Unlike some people before him, Daniel Bryan has been using his creative influence to elevate younger stars.
Dave Meltzer reported in this week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter that the former WWE Champion has been pushing for more NXT talent to be brought up to SmackDown. However, he has been met with opposition.
Bryan has received pushback from this idea due to the poor track record of wrestlers brought up from NXT to the main roster over the last two years. It all comes down to Vince McMahon losing interest in call-ups soon after they debut as well as several main roster talent who don’t currently have a role on TV.
Rhea Ripley and Damien Priest
We know that Damien Priest and Rhea Ripley are two NXT stars that WWE plans to call up from NXT in the near future. Priest was set to be called up to SmackDown and align with Kevin Owens. However, this plan was shelved when WWE did not come up with a storyline that worked.
Rhea Ripley is also headed to the main roster soon following her loss to Raquel Gonzalez at NXT New Year’s Evil. It is believed Ripley will resume her feud with Charlotte Flair, which was put on hold after their match at WrestleMania 36 last April.
The much-anticipated match between Universal Champion Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan will be taking place at the upcoming Royal Rumble PPV according to reports from Wrestling Observer Radio.
At one point it appeared that the bout was being projected for the TLC event but then reports suggested that the company could hold it off for a later date. Officials seem to have backed out of idea in recent weeks as well.
Coming out of this Friday’s episode of SmackDown, it appears that Roman Reigns will be defending his title against Kevin Owens at the upcoming PPV.
Owens took on Jey Uso on the latest episode of the show as a way to get Roman’s attention. He then had an intense verbal exchange with Reigns’ associate Paul Heyman on Talking Smack.
On the other hand, Daniel Bryan went up against the Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn on the show. He lost the bout via a count-out and Bryan will likely need to be built up for a match against the Big Dog after the TLC PPV.
Though Dave Meltzer discussed how the former world champion has been involved with SmackDown’s creative lately and according to the wrestling journalist a lot of what’s happened to Bryan ‘is his own doing.’
With that said, it’s possible that Daniel Bryan has some ideas on how he wants this feud to unfold and it’d be interesting to see how things pan out leading to the Royal Rumble PPV.
Chad Gable has revealed which WWE Superstar is his “dream opponent” during an interview with WWE’s After the Bell podcast.
Having shared his championship aspirations with podcast host Corey Graves, Gable admitted he’s eager to prove himself against top talent, pointing directly at Daniel Bryan.
He noted how he’s not going to be aiming directly for the WWE Universal Championship just yet, although it remains his ultimate goal. Instead, he’s got his eyes set on the Intercontinental title.
“[…] I’m not going to say all of a sudden, three months from now, oh, I should be Universal Champion, because I don’t think that we make those kind of jumps immediately,” Gable confessed. “I do see that for myself long-term because you have to or else what are you doing? But I am very happy that I stayed on Smackdown because we have the IC Title, which I think would be a great starting point for me as a singles guy. I want to get in that mix.”
Chad Gable’s Championship Goals
If successful, the former American Alpha member shared how he would be a fighting champion. He revealed how he would be eager to “defend it all the time.” According to him, his dream match would be a bout against Bryan, regardless of whether the Intercontinental Championship was at stake or not.
“[…] there’s guys like Bryan on our show who I have not had a chance to wrestle yet on TV, especially in a singles match. It’s my dream opponent that’s still wrestling. Before he’s done – and I don’t know how long he has left or how long he plans on wrestling – I want to have that match with Bryan, whether it’s for the IC title.”
He revealed how if he were able to wrestle Bryan, he’d want their match to have real stakes involved. Gable is confident if the match happened, he’d be able to show the world what he’s truly capable of. And with an opponent like Daniel Bryan, Gable believes they’d be able to “tear the house down.”
SmackDown Superstar Big E has revealed which Superstar has been instrumental in his current singles push. Speaking with the Gorilla Podcast, Big E credited Daniel Bryan for supporting and pushing for him behind-the-scenes.
I have to give credit to Daniel Bryan. The idea for the solo run was from him. He’s the reason. Not just, ‘Hey, Big E…’ he’s actually part of the process and he’s the one who said, ‘This is what we should do with Big E.’ It feels like an environment where I do have a voice and I get to do what I want by any means.”
