Back in April fans saw Bryan Danielson challenge Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship on Friday Night SmackDown, and in the end it was Reigns who won the match and retained the title. Shortly after his contract expired, and fans saw the former WWE Champion make his AEW debut at the recent All Out pay-per-view.
The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that Bryan Danielson was given a major offer to stay with WWE, and that AEW also made him a similar offer.
WWE pushed hard to sign Bryan to a long-term deal, and he was also promised that he would be able to work with New Japan Pro Wrestling. Working with NJPW was said to have been a key part of Bryan’s decision making process, and Vince McMahon gave Bryan permission to compete in the G1 Climax tournament.
WWE President Nick Khan attempted to make a deal with NJPW with the idea that WWE talents who wanted to go to NJPW to test themselves would be able to do so. However, WWE wanted the deal to be exclusive, and they didn’t want to send WWE talent to NJPW if AEW talents would also be working there.
It’s being said that both WWE and AEW offered Bryan similar money, and that WWE was willing to give him limited dates, time at home, the ability to do outside projects, and one of the largest guarantees in the company. AEW’s offer was reportedly similar.
Stay tuned for more updates on Bryan Danielson’s status as they become available.
