10 Buried Treasures That Could Leave WWE Before 2018

1. Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan Beard
WWE

Daniel Bryan's relentless teases of returning to the squared circle as soon as he's permitted could result in an early departure from the WWE fold if recent new contract squabbles are to be believed.

Appearing to grow gradually more impatient with physical restrictions placed upon him and actively courting contests with the best and brightest from around the world as independent wrestlers continue to achieve mainstream attention without Vince McMahon's marketing machine, Bryan's disinterest is morbidly entertaining despite his best efforts as SmackDown Live!'s comedically powerless Commissioner.

Though presumably satisfied with the money he earns whilst supporting his young family, the 'Yes Man' has made no secret of what truly fuels him. Willing and able to live thriftily thanks to his earth-friendly philosophies, Bryan's last chase is bigger even than his unlikely WrestleMania 30 title challenge.

Looking for competition in an arena where few could out-perform him, he continues to be trapped amongst hundreds that do it half as well, in front of millions that will gradually forget that he even can. It's nailed on that he'll look to remedy that in 2018, but with some companies hosting some of their major events before his current deal expires, it's wholly possible that he'll campaign for a much sharper exit.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett