WATCH: Daniel Bryan Explains The Miz Argument on ‘Talking Smack’

On Talking Smack tonight, SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan apologized for his behavior during last week’s episode.

A Talking Smack fight between The Miz and Daniel Bryan blew up last week, and it became a major part of the SmackDown storyline on August 30th, with the clip being played in full at the start of the show and with Shane McMahon scolding Bryan for his unprofessional behavior. Bryan had accused The Miz of being a coward, which really set him off and lead to a passionate rant.

At the top of August 30th’s Talking Smack, then, Daniel Bryan offered a bit of an apology, particularly to Renee Young for storming off the show eight minutes before it was set to end. Bryan said that when he got up, it wasn’t because he wanted to punch The Miz; it’s that he was saddened by what The Miz said because it was right. Bryan made it clear that in reality, he is genuinely sad that he can never wrestle again due to his injuries.

Finally, Bryan went on to say that the WWE management decided to keep Bryan and The Miz separate after their confrontation, which explains why they did not interact at all during SmackDown this week. Strangely, the WWE promoted on social media that Daniel Bryan would be addressing the Miz feud on SmackDown, which did not end up occurring.

In the immediate aftermath of The Miz’s rant last week, it was somewhat unclear whether this was a work or a shoot. But it has become increasingly obvious that this is all a part of a SmackDown storyline, even if the wording of The Miz’s rant itself may have been improvised. Although it’s unlikely that Daniel Bryan could ever return to the ring, we will reportedly be seeing slight hints at this in the future, as various superstars taunt Bryan for not being able to compete.