Daniel Bryan Pushes for WWE Superstars to Wrestle for Other Companies

While the borders between AEW, the National Wrestling Alliance, Impact Wrestling, AAA and New Japan Pro Wrestling have started to open up recently, WWE has kept to its age-old policy about not letting wrestlers compete for other companies while under contract. But Daniel Bryan is trying to change that, as he revealed in an interview with Barstool’s Robbie Fox this week.

“I brought [the idea] up to a lot of people,” Bryan said [h/t Fightful]. “I don’t think [a hair vs. hair match in Mexico] would happen. I also think that now, more than ever, it a time when people are open to new ideas. I think I have made some headway. Whether any of it actually happens, who knows. I don’t think people truly understand how great a lot of WWE Superstars are because we don’t necessarily put on a pure wrestling product, we put on a sports entertainment product.

“If all of a sudden you saw Cesaro in New Japan, people would be like, ‘This guy is the greatest.’ If you put Otis in New Japan, people would be like, ‘Holy cow, this guy is amazing.’ Like, Vader from the 90s type vibe. It’s just a different presentation,” he continued. “I think it would be a cool and unique contribution in wrestling, as far as giving back. I also think it’d be good for WWE and wrestling in general for them to go and learn at other places. I wouldn’t be the performer that I am today if I hadn’t wrestled in Japan or the UK, where it was all comedy. All of those things add to your depth and when it’s time to put you in a top position, you can do a number of things.”

Bryan admitted in a fan Q&A before WrestleMania 37 that he’s been trying to get himself that kind of deal, as his full-time WWE contract is expiring soon.

“It’d be interesting if I could wrestle in different companies and WWE,” Bryan said. “That’s something I’m trying to weasel my way into right now.”

The former WWE Champion will take on Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship on this week’s Friday Night SmackDown. If he loses, he’ll be banished from the brand.