Daniel Bryan Inserts Himself As Special Guest Referee At Clash Of Champions
The SmackDown GM will appear in the ring on Sunday (in a way...).
Daniel Bryan has inserted himself into an upcoming WWE pay per view match as special guest referee.
The SmackDown General Manager will help officiate the Clash of Champions tag team bout between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, and the makeshift team of Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura.
The match already has one special guest referee in the form of SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon, but Bryan's involvement will make it a rare instance of a two-referee bout.
The announcement came on this week's SmackDown Live, after Owens and Zayn took to the ring to preach the virtues of their 'Yep!' movement - a parody of Bryan's own 'Yes!' movement during his main event push in 2014.
The pair called for everybody to 'occupy' the show, only for Bryan to enter the ring and agree to officiate their upcoming match. This plays into the ongoing storyline of a strange alliance between the GM and the two heels, which has led to an underlying tension between Bryan and Shane. It wouldn't be too big a surprise to see the authority figures argue with one another while refereeing Sunday's bout.
However, the chances of Bryan becoming physically involved are minimal - certainly to any great degree. During the build to last month's Survivor Series, he was attacked by Kane in a backstage segment, but no blows were actually shown onscreen. It seems as though WWE are still very reluctant to clear Bryan for action.
The GM did involve himself in SmackDown's main event between Owens and Nakamura, however. After the referee was inadvertently knocked unconscious, Bryan took over officiating duties (even physically removing the ref's shirt and wearing it himself). Owens was able to win the match thanks to a distraction from Zayn - an outcome which could well play into the Clash of Champions bout on Sunday.
The SmackDown General Manager will help officiate the Clash of Champions tag team bout between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, and the makeshift team of Randy Orton and Shinsuke Nakamura.
The match already has one special guest referee in the form of SmackDown Commissioner Shane McMahon, but Bryan's involvement will make it a rare instance of a two-referee bout.
The announcement came on this week's SmackDown Live, after Owens and Zayn took to the ring to preach the virtues of their 'Yep!' movement - a parody of Bryan's own 'Yes!' movement during his main event push in 2014.
The pair called for everybody to 'occupy' the show, only for Bryan to enter the ring and agree to officiate their upcoming match. This plays into the ongoing storyline of a strange alliance between the GM and the two heels, which has led to an underlying tension between Bryan and Shane. It wouldn't be too big a surprise to see the authority figures argue with one another while refereeing Sunday's bout.
However, the chances of Bryan becoming physically involved are minimal - certainly to any great degree. During the build to last month's Survivor Series, he was attacked by Kane in a backstage segment, but no blows were actually shown onscreen. It seems as though WWE are still very reluctant to clear Bryan for action.
The GM did involve himself in SmackDown's main event between Owens and Nakamura, however. After the referee was inadvertently knocked unconscious, Bryan took over officiating duties (even physically removing the ref's shirt and wearing it himself). Owens was able to win the match thanks to a distraction from Zayn - an outcome which could well play into the Clash of Champions bout on Sunday.
Written by Jack King
jack.king@cultaholic.com Twitter: @JackTheJobber
