As we draw closer to WrestleMania 34, going down in than two weeks from New Orleans, with all due respect to everyone else on the SmackDown Live roster, all the attention is on general manager Daniel Bryan.

After being medically cleared to compete in full-time in-ring action once again last week, it was evident the former world champion is headed for a WrestleMania return inside the same building in which he won the undisputed championship four years ago. And receiving a thrashing at the hands of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn after he fired them made it even more apparent Bryan is destined for his long-awaited return happening on the grandest stage of them all. 

Tuesday night on SmackDown, we found just what his return bout will entail. 

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Bryan has a WrestleMania proposal

As opposed to opening the show, which is generally the norm, it was teased we could get an appearance from the recently-cleared general manager later in the show. At the midway point, Bryan soaked in the chants from the crowd in Pittsburgh. Bryan said that being cleared last week was one of the best moments of his life, and he thanked the fans for the continued support. Then it was time to get down to business. Bryan noted that he still has a job to do and reminded everyone that SmackDown is the land of opportunity. He said he's willing to give Owens and Zayn just one more opportunity. His proposal?At WrestleMania, it should be Bryan and McMahon against Owens and Zayn, with the fired stars getting their jobs back should they win.Now, in regards to McMahon actually being able to compete in the bout given the news of his recent condition, Bryan did point out that he expects his partner to be ready to go in New Orleans. 

Bryan then finished off the promo by stripping off his general manager cardigan, firing him up and proclaiming that, at WrestleMania, he intends to kick Owens and Zayn's ass -- in those very specific terms. Shortly after the segment, Zayn was quick to hit Twitter and gladly accept the challenge. 

It's absolutely incredible that just a few weeks ago we still thought we'd never see Bryan compete in a ring again, and here he was setting up his return match at 'Mania. That said, there's a couple of intriguing layers to this matchup. They are advertising McMahon for the bout despite his recent diverticulitis diagnosis, which is a very serious condition. Sure, this is the man who consistently enjoys jumping off  the Hell in a Cell structure, but competing in less than two weeks doesn't seem very plausible. You also wouldn't expect Bryan to lose in his return outing, no matter what sort of match is placed together. But you also would assume Owens and Zayn -- two of the top performers on the brand -- are going to earn their jobs back. Could we be in for some sort of swerve from one of the SmackDown authority figures on April 8?

AJ Styles-Shinsuke Nakamura storyline heats up

Early in the show, Styles was sitting alone in the locker room where he was approached by his WrestleMania challenger Nakamura. The Royal Rumble winner told Styles that he's worried about him losing his confidence lately, and he wants him at his best for their showdown in New Orleans. Nakamura then asked Styles to be in his corner for his upcoming match against Shelton Benjamin, and the champion obliged. 

Shinsuke Nakamura def. Shelton Benjamin via pinfall: With Styles on the outside keeping Chad Gable in check, Nakamura secured the win over Benjamin with the Kinsasha. After picking up the victory, Nakamura invited Styles into the ring to thank him for being in his corner, only to reveal he didn't need the champ out there for help. He simply wanted his WrestleMania opponent to witness first-hand just how he's going to defeat him. After Styles fired back and Nakamura called him too emotional to come away with the victory, Gable and Benjamin attacked the WWE champion from behind, prompting the Japanese star to come back for the save. Nakamura ended this week's edition of SmackDown by teasing nailing Styles with the Kinsasha -- just a friendly reminder that it can all come to an end in less than two weeks with one knee to the face. 

It was the most storyline development we've seen yet in the Styles-Nakamura rivalry, and about time, too, considering WrestleMania is only 12 days away. Nakamura shined on the mic taunting Styles both backstage and in the ring after his victory. He may not be the best talker, but he can get his point across if given the opportunity, and WWE has finally given him that chance.

What else happened on SmackDown?

  • Jinder Mahal & Rusev def. Randy Orton & Bobby Roode via pinfall: As Mahal made his entrance, he let us know that Sunil Singh was still nursing his injuries and Rusev would be his partner. That proved to be a wise move on the part of Mahal as Rusev got the pin on Orton after the champion and Roode failed to stay on the same page. And yes, Orton did keep up the time-honored tradition of trying to injure a Singh brother in the loss. Following a backstage segment with Mahal, Rusev was added to the U.S. title match at WrestleMania.
  • Becky Lynch def. Ruby Riott via pinfall: After Lynch earned the win with a quick roll-up, the Riott Squad tried to pounce, only to be tossed over the top rope in a preview of the upcoming women's battle royal at WrestleMania. 
  • The New Day vs. The Bludgeon Brothers ended in a No Contest: After dominating for most of the match, Harper and Rowan went to bring the mallets into play but were quickly stopped by the SmackDown tag champions, The Usos. The champs and The New Day fended off The Bludgeon Brothers to end the segment as we get closer to these three teams clashing at WrestleMania, a match that was made official later on in the show. 
  • Dolph Ziggler def. Tyler Breeze via pinfall: Ziggler got the win after a Zig Zag in a bout that was pretty much promotion for this year's Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. After the match, Ziggler nailed Fandango with a superkick for good measure. All three of the men will be in the battle royal.