Wrestling veteran claims WWE tried to "sabotage" Daniel Bryan by making a highly controversial decision (Exclusive)

Daniel Bryan has had one of the most accomplished careers of any wrestler in modern-day wrestling. His WWE stint will always be fondly remembered - lasting for a decade and seeing him reach the pinnacle of the industry. Veteran writer Vince Russo, however, is convinced that WWE tried to sabotage Bryan.

On the latest episode of The Wrestling Outlaws, Vince Russo, EC3, and Dr. Chris Featherstone discussed the end of The Undertaker's streak at WrestleMania 30. Russo believes that it was a conscious decision made by WWE to try and deflate Daniel Bryan, who was forced into the main event due to fans rejecting Batista and showing their support for The American Dragon.

It was brought up in the discussion that the crowd being shocked by The Undertaker losing deflated Bryan's moment despite fans cheering for him. Russo said it had more to do with WWE seemingly wanting to sabotage Daniel Bryan's victory over The Animal and Randy Orton.

"This was done 100% by design [ending The Undertaker's streak to devalue Daniel Bryan's coronation]. They gave it to the people because that's what the people wanted. But the company was not behind it. Because they're smarter than that. Because they knew that 1000% and that's probably the sole reason why they did it. They knew that. That's what they do." (3:35 - 4:12)

You can watch the full video below:

What was Vince McMahon's initial reaction after signing Daniel Bryan?

Vince McMahon casually applying hand sanitizer once AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan leave his office. 😂 #MITB https://t.co/NUMxjNifVE

Daniel Bryan was possibly never the type of wrestler Vince McMahon preferred. However, by the end of his run, he had two WrestleMania main events and numerous championships in his tally. He also gained creative control of his character - a rare privilege that only a few superstars enjoy in the company. But that wasn't always the case with Bryan.

On an episode of The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, the veteran revealed how Vince McMahon initially reacted to The American Dragon.

"He’s a guy who has helped break the glass ceiling when it comes to size because I remember there were times when he first came and Vince [was] like: ‘He’s a vegan, dammit!’ The way he got over so organically at 'Mania was a great example of WWE being forced to listen to the audience, being forced to follow what the fans want to see."

Overall, it seems like the relationship between McMahon and Bryan panned out just fine.

If you take any quotes from the first half of the article, please embed the YouTube video and credit Sportskeeda Wrestling.