The REAL Reason John Cena And Daniel Bryan Are Missing WWE Crown Jewel

AJ Styles Daniel Bryan
WWE.com

The murder of Jamal Khashoggi was the step too far for the ethically-conscious Daniel Bryan.

It's worth remembering - because WWE were only too happy for us to forget - that the 'Yes!' man worked 76 minutes the last time he was there. Entering first and lasting all the way to the closing stretch before Big Cass (another Greatest Royal Rumble entrant that won't be at the second show) hauled him out the banter battle royal, Bryan did his bit for the cause on Night One.

But the cause has changed. Whatever internal voice he was able to quiet then has now become the "monster" WWE famously portrayed in his WrestleMania XXX preview package. Whatever cause the company spun in April has been lost to the monstrosity of the Khashoggi situation.

Daniel Bryan wrestles because he loves to wrestle. He likes to win, he likes to main event and he likes to make money, but he loves to wrestle. It's that love that keeps him away from his other loves, and that loves that made him "fight for his dreams" before WWE insisted on splashing that all over a t-shirt.

On the Crown Jewel go-home SmackDown Live, Bryan's tap-out loss to AJ Styles wrote him out of the show at his request, in a manner that was possibly WWE's cynical effort to make him look like the quitter they possibly believe him to be. For the company, money is talking louder than Bryan's arms-splayed "NO!", but that's always been the easiest voice for Daniel to dispel.

CONT'D...

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Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 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. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, 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