Daniel Bryan makes a bold move and pays the price.
On last week's edition of SmackDown Live, former commissioner Shane McMahon stepped down from his position as a figurehead of the blue brand. But before he stepped down, he made a match official for WrestleMania 34 and that match was Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens. Owens & Zayn who have had issues with McMahon dating back to October of 2017 were not too fond of the decision to pit the two of them against one another, despite the issues that exist between them. The two former NXT Champions took it into their own hands to make Shane McMahon pay before he left the building.
Earlier today, news broke that shook the wrestling world and the news was that former two-time WWE Champion Daniel Bryan had been cleared to return to in-ring competition since his retirement in 2016 due to major concussion issues. Bryan was riding high coming into tonight's SmackDown Live, but there was one thing that needed to be addressed and that was the actions of Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn to close out last week's show. Bryan waited for the duo to arrive to the building, and when they did the three former Ring Of Honor stars met in the center of the ring. Owens & Zayn happily shared that they were elated to hear that Bryan had been cleared by WWE doctors, but things soon took a turn for the worst.
Attacking Shane McMahon to the point where he could barely breath and needed to be carried away on a stretcher did not sit well with the SmackDown Live GM. Bryan ultimately made the decision to terminate Zayn & Owens.
Owens & Zayn did not take well to the news as they then began their beat down of the newly-cleared Daniel Bryan. Bryan would fight back, showing a great deal of heart and the Dallas crowd went ballistic as Bryan delivered his signature corner-to-corner knees and "Yes Kicks".
The comeback was short-lived as the irate Zayn & Owens regained control of the determined Daniel Bryan. The finish of all this saw Sami Zayn deliver a "Helluva Kick" and Owens hitting his signature apron-bomb onto Bryan. The SmackDown Live GM would be taken away on a stretcher; the same fate his comrade Shane McMahon suffered at the hands of the now "fired" Sami Zayn & Kevin Owens.
To catch up on the action from tonight's SmackDown Live, head over to our results article. We do have an on-going post-show podcast, which you can check out by clicking here.
