WWE offered a similar deal as AEW to Bryan Danielson, FKA Daniel Bryan, before the former WWE Champion decided to leave the company and join AEW.
As per Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE, like AEW, decided to allow Daniel Bryan to wrestle in New Japan Pro Wrestling, and both contracts money-wise was similar as well.
“Both offers (from WWE and AEW) were money-wise similar and both would have allowed him to do New Japan. WWE was going to allow him to do New Japan and he was trying to open the door for other people in WWE that wanted to go to New Japan to be able to do that but that seems to be a dead issue right now from a WWE standpoint. I haven’t heard anything about WWE guys going to New Japan," said Dave Meltzer. (H/T WrestlingNews)
WWE's contract offer to Daniel Bryan was a groundbreaking offer as WWE rarely, if at all, allow their Superstars to wrestle for other promotions while under contract.
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The report further states that the new AEW star thought about what would be good for pro wrestling as a whole, rather than what was best for him, before he made the decision to leave WWE and eventually join AEW.
Daniel Bryan/Bryan Danielson on WWE's offer
Danielson confirmed after his AEW debut that WWE had offered him a good contract, while also allowing him to work elsewhere.
"WWE was so gracious with me as far as the offer that they gave me. They were gonna let me go do some other stuff on the outside," said Danielson after his AEW debut.
But, Bryan decided to leave WWE and take on new challenges at AEW. Prior to the expiry of his contract, various reports had suggested that WWE reached out to NJPW to strike a deal which would see the likes of Daniel Bryan wrestle in the Japanese promotion while still being contracted with WWE.