Now that Daniel Bryan is, once again, an in-ring competitor for the WWE, fans have been wondering how long it will be until the company gives fans the dream matches they have been craving.
Even when he was the general manager of SmackDown LIVE, that didn’t stop his loyal legion of fans from drafting up long lists of potential opponents from Monday Night RAW, the blue brand, NXT and even those on the independent scene.
RETURN
Before he did sign his new deal with WWE, the assumption was that he would leave in September when his contract expires and he would head over to Japan and compete for NJPW against some of the biggest independent names on the circuit - especially since his WWE contract still doesn’t include a 90-day no-compete clause.
In a crazy turn of events, Bryan was cleared, and he’s already faced off against the likes of AJ Styles on free television, while a match against Jeff Hardy is also set for tonight’s episode of SmackDown in a second-chance Money in the Bank qualifier match.
Although fans have been creating the dream matches, Bryan has admitted that he’s been doing the same and recently revealed all when he caught up with SPORTbible.
He revealed that although he wants the obvious names that fans expect in Shinsuke Nakamura and Samoa Joe, he also wants Roman Reigns again - a feud The Big Dog has claimed could turn him heel while citing Rusev, Brock Lesnar and Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas as opponents he wants to face.
DREAM MATCHES
He said: “I want to work with everybody. When I look at the roster of SmackDown LIVE specifically: Shinsuke Nakamura - yep! Samoa Joe - of course.
“Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas - sure! I did the match with Rusev - it was the first match we had ever wrestled each other before. I’ve been wanting to wrestle Rusev for a long time.
“I also think there's something there with me and Roman Reigns, somewhere down the line. I just feel there's something there.
"And the big match that I always say - I really want to wrestle Brock. I've been wanting to wrestle Brock for years, when I came back from my neck surgery in 2015, it was the match that I wanted. I'm sure Brock doesn't want it, he doesn't care!
"But there's a lot of stuff that I get really excited about when I think about it and also that a lot of my friends from the independents are now here in the biggest wrestling promotion in the world. I think that's the coolest."
He’s already mixed it up with Rusev while Almas is now also on the blue brand to make that match a reality.
However, fans will probably be breathing a sigh of relief that The Beast is on RAW, as his in-ring style is perhaps deemed too dangerous for someone like Bryan - but there’s no denying that any of the opponents he’s mentioned would create some fantastic contests.
What do you make of the dream opponents Daniel Bryan is eager to face? Have YOUR say in the comments section below.