Big E also reflected on his recent feud with Sheamus. He noted how discussions had taken place that would have given him new music and a different presentation:
“We talked about ‘when is the right time to play it?’ and we never got around to it because I hadn’t been in the arena for a few months because a lot of our stuff happened backstage until we had the match,” Big E explained.
“With SmackDown, we don’t have as many segments to fill. We’re afforded the luxury of being able to do a little more creative stuff.”
He added how he isn’t sure about the creative differences and freedoms between Raw and SmackDown. Big E then noted he is glad to “have a voice” with the SmackDown creative team.
Daniel Bryan has had a great run since his return to in-ring action from a career-threatening injury in 2018 and he has had memorable feuds with foes such as The Fiend, AJ Styles, Kofi Kingston and more since his comeback.
Unfortunately, it appears that we won’t be seeing a lot more of these long feuds featuring the former WWE champion, as according to the SmackDown star himself, his current run is his last stint as a full time WWE superstar.
Daniel Bryan talked about his status on the special episode of Talking Smack that aired this past Friday and the former champion explained that he has made up his mind about this run being his last full time outing:
“I haven’t said anything about this, but in my mind, this is kind of my last run, you know what I mean? This is my last run as a full-time Superstar.”
Bryan also talked about his mentality through his current run saying that he is not thinking that he has to ‘prove to everybody’ that he’s the best and instead it’s about proving things to himself.
While Daniel Bryan did not reveal how long he is planning to continue working as a full-time superstar for WWE, previous reports have confirmed that he signed a new three year deal in 2018.
His current contract is expected to be up in September next year and it’s likely that he will resort to a part-time schedule after the expiry of his current deal.
WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan appeared on Talking Smack after this Friday’s episode of SmackDown on FOX. The ‘Yes’ man discussed a number of topics on the show, including his future as a Superstar on the blue brand.
“I am at a point now, in my life and career, where I want to test myself against the best performers in WWE,” Bryan stated. “Whether that’s against people I haven’t faced yet, and even people I have faced, since we’ve all evolved.”
Daniel Bryan would also admit on the show that he has lost a ‘spring’ in his step. Bryan has of course had multiple issues with his health in the past, including the head injury that forced him to retire back in 2016 before returning in 2018 at WrestleMania 34.
“I noticeably have lesser spring in my step as the match goes on, something I realized during my match against AJ Styles. I never had a problem with endurance before. [Although] I still don’t get tired but later in a match, I can’t jump as high anymore, and AJ still can.”
credit Talking Smack and a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Daniel Bryan is returning to WWE television. The company announced today that the former WWE Champion will be appearing on this Friday’s episode of SmackDown although they didn’t mention what he’ll be doing on the show whether that’s a promo or wrestling.
It’s been reported that he had been away from WWE TV tapings likely as a COVID-19 precautionary measure.
He hasn’t wrestled since June 12 where he lost to AJ Styles in the Intercontinental Title tournament finals This was around the time that Brie Bella was in the latter her pregnancy with their second child, who was born on August 1st.
WWE has also announced that Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits has been added to the show.
WWE is hyping this as the season premiere of SmackDown on FOX. As a result, a loaded show is being advertised from Orlando, Florida at the Amway Center.
SmackDown Card
The New Day vs. Cesaro, Sheamus and Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns vs. Braun Strowman
Jeff Hardy vs. Lars Sullivan
Daniel Bryan to return
Robert Roode and Dolph Ziggler vs. SmackDown Tag Team Champions The Street Profits
Former WWE Agent and AEW on-screen coach Arn Anderson recently discussed the 2010 Night of Champions PPV on the ARN podcast. One of the topics of conversation during the show surrounded WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan.
At the time, Bryan was not long off of his first run with the company on the main roster. When the Nexus debuted on RAW and dismantled the ring, Bryan used then ring announcer Justin Roberts’ tie to choke him. The fall out from this caused WWE to release Bryan; reportedly it was WWE partner Hasbro that was not happy with the incident.
Daniel Bryan
WWE would then bring Daniel Bryan back for SummerSlam 2010, where he would join with John Cena as part of a team going up against his former faction, Nexus. Beyond that, it took a long time for WWE to finally give Bryan the opportunity at the top of the card, culminating in his WrestleMania 30 main event win. Even this scenario only came to pass due to CM Punk leaving the company and plans needing to be changed almost last minute (the rampant fan reaction also helped).
