A lot of people believed that Daniel Bryan turned heel on SmackDown Live as a reaction to Becky Lynch pulling out of Survivor Series due to her severe concussion.
Turns out that isn’t true, although it might have helped ease into it.
The real reason Daniel Bryan turned heel on SmackDown Live
Instead, it turns out that Daniel Bryan started to realize the huge pops he had gotten since his retirement and eventual return to the WWE ring were dying down. Bryan had been asking to turn heel for the last month.
I never saw this one coming at all … especially after Daniel Bryan was one of the most popular wrestlers in all the WWE for a decade now! That was a brutal beating he gave AJ Styles after the match too!
Posted by Wrestling news and rumors: WWE and more on Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (via Sportskeeeda) reported that Bryan had been asking WWE officials to turn him heel, and the WWE has been setting it up over the last month with his questionable actions.
However, the title change was a last minute decision — although it also happened before the Becky Lynch injury so — once again — that had nothing to do with the final results.
Vince McMahon decided over the weekend to have the heel turn and WWE title change to happen at the same time to deliver maximum effect for the turn.
Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles
For fans who missed it, AJ Styles gave Daniel Bryan an impromptu WWE Championship match last night on SmackDown Live. When the referee was stunned, Bryan kicked Styles in the groin and then delivered a solid kick for the win.
After the match ended, Bryan started kicking AJ Styles over and over in the head to solidify his heel turn.
Now, Daniel Bryan will fight Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series. This is huge since Brock vs. AJ was a rematch from last year while Bryan vs. Brock gives the WWE a dream match that many thought would never happen.