Former WWE superstar and current SmackDown general manager Daniel Bryan has been dreaming of a return to the ring, and he even has a possible competitor in mind. Following a series of concussions and a brain lesion, Bryan had no choice but to reluctantly retire in 2016.

Last week, Bryan said that WWE "would love to have him back" in the ring and that he was trying to get cleared. If he were to return, Bryan has an idea of who he would like to face. According to Justin Barrasso for Sports Illustrated, Bryan praised AJ Styles and has aspirations of facing the Phenomenal one.

“One of my favorite guys to watch at WWE is AJ Styles. So, on the WWE stage, I would like to wrestle AJ Styles, only because I wrestled John Cena before," Bryan said. He also admitted he was "disappointed" that he never got to face Shawn Michaels, that it was "the one match he never got to have."

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In just a few short years as a WWE performer, Bryan reached ultra heights of popularity and became one of the top superstars. He's a Grand Slam Champion, which includes three WWE Championship reigns. Bryan also headlined a number of major pay-per-view shows, including WrestleMania XX.

via newspressnow.com

But after tests came back that showed the severe concussion symptoms, doctors advised Bryan to retire. WWE wouldn't clear him, and Bryan formally retired on the Feb. 8, 2016, episode of Raw.

Bryan admitted he had to put his family and health first, as wife Brie Bella gave birth to their daughter this past May.

We've seen many athletes pull off great returns, when it looked like they had career-ending injuries. Anything is possible, but there remains a high probability Bryan doesn't wrestle again. And if he does, he could still be a few years away from returning to the ring.

NEXT: SEE PAUL HEYMAN'S RESPONSE TO DANIEL BRYAN MOCKING HIM