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Daniel Bryan is currently a free agent after his WWE contract expired several weeks ago.
The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion lost a WWE Universal Championship match against current champion Roman Reigns on Friday Night SmackDown two weeks ago. Due to Daniel Bryan's defeat, he was "banned" from SmackDown as per the pre-match stipulations.
In reality, Daniel Bryan's contract with WWE reportedly expired that evening. This led to Daniel Bryan becoming a free agent not under contract with WWE for the first time since 2010.
This has led to rampant speculation as to what the next move for Daniel Bryan in professional wrestling could be. Many within WWE and the WWE Universe fully expect Bryan to re-sign with WWE in some form.
However, there are those that question if Daniel Bryan could potentially sign up with another promotion such as All Elite Wrestling. There are certainly a plethora of interesting opponents for Bryan should he become "All Elite."
Let's take a closer look at five possible opponents for Daniel Bryan if he goes to AEW.
#5 Darby Allin vs Daniel Bryan
The AEW roster is filled with wrestlers who have a plethora of potential to achieve greatness in their professional wrestling careers.
One such name that falls into that category is the current AEW TNT Champion Darby Allin. The current TNT Champion has been compared by some to a young Jeff Hardy and Sting due to his unique look and incredible, death-defying moveset that continues to wow fans every Wednesday night on AEW Dynamite.
Darby Allin has been paired up on AEW television with WWE Hall of Famer Sting in recent months. The former WCW icon has served as a mentor-like figure to the young AEW star, guiding him to numerous successful TNT Championship defenses.
Should Daniel Bryan sign with All Elite Wrestling, a match against Darby Allin would be a fascinating clash of styles and a true meeting of stars from different generations.
Bryan's hard-hitting grappling style would compliment Darby Allin's daredevil mentality perfectly and no doubt produce a fascinating encounter that fans would enjoy.
#4 Sting vs Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan signing with AEW could open up the possibility of squaring off against stars he was unable to face in WWE, despite being on the WWE roster at the same time as them.
A perfect example of this would be WWE Hall of Famer and WCW icon Sting.
Sting made his shocking AEW debut on the special "Winter is Coming" edition of AEW Dynamite in December 2020. Since then, Sting has been featured with current TNT Champion Darby Allin on AEW television.
Sting even returned to in-ring competition at AEW Revolution by teaming up with Darby Allin to defeat Brian Cage and Ricky Starks in a tag team Street Fight. This match marked Sting's first match in close to six years. He was previously forced to retire due to a neck injury sustained against Seth Rollins at WWE Night of Champions 2015.
With Sting now sporadically performing as an in-ring talent once more, it opens up the possibility of a dream match against Daniel Bryan if the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion signs with AEW.
Daniel Bryan vs Sting is a match that has never happened before, meaning AEW could draw some significant headlines and attention by presenting a rare "first time ever" encounter between two professional wrestling legends.
#3 Chris Jericho vs Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan and Chris Jericho have history with each other in the world of professional wrestling and WWE.
Chris Jericho was Daniel Bryan's first opponent when Bryan made his WWE main roster debut on Season One of WWE NXT in 2010. Chris Jericho, the WWE World Heavyweight Champion at the time, dispatched Bryan by making him submit to the Walls of Jericho.
Fast forward eleven years, could Chris Jericho be Daniel Bryan's first opponent on AEW television too? It would certainly be a fitting form of professional wrestling poetry.
Chris Jericho is seen by many as one of the biggest stars currently on the AEW roster. Le Champion was the first ever AEW World Champion and spearheaded All Elite Wrestling during its early days on pay-per-view and TNT.
As AEW's "locker room leader", Chris Jericho "welcoming" Daniel Bryan to All Elite Wrestling would certainly serve as compelling television. It would without a doubt lead to some fantastic matches between the two professional wrestling legends as well.
#2 MJF vs Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan has shown a commitment to putting over and establishing younger, less established WWE Superstars on the SmackDown roster. Particularly during his most recent run on Friday Night SmackDown.
Daniel Bryan has competed against opponents such as Drew Gulak, Jey Uso, Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura and Sami Zayn on Friday Nights in recent memory. All of these bouts had Bryan attempting to elevate these stars into a main event position on the WWE roster.
Bryan has been vocal in wanting to leave the professional wrestling business in a better place than he found it and establish new stars within the industry.
Should Daniel Bryan sign with AEW, it would likely be a priority for him to work with younger talent on the AEW roster in an effort to "get them over" and elevate them to the next level.
Arguably the most promising young star on the AEW roster currently is MJF. The cocky and arrogant heel regularly participates in some of the most entertaining and captivating promos and matches on the show. He is seen by many to be the future of the organization as its top heel.
With Daniel Bryan as the ultimate babyface and MJF as the ultimate heel, a Bryan vs MJF feud makes total sense. It would lead to some incredible television and matches for All Elite Wrestling.
#1 Kenny Omega vs Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan is considered by many to be one of the greatest in-ring professional wrestlers of all time. Daniel Bryan is certainly in the conversation for the best in-ring performer of his generation.
When discussing who is the best professional wrestler on the planet at this current moment in time, Kenny Omega's name is always involved.
The current AEW World Champion, unified IMPACT Wrestling World Champion and AAA Mega Champion isn't called "the best bout machine" for nothing. Kenny Omega has continued to prove that he must be considered one of the best professional wrestlers on the planet today.
With Daniel Bryan's WWE contract expiring, it has led many fans to ponder the possibility of seeing a Daniel Bryan vs Kenny Omega dream match in the future.
Bryan recently praised Kenny Omega for his ability inside of the ring and incredible matches. Could this be the foundation being laid for an Omega vs Bryan dream match in AEW?
Only time will tell. But one thing's for sure: if Daniel Bryan does indeed become "All Elite," professional wrestling fans around the world will be desperate to see the AEW World Champion and the Yes Man face off.
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