Daniel Bryan Reportedly Roman Reigns’ Attacker, Will Lead to SummerSlam Match

The latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter dropped this week with a major revelation regarding the Roman Reigns mysterious attack that took place at the end of SmackDown Live. Ever since the backstage scaffolding set collapsed on “The Big Dog” on Tuesday night, fans have been speculating over who the mystery attacker was, with many pointing to Buddy Murphy as the culprit given how he was seen leaving the scene of the crime with his back turned to the camera.

But according to Dave Meltzer, it’s not the former Cruiserweight Champion. He identified Daniel Bryan to be the attacker, reporting that Reigns would face Bryan in a grudge match at SummerSlam as a result.

After dropping the SmackDown Tag Team Championships at Extreme Rules to The New Day, Bryan gave a manic promo backstage where he threatened to “go where Daniel Bryan has not gone before.”

“But you know what? I don’t… I don’t think that it was me that failed,” Bryan said. “I think in pursuing this excellence they brought me down to mediocrity. I was trying to elevate the tag team division but they are un-elevatable. Do you hear that? Un-elevatable! If I want to change the planet, if I want to save the planet, I have to aim higher. I have to aim higher. I have to go where Daniel Bryan has not gone before. I know exactly what I have to do.”

He was then pulled from the 10-man battle royal for a shot at the WWE Universal Championship and began teasing a “career-altering announcement,” only to repeatedly remain silent every time he was handed a microphone.

To add fuel to the report, Bryan vs. Reigns is a match that’s being advertised at live events after SummerSlam, so it’s possible this was the start of a months-long feud.

The two last faced each other in 2015 when Reigns was first being pushed into the main event scene. After winning the Royal Rumble match (much to the dismay of many fans), Reigns took on Bryan at the Fastlane pay-per-view with the WrestleMania 31 title match on the line. “The Big Dog” won to set up his main event bout with Brock Lesnar, while Bryan turned his attention to winning the Intercontinental Championship in a multi-man ladder match.