WWE Backstage (June 2nd, 2020) - 6 Takeaways from this week's episode

#4 Punk and Bryan, continued

Daniel Bryan

During his time on the independent circuit, Bryan claimed that he "actively didn't want to go to WWE" because he "really liked the DIY aesthetic and being in control of my own schedule and take a few weeks off." He claimed that "when Punk signed with WWE, I thought 'if they give him a shot, he's going to blow them away.' I didn't think that about myself because WWE is so promo heavy and I wasn't good (with promos) at that time. I could do a sports promo but as far as being entertaining, I could do that a little bit and that's not what they do with smaller guys."

The former WWE Champion also added that his "interest has always been in my love for wrestling and I never wanted to be famous. I wanted enough money to survive." The turning point came when he said that "I got a decent amount of injuries and said that 'I can sign with WWE or I can look at another path like going to school.'"

Bryan was a part of the original iteration of NXT when it was a game show. He claimed that "2009 was this make-or-break year for me. I trained MMA for the whole year and tried to get into WWE and if that doesn't work then I'll go back to school." Of his friend and contemporary, Bryan claimed that "when I saw Punk and his interviews and the way he carried himself, he was a star and that's one of the things I never thought about myself."

Another interesting admission Bryan made was that along with promos, "the hardest part of wrestling for me was walking to the ring. That moment from when you walk to the ring and then get into the ring." He was curious as to what to do with his hands so he started to do the "Yes!" and "No!" gestures "and now with no people, it feels really awkward and they still want me to do it and it's like 'what do I do with my hands?'"