As quick as he burst onto the scene he was gone, and now we can talk about why WWE fired Daniel Bryan over a decade ago. Plus, one ex-AEW talent felt unappreciated, leaving to his exit.
Why WWE Fired Daniel Bryan
The Nexus was a huge angle in 2010, but one Superstar was barely a part of it…so now we can dig into why WWE fired Daniel Bryan.
Taking a trip back in history a bit, WWE fired Daniel Bryan in 2010, following a blazing hot main roster debut by him and the Nexus faction.
It was one of the hottest programs WWE had going, though they ultimately botched that and it fizzled and died.
However, following their grand reveal, WWE fired Daniel Bryan.
The former WWE Superstar, known to fans now as AEW’s Bryan Danielson, discusses why he was terminated following the group’s beating of John Cena and others.
Turns out, the reason many had believed wasn’t far off from the truth.
Leading up to the segment, the newly minted faction was told that WWE wanted a gang-style attack on the established WWE talent.
Raw, violent, pushing the envelope.
And yet…Bryan pushed too far.
source: @wrestlepurists, twitter, screenshot
Fans may recall Bryan spitting in John Cena’s face, and choking Justin Roberts with Roberts’ own tie.
When news of Bryan being fired came out, many understood it was due to the tie-choking spot. For many, it was too close to the Chris Benoit situation.
Danielson confirmed that he was let go by Vince McMahon because of what he did, and that his actions didn’t come off as PG.
However, once things blew over, just a few months later, he was brought back in a big way.
At the time, it was easy to think that his firing was just an angle, but it turned out it was legitimate, even if short-lived.
Ex-AEW Talent Felt Unappreciated
Not everyone is a good fit in a promotion, and one ex-AEW talent felt unappreciated before his exit.
Frankie Kazarian spent time in AEW, but opted to ask for his release.
Upon being granted his release, he headed back to IMPACT.
His reasoning for moving back to IMPACT? Per Kazarian, he felt unappreciated in the company.
AEW brought in a lot of talent in short order. It is not a shock that some talents felt overlooked and underused.
Kazarian probably isn’t the only one.
He was one of the earlier names to join the company, and in the leaner beginning shows, he had plenty of work.
As talents began to flood in, his television time diminished.
By all accounts, Frankie Kazarian opted to return to a home where he knew he’d be used regularly.
HUGE @IMPACTWRESTLING weekend coming up. Starting Thursday on @AXSTV Then, on to #NoSurrender on Friday from Las Vegas, NV, with a Meet n’ Greet right after the show. Sunday it wraps up with a BIG Six Man tag team match. Catch it all! Do not miss! pic.twitter.com/jE7vsTquMO
— Frankie Kazarian (@FrankieKazarian) February 21, 2023
To that point, the talent stated that his career is far from done. It makes perfect sense why he wants to be working in the ring and earning his checks.
source: @dainbramager, twitter, screenshot
In IMPACT, he has that opportunity. If he had stayed in AEW, those options were few and far between for Kazarian.