“Well, whoever knows what the reasons are? There’s really no reason that made any sense” Arn Anderson began on the podcast, saying how WWE should’ve been getting behind Bryan sooner. “Because all you have to do? Is listen to the audience, you know?”
“He was getting over” Anderson continued. “And he was doing it because he was an everyday guy. A blue collar guy that had earned his way and paid his dues in the Indies. And that word, it caught around you know?”
Arn Anderson would then reveal that WWE at the time didn’t listen to the ‘hype’ coming from the independent scene. “We used to think that indie hotline wasn’t all that powerful, but it is. It gets around and when there’s a new guy out there that the audience feels like should be in one of the the big companies? One of the big shows? They’ll let you know.”
Do you agree with Arn Anderson about Daniel Bryan? Should WWE have gotten behind the YES man sooner in his WWE career? Let us know in the comments
Daniel Bryan has been absent from WWE television since June.
Dave Meltzer reported in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that there’s still no word yet on when Bryan will be back.
The former WWE Champion being away from the TV tapings at the Performance Center in Orlando was likely a COVID-19 precautionary measure as it was around the time that his wife Brie Bella was in the latter her pregnancy with their second child.
Brie had gone on record by expressing concerns about Bryan working during the coronavirus pandemic due to his weakened immune system. There’s speculation that he could be coming back in the near future as it’s been a month since Brie gave birth.
WWE has also bumped up its COVID-19 testing and moved to hold shows out of the Amway Center in Orlando. Since the move, wrestlers who had been hiatus such as Roman Reigns and Sami Zayn have returned to work.
Bryan joined the SmackDown writing team in July and reportedly has significant creative influence. He hasn’t wrestled since June 12 where he lost to AJ Styles in the Intercontinental Title tournament finals
AJ Styles has become the new WWE Intercontinental Champion.
During Friday’s episode of SmackDown from Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center on FOX, WWE held the tournament finals to crown a new Intercontinental Champion.
As seen on the show, Styles went over Daniel Bryan to become the champion. It was a long hard-hitting affair that saw both stars hit their signature moves. Several fans praised the contest on social media.
Back on the May 15th episode of SmackDown, WWE announced the full bracket for the Intercontinental Title tournament. There were 8 competitors in the tournament.
Styles, Bryan, Drew Gulak, Elias, Jeff Hardy, King Corbin, Sheamus, and Shinsuke Nakamura were confirmed as competitors.
WWE booked Elias vs. King Corbin, Daniel Bryan vs. Drew Gulak, Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus, and AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura in the first round.
The semi-finals of the tournament were supposed to take place on SmackDown with Jeff Hardy vs. Daniel Bryan and Elias vs. AJ Styles. But there were some changes due to a DUI storyline involving Hardy and Elias.
This tournament came about due to WWE stripping Sami Zayn of the title. The reason for this booking decision was due to Zayn being off of television.
The start of this week’s episode of WWE Friday Night SmackDown was different as WWE did an interesting storyline involving Jeff Hardy.
Also, fans now know who will be in the finals of the tournament that will determine the new Intercontinental Champion as those competitors have been revealed.
The semi-finals of the tournament were supposed to take place on Friday’s episode of SmackDown in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center on FOX. The pair of matches were Jeff Hardy vs. Daniel Bryan and Elias vs. AJ Styles.
However, the show opened with a car parked on a curb with the hood open and Elias on the ground. Once EMT’s and police arrived, they found Hardy nearby and arrested him. Police found an alcohol bottle as well as the registration in the name of Hardy for the rental car. Elias was taken away by ambulance.
Hardy has a history of drunk driving and issues with alcohol abuse.
Thus, after a backstage meeting, it was determined that Styles would advance to the finals while Bryan would take on the winner of a 10-man battle royal in the opening contest.
This contest was won by Sheamus, who took on Bryan in the main event. As seen on the show, Bryan went over Sheamus thanks to a distraction from the returning Hardy.
The finals of the tournament between Styles and Bryan will take place in two weeks on SmackDown.
Brie Bella has said that she is worried about her marriage to Daniel Bryan. In a promo clip for tonight’s episode of Total Bellas, Brie tells her sister Nikki that she is worried that her and Bryan are growing apart.
