the Barrow Concussion and Brain Injury Centre; and Dr. Jeffrey Kutcher, the national manager of The Sports Neurology Dispensary.

Finally, WWE'south medical manager, Dr. Joseph Maroon, cleared Bryan besides.

"Information technology's really hard considering the concussion consequence is really subjective," Bryan said in a follow-up interview with so-ESPN host Jonathan Coachman in August 2016. "And that'southward the part that a lot of people don't empathise. I was cleared by a lot of concussion specialists. There was one exam that kind of flagged me, but so the more than I learned about that exam, the more I learned that, hey, maybe that shouldn't take stopped me."

Later reaching out to the Joe Namath Neurological Research Center in Jupiter, Florida, Bryan began undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy treatments in an endeavor to reverse the furnishings of previous concussions. Both Bryan and his wife, Brie Bella, have spoken extensively over the past two years virtually Bryan's desire to return to the ring.

Bryan'due south wrestling career began when he was 18 years old. Nether his given proper name, Bryan Danielson, he showtime trained at Shawn Michaels' Texas Wrestling University and so signed his kickoff WWE developmental contract in 2000. After 18 months under contract, during which he trained with William Regal, Bryan was released -- marking the offset of a prolific run in the independents. He fabricated a name for himself all over the world, in companies including Ring of Honour, and Bryan ultimately became recognized as one of the most skilled technical wrestlers in the world.

He re-signed with WWE in 2009, debuted every bit office of the reality-show version of NXT and ultimately made his "main roster" debut as function of The Nexus in June 2010. On that dark, all the same, an incident involving the choking of ring announcer Justin Roberts with his own necktie as The Nexus destroyed the ringside expanse led Bryan'southward release 4 days later. He returned to the company in August 2010.

Bryan'southward run with WWE, which lasted less than five years, ultimately led to him condign ane of the nigh popular superstars in WWE history. He was a 3-time world champion and most famously competed in both the opening and closing matches of WrestleMania XXX to win the WWE world heavyweight title. His "Yes!" chants transcended the WWE and continue to be used in a variety of nonwrestling contexts.

About a twelvemonth earlier his final friction match, in May 2014, Bryan underwent a cervical foraminotomy to repair damage to a nervus root in his cervix. He wouldn't return to in-ring activity until just earlier the Royal Rumble in January 2015.

Since 2016, Bryan has been the on-screen full general manager for SmackDown Live.