Is the WWE preparing for Summerslam 2014 without Daniel Bryan?

WWE

Summerslam 2014 is the marquee event on the WWE summer pay-per-view schedule.

Even with Money in the Bank and Battleground still left before Summerslam 2014, WWE is already preparing for the event with story lines and feud brewing now on Raw, Smackdown and The Main Event.

The WWE had a major Summerslam 2014 match in mind as far back as Wrestlemania 30 in March. Daniel Bryan walked out of the event with both heavyweight titles and Brock Lesnar ended The Undertaker’s Wrestlemania win streak. The two superstars should have been on a course to face off at Summerslam 2014.

And then Daniel Bryan’s neck need surgery. He hasn’t wrestled in weeks. He’s been stripped of both belts and now a new champion will emerge from the Money in the Bank ladder match. WWE officials hoped Bryan would be ready for Summerslam 2014, if not for a title defense, than at least a match on the card.

Summerslam 2014 without Daniel Bryan

According to Dave Meltzer, it’s a possibility but not a 100% certainty Bryan will be ready to go by Summerslam 2014.

The original planned main event of Brock Lesnar vs. Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam is almost certainly not happening. Lesnar is still slated to be in the title picture when he returns, and will likely be facing the winner of the Money In The Bank ladder match for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam.As for Bryan, he’s still scheduled to be in one of the main events at SummerSlam if he’s ready by then, although it’s not certain that he will be. People in the company expect that he will be back for either SummerSlam in August or Night of the Champions in September. Meltzer noted that WWE is starting to advertise Bryan locally for live events in California in mid-August, although WWE.com has not added Bryan to those events on their website.

Brock Lesnar has been absent from WWE TV but his name is mentioned every week by his manager Paul Heyman. I think Lesnar will either appear at the first Raw after Money in the Bank to challenge the new champion or as a late entry to the second Money in the Bank ladder match for the briefcase.

RELATED: The Undertaker’s Wrestlemania 30 loss to Brock Lesnar was a mistake

Bryan hopefully won’t be rushed to the ring but it probably won’t shock anyone if he wasn’t able to perform by August. Maybe the two will collide eventually, but with Brock Lesnar as champion and Daniel Bryan as challenger at Wrestlemania 31.

What are your thoughts? Will Daniel Bryan make it to Summerslam 2014? Will Lesnar show up at Money in the Bank?

[via WrestlingInc.com]

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Chris Illuminati is a 5-time published author and recovering a**hole who writes about running, parenting, and professional wrestling.