“He and I both … We don’t have a lot of time together as a couple,” Brie said. “At times we feel like single parents, when he comes back in town, I leave. We’re kind of growing apart, we’re not growing together.”
Brie continued to talk about how the couple has started to want different things. Bryan and Brie were married in 2014 after 2 years of dating.
The couple has planned a romantic getaway to Sedona, Arizona to work on their relationship.
“In the last eight years, Bryan and I have just wanted different things than what we’ve both wanted together in the beginning. I think we really need to come up with some compromises, and I know that if I want my marriage to work, I have to go into Sedona so honest. I can’t come back to Phoenix with any regrets.”
Bryan is scheduled to face Jeff Hardy this week on Smackdown. The match is a semi-final tournament match to determine a new Intercontinental Champion.
WWE Superstar and host of UpUpDownDown Xavier Woods recently appeared on the Gorilla Position podcast.
During the interview with James Delow, Xavier Woods would discuss a number of topics during his time with WWE. These included his New Day run, the creation of UpUpDownDown and his eventual return from injury.
One of the points raised during the interview was Kofi Kingston’s WWE Championship win at WrestleMania 35. Woods would discuss how emotional the moment was for him, Big E and Kingston when Kofi beat Daniel Bryan to win the Championship.
A Lot of Emotions
“It’s a lot of emotions and I…it always comes up when we’re talking about this, that picture of Big E and me holding Kofi and I’m bawling uncontrollably” Woods would begin. “Because it’s super meaningful for a lot of reasons.”
Xavier Woods would then talk about the importance of Kofi becoming the first ever African-born WWE Champion. Woods would also discuss representation in pro wrestling, saying how previously he felt there wasn’t someone who represented him as a young black man watching the product. “As a kid growing up? There wasn’t always someone in the limelight that represented me and the way that I look.”
Xavier Woods on the Angle
Woods elaborated further, saying “to be able to be a part of this angle? Of the story? Where I am able to help prop up the person who is able to be that for this next generation of kids? I have not done anything in my career that has meant more than that. And I will most likely not do anything in my career that will mean more than that moment.”
The creator of UpUpDownDown would then describe the moment with Kofi as “perfect.” Using the analogy of blackjack and saying that they hit 21 with the angle. “There’s not many moments in wrestling that I would say are perfect. That was perfect. When I tell people that wrestling is incredible? Like, that’s what I’m trying to say like, no, you’re not always gonna land on 21 when you’re playing blackjack. But, you know, as long as you can stay around like 17/19? You’re okay. But that was 21, that was the best that could possibly have been done.”
Woods would finish by saying how to him it’s the greatest moment in pro wrestling. “And so that’s the greatest moment in wrestling, to me, just for the personal reasons. But then, also being able to be in in wrestling in that time where so many things had to come together for that most perfect moment.”
It’s importance of Kofi’s win at WrestleMania 35 is undeniable. Even with the way in which Brock Lesnar would defeat Kingston to take the title? There’s no doubt that the moment will live on in history and the match itself between Bryan and Kofi was fantastic to boot.
Brie Bella talked about her marital problems with Daniel Bryan being shown for the world to see.
She did so in an interview with TVInsider.com. These issues that many married couples deal with are airing on the current season of Total Bellas on the E! Network.
Brie started out by talking about how she is in quarantine with her husband Daniel Bryan, Nikki, and Nikki’s fiancé Artem Chigvintsev while watching the show and reliving the problems that they had, which brings back those feelings.
She said that you’re never prepared for reality television or what is going to happen.
“[Bryan and I] never had the intention of showcasing our marriage the way we did this season.”
She stated that what happens when you’re on camera is that the producers start to realize what is really going on. They ask whether she and Bryan are distant and not happy.
“You start to ask these same questions and realize, I’m not happy. We are distant and evolving differently. But Bryan and I put on a brave face and show this part of our marriage because we do believe a lot of married people who have kids go through this.”
Brie also talked about Total Bellas and being in quarantine.
SmackDown Superstar Drew Gulak has opened up about his relationship with Daniel Bryan following their encounter at Elimination Chamber. He was asked by Corey Graves on his WWE podcast After the Bellto explain why their chemistry is so important, and why Elimination Chamber held a special meaning for them.
