on Monday to announce
that he will officially retire on tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw: Bryan,
who’s been sidelined as WWE has remained hesitant to clear him to return, was reportedly set
to return on this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, and the Wrestling
Observer’s Dave Meltzer (h/t WrestlingInc) also reported that Bryan
recently attempted to give notice to the company but was prevented from doing
so: Wrestling Observer’s Dave Meltzer posted on the Wrestling Classics forum,
saying that “He (Bryan) did give notice and was told he did not have the right
to give notice.” Bryan’s contract has been frozen due to an injury, a provision
in Superstar contracts that helps WWE make up lost time when a talent is
sidelined. The company was at odds with former WWE Champion Rey Mysterio due to
this same clause. As is pertains to Bryan not having the right to give notice,
based on the available talent contracts, that appears to be true. The contract
can be pretty much permanently frozen unless Bryan takes the WWE to court.”
But now we know the
unfortunate reason why the WWE wouldn’t clear him. Although Bryan had remained
adamant about wanting to get back in the ring and has even been given the green
light by multiple non-WWE doctors to wrestle again, the WWE had
remained steadfast in its desire to keep Bryan on the sidelines, perhaps a
result of recent
developments in ongoing concussion-related lawsuits that the company
is currently facing. Through it all, Bryan made it clear that even if he’s
wrestled his last WWE match, he would continue his in-ring career elsewhere once his WWE days
are over. Unfortunately, it appears that Bryan has reached a point
where he sees the writing on the wall and realizes that wrestling anywhere is
no longer an option. Bryan’s announcement that he would be retiring on Raw has
shocked the world in much the same way that former WWE star Edge’s surprising
retirement surprised everyone back in 2011. It just isn’t fair to Bryan that a
seemingly in-his-prime superstar can be entertaining millions one day and then
be forced to retire the next.
