Daniel Bryan Wants Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania

Daniel Bryan wants Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31. In a recent interview with The Times-Picayune (Nola.com), Bryan opened up about his health, injury, recovery, career plans moving forward, and more.

Bryan goes into details about the surgery he had in May, as well as what his condition was prior to going under-the-knife. He also talks about returning to the ring in January, and claims that the match he wants at WrestleMania 31 is against current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, revealing that the he still believes that the title is his and that it was merely just handed to him.

Both Lesnar and Bryan are slated to appear on the Jan. 12 edition of “Monday Night Raw,” which leads to Bryan’s statement about wanting to face The Beast Incarnate. He said,

“Brock Lesnar is also supposed to be on (Monday’s) show. And to me, that’s still my championship.

My dream match for WrestleMania this year is if Brock Lesnar keeps the title and I win the Royal Rumble, and I wrestle Brock Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 31 for the WWE championship. 

That’s the match I want. That’s the match that I’ve been thinking about this entire time that I’ve been injured. One of the wonderful things about Raw is you never know what to expect. 

I’m ready to come back. I feel like right now, physically I’m better than ever. So whatever happens, whether it be a match or whether I’m doing an interview, I expect to be better than I’ve ever been.”

Bryan then discussed the frustration of having to bow out of the company for seven months when he was on top of the mountain, saying,

“It was very frustrating. There were times when I actually did doubt whether I’d be able to come back. … There were several doctors who said as much. They thought that I wouldn’t be able to come back.”

Several months after the surgery, Bryan’s strength wasn’t returning to his right arm. There was a fear that the nerve had been pinched for so long that maybe it would never heal. Bryan consulted with several surgeons, getting told that a second surgery might just help and then told by another that it would be more like a Hail Mary. 

A little before the second surgery would have happened, Bryan made the trip to Denver. No desperation pass was necessary.

“It was like, ‘Wow. I’m actually getting better,’ at the beginning of December, some parts of my right arm were even stronger than my left, which is pretty incredible given how long the nerve had been damaged.

Functionally, I feel great. My movement is great. Overall, I feel good. I didn’t have any hesitation (in the ring), there was nothing that I did before that I can’t do now. Not only that, mentally I’ve been recharged. I’m going to be better than ever.”

With the Jan. 12 edition of “RAW” taking place in New Orleans, where Bryan won his first WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XXX, he discusses his excitement about coming back to the city and performing in front of the fans there again.

“[Winning the title at WrestleMania] was the greatest moment of my career. It’s pretty incredible and pretty surreal, the whole thing. … I love New Orleans. One of the coolest things about the city is the culture, and I can’t wait to go back on Monday. It’s going to be a blast.

… Being injured for as long as I’ve been, it’s really hard on you mentally. Especially since wrestling has been my creative outlet ever since I’ve been an adult. And so to be able to come back at the same place where I had essentially what’s the fondest memory I have of wrestling is incredible.

I don’t know how my life got to be like this. I honestly don’t get it. I’m just a normal dude. I was never a special athlete. I wasn’t great at any sports or anything like that.

And now an arena full of people were chanting, ‘You deserve it.’ And I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve it. It’s awesome to be a part of something like that.”

You can read the entire interview here.