Savor every Daniel Bryan match from here on out. A damaged ship will force him to pull into shore early as injuries threaten to keep his WWE career short.
Working on a repaired neck, concussions dotting his early career and employing a devil-may-care style in the ring will have Bryan saying farewell before his fans are ready to do so.
Those factors will also keep WWE hesitant about placing a crown atop his head again. Don't expect him to repeat his triumph at WrestleMania. Lower spots on the card await him going forward.
Trying to see what lies ahead for Bryan is difficult. The crystal ball, at this point, is cracked and clouded. While the future is uncertain for everyone, it's especially so for the former world champion.
After being pulled off WWE's European tour and pulled out of his title match with Bad News Barrett at Extreme Rules, Bryan addressed fans, seemingly as unsure of what to expect as the rest of us. He said he didn't know how long rehab would take or if he would even compete again.
Chris Jericho believes that what's hurting Bryan must be mighty serious. He told Doug Mortman and Dave Lagreca on Busted Open (h/t PWInsider) that the situation "is worse than you think, in my opinion."
As tight-lipped as WWE is being about Bryan's health and as much as he has struggled to return to normalcy after last year's neck surgery, one has to expect that he will out a long time. Don't count on him coming back until 2016. Making sure he's back to full strength is vital.
And so is adjusting how he goes to battle.
Clipping His Wings
Bryan will extend his career by evolving. Look for him to replace his most risky moves: the diving headbutt, the top-rope missile dropkick, etc. He has more than enough talent to create classics without them.
Jim Ross, for one, certainly believes so. On Bryan toning down his style, Ross wrote in his blog, "He could eliminate many things from his repertoire and still be one of the best talents in the business."
Expect the bearded warrior to mirror Jushin Liger and become more of a mat-based wrestler.
The Japanese cruiserweight legend held back from flying around the ring so much to lessen the impact on his body. Grappling became more important. As Dave Meltzer said of Liger, per Jason Clevett of Slam Sports, "He understood how to get over much safer moves."
And Bryan even worked like that in a clash with Liger himself during his Ring of Honor days
Following Liger's lead will let Bryan stick around for longer stretches. It won't, though, keep WWE officials from worrying that more injuries are on their way.
Move to the Midcard
During Bryan's most recent run, WWE hesitated to elevate him into the top tier again. It had Roman Reigns headline WrestleMania, not him. It had him trade out hunting for the world title for pursuing the Intercontinental Championship.
That's the area he will return to once he heals. WWE will want him to produce great matches but won't trust him with the responsibilities that come with being a company cornerstone.
Dolph Ziggler knows exactly how that story goes. He hasn't sniffed the main event scene since suffering a severe concussion in 2013.
Bryan is too popular to just throw onto the card at the last minute, though. Look for him to get some feuds with solid amounts of spotlight like Bray Wyatt vs. Dean Ambrose did earlier this year.
His ability to extract a man's best work in the ring will net him chances against emerging stars. WWE will look to boost men such as Rusev, Luke Harper and Neville by having them go up against Bryan.
Rusev's likely to use him as a stepping stone. Neville will earn himself spots on several pay-per-views in a row opposite Bryan.
If he doesn't rise to the WWE title picture again, if he instead roosts on the same rung of the ladder for months, count on fans to grow restless. The company won't respond to that with anointing him, however. It will just look to offer something different.
Bolstering the Tag Team Division
Especially if he suffers any setbacks physically, fans can count on seeing Bryan move to the world of tag teams for a good while.
The transition reduces wear and tear on his body. It helps another star get noticed, and it creates buzz by way of change.
WWE may be struggling with how to present Hideo Itami. Sami Zayn could run into the usual glass ceiling that smaller wrestlers often crack their heads against. A partnership with Bryan makes sense in both situations.
Diehard fans will slobber over the idea of two of their favorites joining forces. And with Zayn, WWE has history to build on as it did with Zayn and Kevin Owens. Bryan and Zayn (formerly El Generico) were enemies at one point and once shared a "hug it out" moment long before Team Hell No did.
With the company unsure of what to do with Bryan, it's a safe bet that he and Zayn team up for a year or so. They are sure to wow crowds, storyline or not. Eventually, that's sure to lead to a tag team title run.
There is far less pressure to hold the tag titles than WWE's top prizes. It's a championship the company has been more bold in handing out, giving it to The New Day when its members were still trying to find their legs and to Primo and Epico despite those two not being especially over.
The longer Bryan can stay healthy, the more his fans will demand more than tag team gold, though. Look for WWE to at least tease a Bryan rise.
One Last Run
The safe bet is that Bryan gets hurt again. As painful as it is to say that, the odds say as much. Neck injuries have a tendency to linger, as Steve Austin, Kurt Angle and Edge have all found out.
Plus, there are the issues of the concussions Bryan has accumulated, making him susceptible to more in the future.
If he wrestles until he is 38, which is just four years from now, that will be a success. Before that point, he's bound to get closer to the main event picture. Fans will demand it, and so will his performances.
Look for him to get WWE title shots, especially at less prestigious shows like Payback and Battleground. The chances of his reaching the mountaintop at WrestleMania are slim.
Like the company did with Roman Reigns at Fastlane, WWE is going to use Bryan as a launchpad for its crown princes.
That will lead to a guy like Dean Ambrose either fending off Bryan in a series of title bouts or moving into contention by beating him. Should WWE continue its current appreciation of Finn Balor, the Irishman is going to tangle with Bryan en route to the top as well.
It will be then time to start thinking about how Bryan's career ends. Chances are his neck injuries flare up again. Chances are all those years on the Indy circuit putting himself through hell to entertain will demand that he come up with an exit plan.
By WrestleMania 35 or 36, there's a good chance we see Bryan wrestle his farewell match.
Zayn, Owens, Ziggler and Seth Rollins are among the many excellent choices to award that honor. There's no doubt that Bryan and whoever among that group faces him will leave the crowd buzzing. Bryan has spent his career dazzling between the ropes.
He has done so, though, at a cost. Like Edge before him, he was willing to put himself at risk for the sake of delivering maximum entertainment. And like The Rated-R Superstar, Bryan will have to hang up his boots with the crowd wishing there were more of his battles to witness.
