A new report has claimed that as of this past Friday, Daniel Bryan is no longer under contract with WWE.
Following Daniel Bryan’s defeat to WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns on SmackDown last week in a bout with the stipulation that if Bryan lost he had to leave the blue brand, his WWE contract also expired in reality.
In a story first reported by Fightful Select and later confirmed by The Wrestling Observer, Bryan’s contract quietly expired last Friday on the day of his match with Reigns.
According to the Fightful report, Bryan had not spoken openly about his contract status, nor did he give any public farewells in the locker room on Friday night, which would suggest he has no intention of leaving WWE.
Fightful added that their sources indicate Bryan has been vocal about doing “unconventional work with and for WWE”, something he has previously discussed elsewhere in interviews as well.
Although anything can happen in wrestling and it is certainly possible that AEW could make a big play for him, something they are well within their rights to do while he is a free agent, the most likely scenario remains Bryan re-signing with WWE.
Bryan has previously talked about his retirement date perhaps coming sooner than people might think and has also noted how his neck was “wrecked” after a recent match on SmackDown.
After two decades in the business spent mostly working a punishing style and with a litany of injuries over the years, it seems inevitable that Bryan’s days as a full-time in-ring competitor are numbered regardless of where he ends up.