Gulak explained how Elimination Chamber was “up the street from where I trained.” Not only that, it was also where Daniel Bryan “cut his teeth at the Murphy Rec Center.” That gave the event some extra special meaning to both Superstars.
He reflected on how, prior to Elimination Chamber in March “We never touched in the ring. He got to call my matches at the Cruiserweight Classic, which was kind of cool because that was him getting a chance to kind of see that style.”
Drew Gulak noted how his in-ring technical style is “different” and that he believes he their clash at the pay-per-view “woke up something inside of him to be like, ‘Man I want to do more of that.’” He believes it had a similar effect on a lot of people. He noted how inspiring people to try something and explore a different avenue is something he loves doing.
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The title reign of Sami Zayn as WWE Intercontinental Champion continues as he was not dethroned by Daniel Bryan.
Zayn did so when he beat the former WWE Champion to retain the championship at Saturday’s (April 5, 2020) WWE WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center on the WWE Network.
This championship bout was set up last month when WWE booked an interesting match on Friday Night SmackDown on FOX. This saw a contest between Drew Gulak and Shinsuke Nakamura.
The stipulation of the contest was that if Gulak beat Nakamura then Bryan would get an Intercontinental Title match.
Gulak ended up beating Nakamura on the show. As a result, Bryan earned the right to challenge Zayn for the strap at WrestleMania 36.
At the WWE Elimination Chamber pay-per-view event last month in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Wells Fargo Center, Braun Strowman Strowman defended the title against Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Zayn in a 3-On-1 Handicap Match.
This contest served as the co-main event and saw Strowman get pinned by Zayn in the match earning him the title.
Time will tell whether WWE continues this feud or goes into a different direction in the next few weeks.
What are your thoughts on Daniel Bryan not winning the WWE Intercontinental Title? Was this the right call by WWE officials? Sound off in the comment section.
A new match has been announced for the upcoming WWE WrestleMania 36 PPV.
WWE booked an interesting match on Friday Night SmackDown on FOX between Drew Gulak and Shinsuke Nakamura. The stipulation of the contest was that if Gulak beat Nakamura then Daniel Bryan would get an Intercontinental Title match.
On the show, Gulak ended up beating Nakamura. As a result, Bryan will challenge Sami Zayn for the strap at WrestleMania 36.
WWE presents the WrestleMania 36 pay-per-view event as a two-night event on Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5 in Orlando, Florida at the WWE Performance Center.
Updated WWE WrestleMania 36 Card
WWE Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre
WWE NXT Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair
AJ Styles vs. The Undertaker – Boneyard Match
Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins – Singles Match
WWE Universal Champion Goldberg vs. TBA
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt – Singles Match
Edge vs. Randy Orton – Last Man Standing Match
WWE RAW Women’s Champion Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler
WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Bayley vs. Lacey Evans vs. Tamina vs. Naomi vs. Sasha Banks – Five Pack Challenge
Baron Corbin vs. Elias
Bobby Lashley vs. Aleister Black
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions The Street Profits vs. Angel Garza & TBA
WWE Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn vs. Daniel Bryan
What are your thoughts on this match being added to the card? Sound off in the comment section.
Daniel Bryan returned to in-ring action at WrestleMania 34 in 2018 and six months later, he turned heel for the first time since 2012 by beating AJ Styles for the WWE Championship right before the Survivor Series PPV.
However, it took the former World Champion some time to get into his new character and during his recent appearance on the Bump; Bryan explained how his match with Brock Lesnar at the PPV helped him embrace his new character.
The former NXT star first said that he doesn’t consider his
defeat in the bout a loss. He then claimed that he wanted Lesnar to beat the
‘old Daniel Bryan’ out of him, which the Beast did a very good job at:
“I don’t consider that I lost that match, they never mention this on WWE TV at all. I was transitioning from the old ‘Yes’ Daniel Bryan to the ‘New’ Daniel Bryan. I really wanted to antagonize Brock Lesnar, to beat me up as much as he could because I felt he needed to beat the old Daniel Bryan out of me, and I feel like he did a very good job at that.”
AJ Styles was originally expected to face the then Universal Champion Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series 2018. However, Daniel beat the Phenomenal One on the PPV go-home episode of SmackDown Live using a low blow.
