"They didn't want me to be that dominant" - WWE only protected former star's character after Daniel Bryan told them to

Former WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan (aka Bryan Danielson) is one of the best in-ring performer today. Recently his former tag team partner Erick Redbeard recently revealed that his character was protected in the ring thanks to the efforts of Bryan.

In 2019, Daniel Bryan and Erick Rowan formed a tag team and captured the WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championships. However, their team came to an end when it was revealed that Rowan was responsible for a backstage attack on Roman Reigns. Bryan and Rowan eventually feuded with each other.

During an interview with Joseph Galizia of Wrestling Headlines, Erick Redbeard shed light on how his character was protected. He also mentioned how he rarely took pinfalls during that period and attributed it to Bryan advocating for him.

"And as far as expectations anytime that, that I was told not to take the pinfall...that was not the office, that was Bryan. Bryan wanted me to look strong, to look dominant because it only helped him with his heel character. And you know, I'll be thankful for him for that rub for a while. But, you know, believe it or not, they didn't want me to be that dominant. It was and to, to his credit and his mind in the business. Like he was smart enough to, you know, pitch for me for things. So I appreciate that," Readbeard said. [H/T - Wrestling News]

Check out the full interview below:

Despite the company not initially intending for Redbeard's character to be portrayed as dominant, Bryan saw the value in elevating his partner and wanted him to look strong.

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Former WWE Star Erick Redbeard rejected being Daniel Bryan's lookalike

Erick Redbeard and Bryan Danielson formed a tag team in WWE in 2019, shortly after Bryan turned heel. During the Royal Rumble event in the same year, Redbeard assisted him in retaining the world title against AJ Styles.

During an interview on the Wrestle Buddy podcast, former WWE Superstar Erick Redbeard revealed an interesting conversation he had with Vince McMahon.

According to Redbeard, McMahon wanted him to trim his beard to match Bryan's, aiming for a similar appearance.

"I had to talk Vince [McMahon] out of — the day of the [2019 Royal] Rumble, they wanted to cut my beard down to make it the same size as Bryan [Danielson’s] so I look like a taller Daniel Bryan and I shot that down because I said, ‘We have to be different.’ So luckily at that point, I had no problems going to Vince and saying no… for certain things and explaining why I didn’t think it was a good idea, which to my benefit, I’m glad I did," Readbeard said.

Eric was released from WWE due to budget cuts during the pandemic. He continued his wrestling career in smaller promotions and made a notable appearance on AEW.

Do you want to see Erick Redbeard and Bryan Danielson reunite in AEW? Sound off in the comments section below.