Paid Members Supremo Posted May 5, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted May 5, 2021 (edited) https://www.f4wonline.com/wwe-news/daniel-bryans-wwe-contract-expired-following-smackdown-match-340601 Daniel Bryan's contract with the WWE has expired. Dave Meltzer has confirmed that Bryan's contract expired this past Friday, and that WWE "is pushing hard for him to sign a new deal". Fightful Select were the first to report the news, saying that the contract was expired or was set to expire. They also said that this does not mean that he is leaving WWE, as he has been vocal about doing “unconventional work with and for WWE”. The news comes as Bryan lost to Roman Reigns on this past Friday’s episode of WWE SmackDown. As a result of the loss, Bryan was “banished” from the brand. He has not shown up on Raw or any other brand since his loss. Aside from a brief time he was released from the company in 2010, Bryan has been signed to WWE since 2009. From 2015 to 2018, he retired from professional wrestling due to concussion-related medical issues. He has appeared on SmackDown regularly since returning from a hiatus in October. I know I shouldn't allow myself to get excited but I can't help it. Kenny Omega doesn't have an obvious opponent for the next Pay Per View. Imagine if, "Final Countdown," interrupts an Omega promo on an upcoming episode of Dynamite. I'll burst. But yeah. Imagine having a guy spend a year doing everything he can to wrestle again, then managing to kill his spirit to such a degree that he lets hits contract run out and spends all his time complimenting the opposition and talking about how he's not that arsed about wrestling anymore. It's a true achievement. Edited May 6, 2021 by Supremo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gaffer Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 If it happens - if he shows up there - the year he spent trying to get medically cleared will be nothing on the year I spend trying to scrape my jizz off the screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kieranjennings Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 Something I don't get with wrestling fans is that we spent years berating the WWE & other companies for a style of wrestling that led to numerous concussions and then continuing to send those talents out there to perform when they should not have been cleared With Daniel Bryan and Samoa Joe it appears they have shown more care regarding not wanting to clear people when there is doubt. Fans though want these guys to go out there and go full pelt again somewhere else for someone who will let them. Seems a little contradictory to me. Must be a big risk if those guys then go out and get injured again or suffer worse damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love-Wilcox Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 (edited) He's been very vocal about ticking some things off his bucket list before he retires, such as wrestling a big match in the Tokyo Dome and having a Hair vs Mask match in a major Mexican promotion. Let's be honest, he's never getting the oppurtunity to do those things if he stays with WWE. Now all he has to do is decide whether or not he favours his ambitions over money. Even if he does leave, I doubt WWE wouldn't take him back as an agent or similar in a few years time. Edited May 5, 2021 by Love-Wilcox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 I get that they struggled with him when he came back, but I still think they've done some decent stuff with him. I particularly enjoyed the heel turn. It's not like he hasn't always been vocal and supportive of indies and other companies etc. That's just who he is. That's where he came from. He's always been knowledgeable and a fan of wrestling so I wouldn't put it all on WWE if he's looking to leave and do some stuff before he retires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRooster Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 18 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said: I get that they struggled with him when he came back, but I still think they've done some decent stuff with him. I particularly enjoyed the heel turn. They completely messed up his first year back as an active wrestler, but they really turned the corner with the heel turn. He was fantastic as the Planet's Champion, and his subsequent babyface run was also very strong. If his contract really has expired, my preference would be to see him wrestle in AEW, even if it's only a part time thing. A match with Omega is an obvious option, and I also think he'd have a corker of a feud with MJF. There are loads of exciting, fresh opponents for him in that company, and they would benefit a lot from his presence. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d-d-d-dAz Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 I’d be amazed if the guy who talks quite openly about wanting to be with his kids, and doing it all for them, doesn’t just take the biggest cheque with the fewest obligations. The bucket list stuff plays well online, but it’ll just come down to who pays him the most to do the least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WyattSheepMask Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 11 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said: I’d be amazed if the guy who talks quite openly about wanting to be with his kids, and doing it all for them, doesn’t just take the biggest cheque with the fewest obligations. The bucket list stuff plays well online, but it’ll just come down to who pays him the most to do the least. Hereby known as ‘The Brock Lesnar Approach’. Not that there’s