Daniel Bryan reportedly began contract talks with AEW officials some time this summer.
As we’ve noted, Bryan has reportedly signed with AEW and is expected to make his debut during the Grand Slam edition of Dynamite on TNT, which airs live from the Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York City on September 22. It was noted that Bryan asked for less dates and comparable money to his WWE deal, and to be able to work in Japan. He also asked for creative input, and received everything he asked for.
In an update, AEW’s internal talks on bringing Bryan in began back in May after his WWE contract expired, and he lost the Career vs. Title match to WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns during the April 30 SmackDown, according to Cassidy Haynes of Bodyslam.
While AEW started discussing a run for Bryan at that time, there were no contract talks or negotiations happening then as it was said to be “purely conjecture.” The actual talks and negotiations between AEW and Bryan did not begin until some time over the last few weeks.
There is still no word on how long Bryan has signed for, or how much the contract is worth, but it’s believed that he is “locked in” and signed.
Stay tuned for more on Bryan’s AEW status and future.