Daniel Bryan reportedly feels that it is time to get new blood onto the SmackDown roster.
When Daniel Bryan arrived in WWE 10 years ago, he was a focal point of a new concept for a show called NXT. In the years since then, WWE has evolved its style. Where Daniel Bryan was once seen as a wrestler that represented an alternative to the WWE style, many of the wrestlers in WWE and NXT now pattern their in-ring style after wrestlers like Bryan.
Recently, it was revealed that Daniel Bryan is now a part of the WWE SmackDown creative team. Big E, the current WWE Intercontinental Champion revealed that Daniel Bryan was actually one of the driving forces behind E’s singles push.
Also, in a WWE Talking Smack segment, which you can see above, Daniel Bryan revealed that his current running WWE is his last run as a full-time competitor and that he is more focused on making sure the next generation of WWE Superstars gets their chance to shine.
The next generation of WWE Superstars all come from NXT. The brand that represents an evolved concept of the television show that brought Daniel Bryan into WWE is now the television show that prepares the next generation of superstars for an eventual run on WWE's mainline programming, Monday Night Raw and Friday Night SmackDown.
According to a new report by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Daniel Bryan has been pushing for more NXT Superstars to be called up to Friday Night SmackDown in an effort to freshen up the FOX Network show. However, this has been met with some pushback due to the success rate of call ups in the past.
The most recent set of NXT call ups, Keith Lee and several members of RETRIBUTION were all sent to Monday Night Raw. Stephanie McMahon, during a recent discussion about innovation during the pandemic, called the recent roster moves “failed attempts” at generating fan interest.
Chelsea Green was brought to SmackDown prior to Survivor Series as an attempted call up, but she was unfortunately injured in her debut match and required surgery to fix a broken wrist.
Recently, Fightful Select reported that Damian Priest was planned to be brought in for the January 1 edition of Friday Night SmackDown, that plan was scrapped and Priest went on to lose to Karrion Kross on NXT New Year's Evil. Dave Meltzer reported in the latest Observer, that as of right now, the plan is for Priest to debut on Monday Night Raw by the end of this month.
Rhea Ripley, who competed at last year's WrestleMania in a losing effort against Charlotte Flair, also lost at NXT New Year's Evil in a Last Woman Standing Match to Raquel Gonzalez. This match was reportedly Ripley's last in NXT.
For now, Daniel Bryan has one last accomplishment to achieve as a wrestler in WWE. Daniel Bryan has yet to win a Royal Rumble Match and he hopes to do that in 2021 as he, Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, Randy Orton, and 26 other men look to punch their ticket to WrestleMania 37 on Sunday, January 31.
Fightful will continue to monitor the situation regarding NXT call ups and report any and all updates.
