WWE Champion Daniel Bryan to undergo neck surgery Thursday

by Vaughn Johnson

Published May 13, 2014, 5:57 a.m. ET

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan will undergo neck surgery Thursday and is expected to be out of action until at least the WWE Payback pay-per-view June 1.

SEScoops.com broke the news early Monday that Bryan will have a "minimally-invasive" procedure that would keep him out several weeks. Bryan confirmed the surgery during a promo segment on Raw.

If Bryan is unable to return by Payback, he should be back by the Money in Bank pay-per-view June 29, according to the report.

The surgery is just the latest chapter in a whirlwind month for the underdog champion. A little more than a month ago, he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 30. A couple of days later, he married fellow WWE star Brie Bella.

After one of the best weeks of his life, Bryan received the unfortunate news that his father had suddenly passed away days after returning from his honeymoon. Now, he has to go under the knife to repair his neck.