4 Wrestling rumors we hope are true & 3 we hope aren't: WWE "pushing hard" to sign 5-Time World Champion, Big plans after SummerSlam 2021 revealed?
Welcome to this week's edition of WWE/wrestling rumors we hope are true and those we hope aren't! It's been a wild week in the world of wrestling, and a lot is going on.
WWE is edging closer to WrestleMania Backlash, which is a week away as of this writing. Let's jump right into the rumors of the week including ex-WWE superstars, long-term storyline plans, canceled returns and more:
#4. Hope is true: WWE "pushing hard" to sign Daniel Bryan to a new deal
There has been a lot of news about Daniel Bryan's WWE status ever since he lost to Roman Reigns and was booted from Friday Night SmackDown. It marked the end of an incredible 3-year run from his in-ring return. If you count his run as the SmackDown General Manager, then it's five years.
There were reports that Daniel Bryan's WWE contract legitimately expired after his loss to Roman Reigns on SmackDown. It came as little surprise since Daniel Bryan was open about his desire to shift into a part-time role and potentially even wrestle for other promotions.
Some believe that Daniel Bryan's statements about working outside of WWE is purely a negotiation tactic, since he's highly valued by the company and would be given big money even if he transitioned into being a part-timer.
According to Dave Meltzer of WON, WWE is pushing to re-sign Daniel Bryan to a new deal and is looking to lock it in sooner rather than later. Sportskeeda's Matt Black wrote:
"In an update to the situation, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reports that WWE is 'pushing hard' to sign Daniel Bryan to a new deal sooner rather than later."
We hope this is true since WWE is the best place for Daniel Bryan to be in as he enjoys a few more years in the ring on a limited schedule. It's been ten years for him in the company and it's hard to argue that he doesn't deserve it.
When taking into consideration the health factor, it's a bigger incentive for WWE to give him what he wants. Dave Meltzer noted that if there was no pandemic, Daniel Bryan would likely have competed in venues such as the Tokyo Dome and taken a chance outside of WWE.