Since it’s on a lot of wrestling fans’ minds after Bodyslam.net last night (July 21) said that Daniel Bryan “has 100% already signed a contract with AEW”, here’s a rundown of what’s being discussed in the wake of that report.
- Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp said he hasn’t been able to confirm the story, but knows Bodyslam’s Cassidy Haynes has many AEW contacts.
- Dave Meltzer also said on Wrestling Observer Radio that he doesn’t know for a fact that Bryan has signed, but that signs point to that being the likely outcome. Meltzer’s long believed the ability to work in New Japan would be the deciding factor for Bryan, and once WWE’s attempts to work out a deal with NJPW fell through, AEW became his logical landing spot.
- With the usual “plans change” caveats (specifically if the CM Punk signing comes together between now and All Out), Haynes says AEW wants to debut Bryan at their Sept. 22 show at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York. They want to wrap up their plans for the Labor Day weekend PPV, and introduce DB as part their next wave of stories.
- Meltzer also indicated that if/when the deal is done, debuting Bryan in Queens is probably the plan.
Stay tuned. Or start making plans for a trip to Flushing Meadows, depending on your confidence level in these reports.