From the WWE Rumour Mill: The real reason Daniel Bryan is officiating a WWE title match on SmackDown Live
What's the story?
During the latest broadcast of the Wrestling Observer Radio, respected Pro Wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer reported that the actual reason behind Daniel Bryan officiating a match on SmackDown Live is to help the WWE increase their ticket sales for the December 26th edition of SmackDown Live.
In case you didn't know...
WWE has recently announced that former WWE World Champion Daniel Bryan will be unofficially making his in-ring return later this month, as the SD Live General Manager gets all set to officiate a WWE Title match in Chicago, Illinois.
There have also been several reports that have recently suggested that WWE medics might finally clear Bryan to wrestle once again, in early 2018.
The heart of the matter
According to Dave Meltzer, the sole reason why Daniel Bryan is currently being advertised as the special guest referee for SmackDown Live on 26th December is due to the WWE trying to push ticket sales in the market.
Meltzer also believes that SmackDown Live's ticket sales for December 26 may not be as strong as Monday Night Raw's ticket sales. Raw is all set to host its final show of the year in Chicago, Illinois on Christmas day; a day prior to SmackDown's own show on 26 December.
It was later additionally stated by Meltzer that the WWE Universe might think that Bryan might get involved in the title match between AJ Styles and Jinder Mahal. However, currently, that remains a very unlikely situation because the 36-year-old is considered "hands off" until he's being cleared by the WWE medical team.
What's next?
While Daniel Bryan currently continues to do his job as the SmackDown General Manager, there is a lot of speculation that has suggested that the former Intercontinental Champion might finally return to the ring in 2018. There have also been a number of rumours circulating that say Bryan might enter the 2018 Royal Rumble as a surprise entrant.
Author's Take
It is too soon to say that Daniel Bryan will be making his in-ring return in 2018 but as a fan, I'm hoping that the former WWE US Champion officially steps back into the squared circle sooner rather than later.
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