When Daniel Bryan defeated The Miz at Super Show-Down, he earned a shot at the WWE Championship, and it was later announced that he would challenge AJ Styles for the belt at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia.
But instead the match took place on SmackDown Live this week, and Bryan was written out of Crown Jewel when he was defeated by AJ Styles.
According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Daniel Bryan originally asked to lose to The Miz at Super Show-Down in Australia. However, it’s not clear if he made that request because he knew he would be getting the title shot in Saudi Arabia, or if he felt it wasn’t time for his feud with The Miz to end.
When Daniel Bryan told Vince McMahon he wouldn’t be going to Saudi Arabia they agreed to keep it a secret, but the news got out seven days later when it was reported by Robbie Fox of Barstool Sports.
Everyone knew about the rumor, but it couldn’t be confirmed and the creative team was told to push ahead as if the match was happening.
There was an idea pitched to do an empty arena match, but ultimately WWE decided against it as the match likely would have created even more controversy.
The title match on SmackDown Live was also kept secret as Bryan and Styles were listed for an in-ring segment on the format sheet and the sheet also listed a “match” scheduled for 2 segments but didn’t mention who was set to be in the match.
It’s not known if WWE officials were punishing Bryan by having him tap out to AJ Styles on SmackDown, but it’s believed that Bryan’s program with AJ is over and the company is moving on.
