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During his four decades in charge of WWE, Vince McMahon often gave his right-hand men the task of releasing superstars who were no longer needed. On rare occasions, the former WWE Chairman picked up the phone himself to let outgoing talents know about the bad news.
One of those instances occurred in 2010 when McMahon decided it was his responsibility to inform Daniel Bryan of his release. At the time, the company was under scrutiny after Bryan used Justin Roberts' tie to choke the ring announcer during The Nexus' RAW invasion segment.
In 2014, the popular superstar spoke on Chris Jericho's Talk Is Jericho podcast about his phone call with McMahon four years earlier:
"I was talking to Miz and he was like, 'Don't worry about it; it'll all blow over,'" Bryan recalled. "Friday I get a call from Vince himself, telling me they had to let me go. It's funny – one of my responses was that I just wasn't that bothered. He says, 'I'm sorry we have to do this,' and I say not to feel bad for me, because I'm going to make more money than I've ever had before just based on the independents. I knew that took him aback a little bit." (H/T WrestleZone for the transcription)
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Bryan, real name Bryan Danielson, and seven other members of the villainous Nexus faction were given permission to destroy the ring and ringside area. However, Vince McMahon thought the former WWE Champion went too far and felt he had little choice but to release him from his contract.
Vince McMahon rehired Daniel Bryan two months later
Thankfully, Daniel Bryan's punishment did not last long. He returned as a babyface at SummerSlam 2010, where he joined forces with John Cena's all-star team to defeat The Nexus in the main event.
The Leader of the Yes! Movement went on to establish himself as one of the top fan favorites of his generation. His most notable moment came in 2014 when he defeated Batista and Randy Orton at WrestleMania 30 to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
After leaving WWE in 2021, Bryan acknowledged his relationship with Vince McMahon in a Players Tribune post. He referred to his former boss as "Big Man" and thanked him for passing on many valuable life lessons.
Did you enjoy Daniel Bryan's WWE work? Let us know in the comments section below.
