Saturday, June 12, 2010

Art or Life?

http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/14734694

So WWE.com just posted the news that they have released Daniel Bryan from his contract, and I can't help but wonder if this is legit, or if this is just a continuation of the storyline from Raw, where the NXT rookies attacked John Cena.

The part of me that believes it's real, unfortunately, is the fact that -- in storyline terms -- there's no reason to release him. According to the story, he was never under contract to begin with (the whole point of NXT is to win the contract, so according to WWE the only one under contract is Wade Barrett). So what exactly are they releasing him from?

A lot of people also believe that this is just a way for them to distinguish the "Daniel Bryan" character so that he can be properly reintroduced as "Bryan Danielson." That WOULD make sense, except for the fact that the WWE.com article openly refers to him using both names. So, essentially, BOTH of those characters are being released.

And finally, why single Bryan out? As of now, none of the other NXT rookies have been "released."

But the part of me that thinks this is a work is that, despite the inconsistencies above, it is conceivable, storyline wise. Along with that, the NXT rookies were thrust into the centerpiece of all three WWE programs, so I don't see Bryan asking for his release after suffering through several months of looking like a loser. And with the NXT rookies being in such a substantial story arc, WWE must know they need to keep their most talented rookie workers. So I'm not sure why they would let him go.

Personally, I hope it's a fake firing. But I'm guessing we'll learn more about this in the coming days.


2 comments:

Kyle Litke said...

I don't know. It seems very weird. According to Meltzer, he was essentially told that someone "important" complained about the tie choking thing, saying kids might choke people with their ties (which is the single stupidest thing I've heard in awhile, it's a wrestling show, there are far more things for them to repeat on their friends that don't involve them wearing a tie) and that Danielson was fired as a scapegoat, but that they want him back as soon as it blows over.

That seems a dumb reason to fire someone, but not out of line with something WWE would do, especially with Linda campaigning in CT.

On the other hand I could see it being somewhat of an angle, or maybe a mix of reality/angle. Remember the Matt Hardy incident? Where he was fired (or "fired") due to the situation with Edge and Matt, with everyone assuming it was essentially a time out? Matt books dates with RoH, then suddenly shows up on Raw, attacks Edge, and shouts about how everyone can watch him on Ring of Honor. He then has a few more matches with Ring of Honor despite obviously still being a WWE employee at this point.

It wouldn't shock me to see, say, Danielson show up at RoH's PPV next week to wrestle or cut an anti WWE promo or something, and still have him come back in a couple weeks. But I'd be surprised if he's on Raw, real or fake. If real he obviously won't be....if it's fake, it seems like they're working the internet and going for an angle with Danielson that's a bit apart from the other NXT guys.

Javier Rivera said...

Stupid... just stupid. Danielson was one of the reasons that closing angle on RAW was so memorable! He essentially got fired because he worked extra hard to get the angle over. He got fired for being a pro wrestler, not a sports entertainer. Extremely disappointed in WWE for doing something like this. I was really getting into Danielson as a legit WWE superstar, I already knew he had the ability in the ring, but now he showed charisma, personality, intensity. I'm sure WWE will regret releasing him.