anything wrong with that in the slightest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Supremo Posted May 5, 2021 Author Paid Members Share Posted May 5, 2021 I would think they recognise Daniel Bryan as a potential game changer, so they’d be willing to pay him tonnes just to not go to AEW. He could probably name his price to sit at home as a creative consultant, doing one Zoom call a week with Smackdown creative. Fuck knows though. His WWE career as a whole certainly doesn’t suggest they’ve ever understood what they’ve had with him. I wouldn’t be shocked at all if they let him go without a fuss just like they did Big Show and Christian. The amount of dream matches in AEW is massive though. If he’s excited wrestling WWE style with Cesaro and Drew Gulak I bet he’d be salivating looking at that AEW roster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRooster Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 40 minutes ago, d-d-d-dAz said: I’d be amazed if the guy who talks quite openly about wanting to be with his kids, and doing it all for them, doesn’t just take the biggest cheque with the fewest obligations. The bucket list stuff plays well online, but it’ll just come down to who pays him the most to do the least. I don't know, he doesn't strike me as someone who is money orientated, particularly at this stage of his career. I think he's sincere when talking about his bucket list, and I wouldn't at all be shocked to simply see him work the occasional indie match here and there just to scratch his wrestling itch, and nothing more than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted May 5, 2021 Paid Members Share Posted May 5, 2021 I think he's money-oriented when it comes to ensuring his family are secure and happy; I think that was the deciding factor last time around. And if that's the case, AEW existing is a gamechanger in terms of being able to offer guaranteed money outside of WWE; he'll always have been able to make a comfortable living for himself wrestling anywhere, but AEW will allow him the job security he needs on top of letting him work elsewhere. It comes down to what he wants. He's talked a lot recently about phasing himself out as a full-time wrestler, but also about never fully retiring - will WWE allow him a part-time schedule? Does he particularly want to be producing, training and writing if he's not wrestling? If they keep him on as a wrestler, what is there left for him to do? He's someone who always seems motivated by fresh opportunities and fresh opponents, and obviously there's a lot more of that for him outside of WWE than within. I fully expect him to re-sign with WWE one way or another, and that talking about dream matches outside of WWE right before his contract comes up is his equivalent of Brock Lesnar teasing "getting in UFC shape" every couple of years, but I don't think it's as cut and dry this time as it was last time around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yakashi Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 His family already has more money than they could ever spend. His wife has made an absolute fortune, let alone what he’s made. And I can’t imagine he spends it. 2 years doing a tour of the smaller companies wouldn’t change that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavidB6937 Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 53 minutes ago, Supremo said: I would think they recognise Daniel Bryan as a potential game changer, so they’d be willing to pay him tonnes just to not go to AEW. He could probably name his price to sit at home as a creative consultant, doing one Zoom call a week with Smackdown creative. Fuck knows though. His WWE career as a whole certainly doesn’t suggest they’ve ever understood what they’ve had with him. I wouldn’t be shocked at all if they let him go without a fuss just like they did Big Show and Christian. The amount of dream matches in AEW is massive though. If he’s excited wrestling WWE style with Cesaro and Drew Gulak I bet he’d be salivating looking at that AEW roster. I do wonder who's on Vince's list of 'don't you fucking dare let them go anywhere else' (in a wrestling capacity) vs what fans would expect. Obviously Lesnar is right up there but who else? Roman? Cena? The Rock? I do wonder how many he'd legitimately do anything to keep on board. I would think it's a pretty small list really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theringmaster Posted May 5, 2021 Share Posted May 5, 2021 I think WWE are more than accepting to the idea of 'part time' contracts for the vets these days and he will sign something along the lines of 'just tv' with regular breaks throughout the year. To me it's a no brainer to get him involved at the PC, I can defiantly see him fitting into a role where he looks at NXT guys/girls who just are not 'clicking' and try and fix them. Although it wont happen, I could imagine AEW being prepared to throw a load of cash at him, they are looking for their 'WCW Hogan signing' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Supremo Posted May 5, 2021 Author Paid Members Share Posted May 5, 2021 4 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said: I do wonder who's on Vince's list of 'don't you fucking dare let them go anywhere else' (in a wrestling capacity) vs what fans would expect. Obviously Lesnar is right up there but who else? Roman? Cena? The Rock? I do wonder how many he'd legitimately do anything to keep on board. I would think it's a pretty small list really. I reckon he’d let Shane go in a heartbeat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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