Bryan Danielson Reveals Length Of His AEW Contract
Bryan Danielson (formerly known as Daniel Bryan in WWE) will be part of AEW for the long haul.
The 40-year-old wrestling legend debuted for AEW at the Sept. 5 All Out pay-per-view, just over four months after wrestilng his final match for WWE. Danielson came to the aid of Jurassic Express and Christian Cage, who were being attacked by Kenny Omega and his Elite allies.
During an interview on the MMA Hour (h/t WrestlingNews.co), Danielson revealed that his AEW contract is for three years. It's worth noting that Danielson recently stated that he views "these next three years as" his last for a fulll-time performer.
Danielson wrestled his final match for WWE on the Apr. 30 episode of Friday Night SmackDown. He was given one last chance to defeat Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship, but The Tribal Chief wound up defeating him via pinfall. As part of the match stipulation, Danielson was "banished" from SmackDown.
His WWE contract expired soon after. The company reportedly pushed for an extension, and there was apparently plenty of optimism within WWE that he would re-sign. But ultimately, Danielson couldn't pass up on the opportunity to try something new in AEW.
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It has also been reported that some in WWE don't think the door is necessarily closed on Danielson potentially returning to the company. WWE will have to wait a minimum of three years, and possibly longer. That's if a reunion ever happens, of course.
A Marquee Addition For AEW
As expected, Danielson has been a massive game-changer for AEW. His arrival came just two weeks after CM Punk made his highly-anticipated AEW debut at The First Dance. And of course, Adam Cole debuted at All Out moments before Danielson showed up.
Danielson's departure was a major loss for WWE, and he promises to be a money draw for AEW over the long run. There is no shortage of dream opponents for Danielson, who's really just getting started in his new home.
