Daniel Bryan WWE Contract Rumors; Jericho vs. Sting; Angle Talks Eddie Guerrero Fight

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

WWE Trying to Re-Sign Daniel Bryan

Following his loss to Roman Reigns in a Universal Championship match on SmackDown last week, Daniel Bryan’s WWE contract reportedly expired, according to Fightful Select (h/t WrestlingInc.com’s Marc Middleton).

On Wednesday, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingInc.com’s Sai Mohan) confirmed the report and added that WWE is “pushing hard” to sign Bryan to a new deal.

Per Fightful Select, there were no reports of Bryan saying his farewells backstage after the loss to Reigns, and it is unclear if he may have already signed a new deal with WWE, intends to work for the company without a contract or plans to go elsewhere.

As per the stipulation of the match, Bryan is banned from SmackDown, meaning he could return on Raw or NXT should he remain with WWE.

In an interview with Keisha Hatchett of TV Line last week, Bryan said his neck was “wrecked” going into the match with Reigns. That could be a sign that he intends to take some time off to heal up before wrestling again for WWE or any other company.

The 39-year-old Bryan has a history of neck injuries, plus he is a father of two and has spoken often about potentially taking on a lighter wrestling schedule.

Since Bryan is one of WWE’s biggest stars and has been for many years, it stands to reason that the promotion will work with him as much as possible to give him a contract that provides him with the type of money and schedule he desires.

Bryan has no shortage of options at his disposal, including All Elite Wrestling, and that should help him secure the best deal for himself regardless of where he ends up.

Jericho Talks Possibly Wrestling Sting

Chris Jericho has been in the wrestling business for over 30 years, and Sting has been around even longer than that, but the two legendary performers have never locked horns in the ring.

In an interview with Joseph Staszewski of the New York Post, Jericho was asked about the possibility of facing The Icon in AEW.

While Jericho prefers working with younger talent, he is open to the idea since it is something the fans have never witnessed before:

“Painmaker versus Sting, kind of my alter ego, bat versus bat. It’s all there. Once again, it’s always based on the story. But one thing I’ve done really well since 2016 when I came back to WWE and worked with Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, I concentrated on working with kind of guys from the younger generation because I didn’t want to see another Jericho versus Triple H match for example. We’ve done it. So Jericho versus Sting for a one-time dream match, I think it would work. I don’t want it to be like WCW in ’96 where it’s Piper versus Hogan, Piper versus Savage where it’s just kind of like the same thing.”

Sting made his AEW debut in December, and although he has appeared weekly since then, he has been kept special to some degree by only having one match.

At Revolution, Sting teamed with TNT champion Darby Allin to beat Team Taz members Brian Cage and Ricky Starks in a cinematic tag team match. Since then, Sting has both been helping out Allin and engaging in a budding rivalry with Lance Archer.

Even at 50 years of age, Jericho can still have great matches against the right opponent and in the right situation. Things are a little more uncertain with Sting, as he is 62 and has a history of neck injuries.

Jericho vs. Sting would likely have to be cinematic, but that wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, as it would allow AEW to present the match exactly how it wants to and ensure that both performers are protected.

Since Jericho and Sting are two of the greatest of all time and may not have a ton of time left in the ring, it would behoove AEW to make that match happen sooner rather than later.

Angle Recalls Backstage Fight with Eddie Guerrero

WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle told a story this week about a fight he got into with Eddie Guerrero backstage at a WWE event.

On his Kurt Angle Show podcast, Angle described how the fight occurred, as well as the hilarious aftermath of the scuffle (beginning at the 2:20 mark):

Angle explained that Guerrero was upset after a match and accused Angle of being too stiff with him, although Angle said he never touched Eddie and it was the doing of his lackeys.

Kurt noted that Eddie got in his face, prompting him to push Guerrero. Angle said Guerrero then went for a double-leg takedown, which Kurt stopped before putting Eddie in a front face lock until Big Show broke it up.

Angle added that JBL joked around later in the night by asking Eddie, “Why would you try to double-leg an Olympic gold medalist?” Guerrero responded, “Because I’m freaking stupid, that’s why.”

Guerrero and Angle had no shortage of incredible matches in WWE, and they were friends outside the ring as well, but their skirmish is proof that anything can happen when emotions are running high.

Eddie tragically died at the age of 38 in 2005, but he left an enormous impression on wrestling fans during his career, and his moments with Angle are among those that the fans still celebrate the most.

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