The former Nexus Member embraced this heel turn in the coming weeks after the PPV and introduced the people to a ‘New’ Daniel Bryan after the show.
Brie Bella has opened up about her husband, Daniel Bryan, working WWE events down in Orlando, Florida despite there being an outbreak of the coronavirus not only in the United States but also around the world.
She did so on the Bella Twins’ latest podcast. She stated that Bryan is still working the TV tapings and while she’s glad that he’s working, it makes her really nervous.
“My husband has an autoimmune disease, he also fought asthma really bad when he was young. He was always sick when he was a kid and I’ll admit … I lost sleep last night. I was king of like, ‘ugh.’ I’m grateful my husband is still employed, but at the same time, I’m really scared that he’s just out there. I just pray so much for him that he stays healthy and all that, but it’s like this weird tug-of-war.”
Bella continued by noting that he’s in Orlando and when he comes back home, he will have to stay at a hotel and be checked out by their Naturopath, Dr. Jane, in order to see if he has any symptoms before he comes home to them.
“That could be weeks, and when he left yesterday or the day before, I was just like, ‘It could be three weeks until I see you’ and it’s just sad but thank goodness for technology, FaceTime and all that.”
WWE has taped several upcoming episodes of RAW, NXT, and SmackDown in addition to taping both nights of WrestleMania 36 since last Saturday.
SmackDown Superstar Daniel Bryan has acknowledged his recent wardrobe malfunction. Speaking with the Bella Twins’ on their podcast, Bryan opened up about the moment that took place during WWE’s Elimination Chamber pay-per-view.
Bryan explained how he didn’t find out about what had happened when he came backstage. He shared how most people were either complimenting his matchup or concerned about his neck. “[…] so not a single person mentioned it. I went to sleep [that] night not even knowing that it was a thing. I didn’t feel anything, and you’d think because that’s a sensitive area, you’d think you’d feel a breeze or something like that, you know? But [that] night it wasn’t even a thing.”
Daniel Bryan’s Reaction
It wasn’t until the next morning when he got text messages from some friends that he realized what had happened. Bryan stated how he’s a terrible texter, so most people don’t bother texting him. “So that meant when I got two text messages from people saying, ‘Dude, I saw your balls!’ [laughs] I was like, ‘What?’ I didn’t know what was going on.”
He admits his first reaction was some natural embarrassment. That being said, he soon found the funny side to the situation. “[…] if your boobs come out … And then all these guys — I don’t want to say all these guys, but traditionally men — are like, ‘Boobs, yay!’ I didn’t see when I looked on social media, nobody said, ‘Balls, yay!’ [laughs]”
Daniel Bryan competed against Drew Gulak in a hard-hitting matchup during Elimination Chamber. Bryan would eventually walk away with the victory. At the time of writing, Daniel Bryan doesn’t have a scheduled match at WrestleMania 36, which now takes place on April 4 and April 5 from multiple locations.
WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan recently gave an update on his in-ring WWE career. The leader of the ‘Yes’ Movement recently appeared on The Bellas podcast and discussed how the upcoming birth of his second child with Brie Bella has changed his priorities in life, particularly pertaining to being a full time WWE contracted performer.
“It’s a little stressful because of the date that you’re due and all that kind of stuff” Daniel Bryan began. “But the WWE has been great. They’re gonna give me six weeks paternity leave, which so few places in the United States do that. So I’ll get to be home that first six weeks.”
“It’s not long until my contract is up”
– Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan would then reveal that his WWE contract is soon to expire. “Then after that it’s not long until my contract is up. We’ve been talking about, like, what we do from there? But to me, in my mind, it’s almost like I think I’m just done being a full time wrestler.”
Daniel Bryan’s Return To WWE
Bryan finished by saying “You know what I mean like, I love being a dad. I will always love wrestling, right, I will always love wrestling. And I always want to do wrestling, but when I say always do wrestling that means like maybe once a month or once every couple of months.”
Daniel Bryan made his return to in-ring WWE action back at WrestleMania 34. Bryan would team with Shane McMahon to take on Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, shocking many who believed that the former WWE Champion would no longer be able to compete due to concussion complications.
More recently, Daniel Bryan has been utilized as a mid to upper card talent, now working alongside Drew Gulak in a program against Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura.
