WWE Rumor: Daniel Bryan Leaving WWE? — NJPW Could Be In Bryan’s Future After His WWE Contract Expires
Shortly after winning the Intercontinental Championship for the very first time in his career at WrestleMania 31, former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan suffered a concussion and was forced to forfeit the I.C. Title.
When Bryan relinquished the championship, he said that he didn’t know when he was going to be back, saying that it may be weeks, months, a year, or, he may never wrestle again. Well, it’s been about six months since Bryan was concussed, and he has been cleared for an in-ring return by doctors outside of WWE. However, WWE’s doctors have been very hesitant to clear him.
In recent interviews, Daniel Bryan has expressed his desire to get back into the ring, and, up to this point, he has been very understanding of why WWE hasn’t cleared him to wrestle. But, while he’s been patient and understanding, Bryan has also expressed a bit of frustration because he’s wanting to get back in the ring as soon as possible.
Some have suggested that Daniel Bryan’s in-ring career is over, while others have said that WWE will hold Bryan’s return off until after WrestleMania 32, so his presence and popularity doesn’t ruin their WrestleMania plans for the third year in a row.
Whether WWE is looking out for their own best interest, or looking out for Daniel Bryan’s long-term health, the fact is that Bryan is ready to return to the ring now, and the longer WWE waits to clear him to do so, the more frustrated he’ll become, which may end up causing him to leave the company after his WWE contract expires.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer was asked about the possibility of Daniel Bryan leaving WWE and joining a promotion like New Japan Pro Wrestling if WWE never clears him to wrestle, and Metlzer didn’t rule out the possibility of the former WWE Champ signing with Japan’s most popular wrestling promotion.
“I don’t think [WWE] wants [Daniel Bryan] going somewhere else, but it’s going to be interesting, because he’s going to want to wrestle. I’m sure he’s super frustrated right about now. WWE probably is doing the right thing for him, and I think he knows it, but he just wants to wrestle.”
“I really think that the end result is going to be that when his WWE contract is up, he’s not going to want to re-sign, and he’s going to call New Japan Pro Wrestling and try to make a deal there. Or [WWE] will just say, ‘Okay, you can come back and wrestle.’ I think it’s going to be one of those two.”
Over the summer, Bryan promised that his in-ring career wasn’t over, and he revealed that he has told WWE that if they never clear him to wrestle, he will think about leaving the company so he can wrestle elsewhere.
“Yes, there is that chance [WWE may never clear me to wrestle]. But I told them, regardless of them, if they won’t clear me, we’re independent contractors, in theory, and I will wrestle again.”
There’s a possibility that, if WWE feels that Daniel Bryan is going to leave after his contract expires, they could give him the Rey Mysterio treatment and add time to Bryan’s contract, saying that he owes them the time he missed while he was injured, which would prevent him from being able to leave in the immediate future. However, it’s unlikely that they’ll end up doing that, unless they feel that they can use him in some capacity in a non-wrestling role.
