On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez opened up on what's happening with Daniel Bryan following reports that his WWE contract has expired.
Meltzer started by pointing out that Bryan repeatedly said in promos that WrestleMania 37 could be his last, and that it was Saturday when word started spreading within WWE that the Leader of the Yes Movement was no longer under contract. "I guess he was gonna give them [until] right after WrestleMania in 2021, which is why all those promos were that this could be my last WrestleMania because his contract was coming due," he explained.
"The agreement was that he would go through this WrestleMania. Yeah, he’s a free agent. He can go anywhere he wants tomorrow." As for claims about where Bryan could head next, he added: "If anyone tells you that they know, they are lying to you."
Clearly, Bryan is keeping his in-ring future to himself, but he talked openly before the Show of Shows about wanting to wrestle in other companies, and if WWE won't allow that, then it's likely he's leaving. With ratings for RAW, NXT, and SmackDown lower than WWE would like, there's nothing to gain from keeping Bryan's return a surprise, so we'd know if he'd signed a new deal by now.
As a result, it's looking likely that the former WWE Champion is preparing to move on from the company he's called home for over a decade now.
Needless to say, you might want to keep a close eye on AEW and NJPW in the coming week...