NJPW’s Concussion Protocol Might Prevent Daniel Bryan From Signing With Them

SmackDown general manager Daniel Bryan retired from in-ring competition in February of last year due to concussion issues, and since his retirement, he’s made it pretty clear that he wants to return to the ring, and he’s willing to leave WWE when his contract comes to an end in order to do so.

Daniel Bryan's final match: Daniel Bryan & John Cena vs. Cesaro & Kidd: SmackDown, Apr. 16, 2015

Most are predicting that Bryan will end up signing with New Japan Pro Wrestling if he leaves WWE next fall, but their concussion protocol, which Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter explained on Wrestling Observer Radio, might prevent his NJPW return.

“If you have a concussion [in New Japan] it’s the same thing: they keep you out, there’s no questions asked, and they don’t put you back in until you pass the testing. Now, do they have the same stuff as they do here? Our stuff, we use the stuff that Joseph Maroon did with the impact testing, and whatever they do [in Japan] is probably the same. But when guys have concussions in Japan they’re usually out for a while.”