Daniel Bryan came out to the arena. He entered the ring and said that the last time he was in New Orleans he won the main event of WrestleMania and won the WWE World Heavyweight championship. He said that he declared his intentions of winning the Royal Rumble match. He said unlike last year, he would win this year’s WrestleMania main event as well.
Stephanie McMahon interrupted Bryan. She entered the ring and said she did not think if Bryan was physically fit even now. Stephanie said that last year at WrestleMania Bryan proved them wrong when he won the WWE World Heavyweight champion but then reality came crashing on. She showed the footage from last April when Kane attacked and beat Bryan down which led to a serious neck injury.
After the footage, Stephanie asked Bryan if he was ready to do it all again. Bryan started chanting ‘Yes’ and the fans joined him. Bryan said that he did not born with the silver spoon in his mouth, he had to fight for whatever he achieved, and he would not stop fighting. Stephanie announced Bryan’s first match since return, the match would take place at Smackdown vs. Kane.
Kane came out to the arena. As entered the arena Bryan attacked him. Kane fought back and started beating Bryan down. Once again Kane attempted to hit Bryan with the Tomb Stone Pile Driver on Steel Step. Bryan fought back and the official came out to stop the fight.
Almost a year after he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and just three days (remember, SmackDown is on Thursday now) before he returns to the ring, Daniel Bryan made his way back to The Big Easy for some one-on-one time with his beloved “Yes!” Movement. Bryan’s message was as gutsy as you’d expect – he promised to go the distance and win the big one all over again – but Stephanie McMahon’s retort was as vicious as it ever was during The Beard’s rise to glory.
Not only did McMahon remind Bryan of the beating he sustained at the hands of Kane, but she also implored the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion to abandon his quest for the sake of his family. When Bryan, declined – let’s call it – McMahon played her ace in the hole and revealed Bryan’s opponent on SmackDown: Kane. The Devil’s Favorite Demon picked up right where he left off by brutalizing his former fellow WWE Tag Team Champion. Bryan thwarted another Tombstone to the steps, though, instead unleashing hell on his former buddy. Bryan beat Kane back with dropkicks and a suicide dive as vicious as anything he pulled off in his prime. All of which is to say, has Daniel Bryan slowed down? Hell, no.