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If you’re a fan of Daniel Bryan, or just not a fan of watching people deal with losing one of the things they believe they can’t live without, 2016 has had its fair share of anxiety.
Since retiring from being a pro wrestler - somewhat begrudgingly, as it turns out - in February, we’ve heard about the former WWE champ struggling with not being able to perform in the ring any longer. We’ve read interviews where he openly questions if maybe he could lace up the boots again, despite some doctors advising against it and his own horrifying stories of in-match seizures.
Well, as we’ve repeatedly been told in the hype for the new E! ‘reality’ show Total Bellas, you’ll soon be able to watch him go through some of his darkest moments on screen. The Total Divas spin-off was filmed this Spring shortly after Bryan said goodbye to being a wrestler, and the press for the show has focused on DB’s mental state almost as much as it has on John Cena’s house rules.
In a recent interview with The Rack Radio Show as part of the promotion of Total Bellas, Brie again spoke about her husband’s mental state during their time in Florida filming the show:
...it’s a situation I think a lot of people can relate to because I feel like a point in all our lives we get something dear to us taken away and you never teach yourselves how to be ready for something like that, you just can’t. I feel that when people see Bryan, they’re going to just understand and root for him and go “Wow, I’m not alone in this.”
The good news, Bella says, is that the work the Beard has been doing for WWE since that show wrapped - commentating on WWE Network’s Cruiserweight Classic (CWC), co-hosting Talking Smack and serving as the on-screen General Manager of SmackDown Live - has really made a difference:
...it’s been great and the great thing about it is Bryan is so happy. He loves being the GM of Smackdown, he loves hosting Talking Smack on the WWE Network, he loved working with all the Cruiserweights on the CWC. He’s honestly on cloud nine and being his wife and best friend, I’m just so happy to see how great he’s doing because you don’t know how long it will take and you know the next happy day. I think the best thing for him was becoming the Smackdown GM; I just think it has done wonders for Bryan.
You can check out the whole interview on The Rack Radio Show here.
And if you start to get sympathetic melancholy watching Daniel on Total Bellas when it premieres tomorrow, Oct. 5, know that he’s not only entertaining you on Tuesday nights, he’s getting himself to a better place while doing it.