When SmackDown Superstar Daniel Bryan last held the WWE Championship, he unveiled a new hemp version of the title. He also adopted the moniker: “The Planet’s Champion.” In an interview with MySanAntonio.com, Bryan recalled his eco-movement heel, and how at one point he was asked by WWE to stop talking about the environment. He also detailed how he intends to have a range of eco-friendly merchandise created.
Daniel Bryan’s Guilt
Bryan spoke of his guilt in “the amount of stuff that I’ve specifically sold to people.” He used his “Planet’s Champion” gimmick as a reason to avoid wearing a shirt to the ring, noting how “that’s one of the things that I can criticize other people for — they’re just out there for other people’s money.”
“Now that I’m a good guy again, they’re like, ‘Well, we’d really like you to wear a shirt, and let’s get back to making T-shirts for you again.’ I was like, ‘Well, I don’t really want to do that.’ And so now I’m working with them about that, and the next Daniel Bryan shirts are going to be made out of recycled materials,” he explained. “And I think five plastic water bottles will be used for every shirt. So they’ll be made out of plastic water bottles and recycled materials and that, to me, is cool, and that’s something that’s a good-guy thing that’s also kind of environmentally friendly.”
Daniel Bryan is also lobbying for a tree planting initiative. If Bryan can achieve this, every shirt that is sold will see a tree planted. He noted how WWE was “balking a little bit on that.” Bryan stressed how he’s not interested in making money on these t-shirts, but if there has to be merchandise, he wants it to make a positive impact.
Being Told To Stop
“When I was doing the environmental thing, they actually told me to stop talking about the environment because they told me it was a political issue and we don’t want to deal with politics,” Bryan stated.
He continued, “I said, ‘It’s not a political issue. It’s a scientific issue, and the sciences pretty much prove it.’ So rather than looking at it from a right or left point of view, let’s look at it as, ‘Hey, improving the environment is a bulletproof idea to improve all of our children’s lives.’ And I think that’s also something that people can get behind, too. But how you do that in a wrestling format? I have no idea.”
Daniel Bryan is set to face off against “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt. The two compete this Sunday at Royal Rumble for the WWE Championship in a Strap match.
Daniel Bryan has opened up about his initial trepidation in returning to his babyface persona and once again using the ‘Yes’ chant. Speaking with My San Antonio, Bryan detailed why he didn’t feel “ready” to become that character again, noting how he feels he and Sami Zayn also have “unfinished business.”
“I honestly wasn’t really ready to go back to the ‘yes’ chants yet,” Bryan confessed. “I was really enjoying the stuff that I was doing as the ‘Planet’s Champion’ and environmentalist type of stuff. But sometimes you do what duty calls for, right? There’s the switch, and I still enjoy doing that.”
He continued, “But it’s weird, because it almost feels a little bit unfinished. We were starting a story with me and Sami Zayn, and to me that was very compelling. It was, ‘Do you want to go backward with these people and go back to being the ‘yes’ guy, or do you want to go forward with us?’ And to me, that’s a very interesting real question in my life and in my career. Do you want to go back to this? It’s easy to get reactions as the ‘yes’ guy and be the guy who goes out there and does the ‘yes’ chants. Or do I want to push things forward?”
Daniel Bryan’s Drive To Evolve
Bryan explained how, although he was willing to embrace the ‘Yes’ chant again, he enjoys pushing his own creative boundaries. Because of this, he didn’t want to return to what he’s done. Instead, he wanted to push it forward and evolve it. He noted how he’s enjoyed working with “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt, especially “this idea that he legitimately changes characters on TV. I think that’s a very compelling story.”
Daniel Bryan takes on “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt for the WWE Universal Championship this Sunday at Royal Rumble. The event takes place from Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas.
Daniel Bryan has revealed that it was his idea to shave his beard during his feud with the “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt. Bryan divulged the story during an interview with MySanAntonio.com. He opened up about why he pitched the idea, admitting he wanted to prolong his rivalry with Wyatt.
“Actually, it was my idea,” Bryan said. “And my idea was not the hair, it was just the beard. I had kind of pitched this to them as this idea of, ‘OK, how do we extend this story with Bray Wyatt,’ which is what they wanted to do, because he’s already defeated me cleanly, right? How do we do that? One of the things to me was that he’s changed people’s character so much when he’s faced them. And by him ripping out or cutting my beard, it would be this idea that he’s stripping me of part of my identity.”
