WWE News: WWE Recently Blocked Daniel Bryan From Handing In His Notice To Leave The Company

WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan may be slated for WWE RAW tonight in Seattle, Washington, which just so happens to be near his hometown. One of the last times Bryan was here, he was cheered so heavily that John Cena, Triple H, and a few others had to come out of kayfabe to acknowledge him. Due to this, it would be one heck of a place for him to possibly tell people he’s retiring. While most assume that is what he is on the show for, others believe Bryan would never say this after knocking down WWE’s door to return.

He has been cleared to wrestle by several outside doctors, all of which who tell him he has a skull and brain that is more than healthy enough to perform. WWE is worried though, not about Bryan but about their bank account. They are facing a concussion lawsuit and most feel that this is why WWE is keeping Daniel Bryan out. We can probably assume Bryan himself knows this. That could be why he tried to leave WWE.

According to the Wrestling Observer, Daniel Bryan tried to quit WWE. He went to hand in his notice, but WWE blocked him from doing so. They stated he did not have have the right to give in his notice. While some believe this is outright ludicrous, it is not without some merit. WWE has the right to hire and fire performers, but any talent is subjected to WWE’s decision. They have to cut them, the talent cannot just leave.

One memorable exception was CM Punk, who walked out of the company after the Royal Rumble in 2014. He was then fired by WWE later that year, which worked out for Punk until the WWE doctor, Chris Amman, filed a lawsuit due to comments said by Punk on Colt Cabana’s radio show. Regardless, Punk is now out of WWE and a part of UFC’s roster. He is set to fight later this year for the first time under the UFC banner.

As for Bryan, he is an independent contractor, but his contract does have a lot of WWE pull. They have the right to freeze his contract if he misses too much time, which they did. They also do not have to allow him to go. However, it does seem like a lot of unneeded money to pay Bryan monthly. Why have him on the roster if he’s literally doing nothing for you?

Bryan is getting paid his “downside guarantee” right now. When he signed his new deal a while back, his downside was said to be relatively good. For a guy like Bryan, he could easily live off of this with no problem due to his modest lifestyle.

WWE is literally paying him to sit home. They would also be overpaying for any announce, authoritarian, or trainer role that they have tried to hand to Bryan. So literally, there is no other reason that makes sense economically to keep Daniel Bryan on the WWE roster if he’s not an in-ring talent. If he was released, the thought is that after his 90-day no-compete clause is up, he would wrestle for another company.

New Japan Pro-Wrestling seems like the most likely destination outside of Ring of Honor for the former WWE World Champion. However, it seems he would wrestle just about anywhere right now.

Many people are wondering what Daniel Bryan could be doing on WWE RAW tonight. If he “retires,” as many expect, one would imagine that this would be a sign he is leaving WWE. Bryan has continued to refuse anything that does not allow him to wrestle. That said, one would imagine that he would not come back for a random non-wrestling role now, when he has stuck to his guns this long.

Some assume Daniel Bryan may have forced WWE Chairman Vince McMahon to come around after wanting to quit. It was said before that McMahon was on the fence regarding his return already, so he may want to have Bryan back rather than realize a WWE without him. Bryan could always sue to get out of his deal, but with him appearing on WWE RAW tonight, it seems he and the company are on good terms. So, they obviously came to some sort of agreement.

[Image via WWE]