Bryan told WWE management that he wished to be the "face of "SmackDown"" to increase the show's viewership. Bryan returned to the ring on the January 15, 2015 episode of "SmackDown", with his opponent Kane being disqualified due to The Authority's interference and later that night Bryan won the six-man tag team main event. The next week on "SmackDown", despite more interference by The Authority, Bryan defeated Kane in a no disqualification main event to keep his Royal Rumble match spot.