He continued, “That was my kind of pitch to them. What actually happened? They said, ‘Well, yeah, then he can cut your hair, too!’ And I was like, ‘No, I don’t really want that. I don’t want my hair to be cut.’ I kind of wanted my hair to be longer. Just wrestling wise, I like that.”
Daniel Bryan’s Hair Cut
Bryan broke down what happened after he was dragged under the ring to have his head shaved. According to Bryan, there were two barbers under the ring, ready to shave off his long hair.
“So, they pulled me under the ring, they’ve got two barbers there who are in charge of like, getting my beard off and getting hair off so there can be this appearance of him ripping out my hair and all that kind of stuff. And we have a minute and a half of TV time left on the live show. And there’s also a producer down there, who’s saying, ‘We need more hair, we need more hair, we need more hair!’ And it’s completely dark under there. We were all so crammed in this little area because there’s also like real stuff under the ring that needs to be under the ring.”
“It’s just all in this crammed little area and these guys are cutting my hair and cutting my beard really quick and they’re supposed to just to cut X amount of hair off, which wasn’t as much as they ended up doing,” Bryan explained. “But the one guy on one side did a great job. They actually both did a great job considering the circumstances. But one guy just went a little too tight and a little too high. And then, after the show, they did their best … they tried after the show for like 45 minutes to make it like not just a shaved head. But that was the best we could do under the circumstances.”
Telling Brie Bella
Bryan then recalled having to break the news to Brie Bella. According to him, his wife “hates shaved heads.” After trying to soften the revelation with a few text messages, he eventually FaceTimed her to show her the result of the angle.
He shared how Brie became very quiet, and he could “see the anger.” Thankfully, this took place over Thanksgiving. He explained how it allowed him the opportunity to come home and spend time with family where she “couldn’t be too outwardly mad.”
Daniel Bryan will face off against “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt this Sunday at WWE Royal Rumble. They clash in a Strap Match for the WWE Universal Championship.
Bray Wyatt has made his intentions known to Daniel Bryan as he has issued a statement ahead of their rematch. Wyatt beat Bryan at Survivor Series in November.
Wyatt is slated to make his next title defense against Bryan as the WWE Universal Champion at the upcoming Royal Rumble pay-per-view event.
Bray Wyatt Issues Warning
Wyatt took to his personal Instagram account to send a statement that starts out heartfelt before making it known how serious he is about retaining the title. He wrote the following:
“In 2014 I had one of my favorite bouts of my career against Daniel Bryan at The Royal Rumble. Bryan was red hot, it was his time. He went on to main event WrestleMania and become the champ. Deservedly so, Bryan is without a doubt the best I’ve ever been in the ring with. Fast forward to 2020…… The Fiend vs Daniel Bryan at The Royal Rumble. Bryan is like myself in the fact that no one said, “This is a guy we should build our companies future around!”, the first time we walked in the door.
WE had to scratch and claw, outwork, out talk, out perform everyone on the pedestal in front of us. Daniel Bryan is one of the greatest of all time. But this is not his time, it’s mine. This is when my name becomes synonymous with the industry I have given my life to. I want to thank you Bryan for the blood we’ve spilled together over the years. But understand, for me, this is my war worth dying for. The choice isn’t mine to make. Good luck.”
Regarding Wyatt’s post when he talks about 2014, Bryan and Wyatt had a feud that ended after Wyatt wanted Bryan to join The Wyatt Family alongside Erick Rowan and Luke Harper.
Fast forward to WrestleMania 30, Wyatt suffered a loss to John Cena in a singles match. On the flip side, Bryan had a wild night. He first beat Triple H in the opening match to earn the right to headline the show.
With this win over “The Game,” it allowed him to be added to the Triple Threat Match with Batista and Randy Orton for the WWE World Heavyweight Title. This is where Bryan won the championship.
WWE presents the Royal Rumble pay-per-view event on Sunday, January 26, 2020 Houston, Texas at the Minute Maid Park and airs on the WWE Network.
WWE will be announcing more matches for this show in the coming weeks.
