Daniel Bryan may need another surgery after all; WWE comeback possibly delayed past Royal Rumble 2015

Daniel Bryan's no good very bad year has seemingly once again taken a turn for the worse. For months now, it's been unclear whether or not he would need a second surgery to help repair nerve issues in his arm and elbow, but the latest update from Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio paints a grim picture.

"His arm is not regaining strength very well and they don't know what's up so he may have surgery, which is too bad because if he was going to have surgery he probably should have had it back... what was it, August? Mid-August -- we're now in October -- mid-August was the week he was going to have surgery where the doctor said 'well, maybe you don't need surgery'. And he was like 'if I'm going to have surgery, let's get it done now so I can come back soon'. This guy has got the worst luck in the world because if he's going to need surgery, obviously this delays the comeback and with the surgery, depending on what the surgery is, it could be a pretty long recuperating period.

...

"So, yeah, the thing is right now it doesn't look like Rumble. I don't want to say anything about WrestleMania because it's just too soon but it doesn't look like Rumble anymore."

Bryan's saga is playing out, in part, on the currently airing season three of Total Divas. On it, he's been criticized from the likes of John Cena for not doing the surgery as early as possible and getting on the road to recovery, instead opting for alternative treatments. That may not be entirely fair considering doctors have gone back and forth on whether or not the surgery would actually be necessary.

Then again, it's hard to tell how much of Total Divas is actual reality or just an attempt at compelling television.

Meanwhile, Bryan getting surgery would most definitely keep him out for a number of months, including, as Meltzer mentions, making it unlikely he could return to WWE by the time the Royal Rumble comes around in Philadelphia next year. On top of being a crushing blow to whatever plans the company may have been putting together, it also creates the possibility of another situation like last year whereby fans at the arena expect Bryan to be an entrant in the match and never get that payoff.

Granted, the situations are entirely different but the host city is just as rabid, if not more so.

More than anything, this is incredibly unfortunate news for one of the nicest, hardest working guys in all of professional wrestling.