More Details On Daniel Bryan's Retirement

With Daniel Bryan's retirement announcement on tonight's episode of Monday Night Raw having been confirmed, more details are starting to emerge regarding the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion's difficult decision. According to an update from Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan - whose status as an active wrestler had been in jeopardy following WWE physician Joseph Maroon's refusal to clear him for competition - had requested his release from the company in order to pursue in-ring opportunities elsewhere (most likely Ring of Honor or New Japan Pro Wrestling, though Bryan had expressed interest in working for Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre). WWE Chairman Vince McMahon refused to grant Bryan his release, closing any such windows. Meltzer went on to elaborate how, with the way Bryan's contract was structured, his in-ring future was left in limbo. Like Rey Mysterio (whose contractual impasse with WWE in 2014 left him tied to the company for a year before being granted his release), Bryan was working under terms that stated that if he wasn't able to compete in the ring, his contract could be "frozen" until he was physically able to fulfill its terms. While Bryan would still be paid during the interim, the fact that he was likely never going to be cleared meant that his contract effectively had no end date. Still, Meltzer believes that Bryan's decision to retire is his own. No contract preventing him from working could be enforced forever, and tests Bryan took the week before the Royal Rumble may have painted a very specific picture regarding the Yes! Man's future and how he could best take care of himself. Bryan is expected to explain further on Raw.