By Wade Keller, PWTorch editor

WWE announced the release of Bryan Danielson last night on its website. Since then, because of the timing, many have logically wondered if this had something to do with the NXT-Raw angle. Most indications right now are that his firing is not a work.

ROH wrestlers who know him are under the impression he was legitimately released. WWE office workers are being told it's because he choked ring announcer Justin Roberts and spit on John Cena. Choking (images of "strangulation" rather than a "choke slam," for instance) has been an image WWE has banned since the Chris Benoit murder-murder-suicide. Danielson had also broken from WWE's rules with terms he has used on the mic before and had been given warnings. The image of Danielson choking out Roberts as Roberts made a bit of a cartoon face in response has been edited off recaps of the angle.

Also, the firing did not include a public explanation, such as saying he was fired because of his actions on Monday. If WWE wanted this to be a storyline firing, they may have included a storyline explanation to try to convey that what happened Monday wasn't planned or "went too far."

On the flip side, WWE would be firing Danielson over something that might be better handled by simply icing him off of TV or fining him rather than outright releasing him considering the TV time invested in him during the last four months, including his standing out from the crowd on Monday as he got in Cena's face. However, perhaps the fact that he stood out as much as he did was considered a case of him "going into business for himself." Danielson was considered a model employee otherwise (he worked with Shawn Michaels, for instance, before his match with Undertaker to teach him some new submission holds), but apparently did have a rep for going "too far" in some ways on air or disregarding WWE's code of conduct on air.

Keller's Analysis: I'm beginning to lean strongly toward this being a legitimate firing. There's just nothing other than the timing of it coming five days after a big TV angle that could have, storyline-wise, led to "storyline firings." But given that he's the only one so far from the NXT gang to be fired, and given that he did do some things that are against WWE policy on camera, and since his friends believe it's legit at this point from what we've heard, it seems that relatively soon (in 90 days) he'll be a free agent.

He could end up being signed by TNA and being a valuable addition to that roster, something WWE surely underestimated since there were people in WWE highly skeptical of Danielson's upside given his height, overall look, and ring style. Feuds with Samoa Joe, Desmond Wolfe, A.J. Styles, and others in TNA could create world class matches. Danielson has shown himself to be a strong talker who can sell feuds, and he has the momentum of being the star of WWE NXT who beat up Michael Cole working for him.

A lot of Danielson fans are going to be outraged about this, but given how sensitive they are to the Benoit murders being seen as being "exploited" by WWE on TV, and given that Danielson had been warned about using "Jesus Christ" on the mic before, it makes sense that WWE would choose to lay down the law here. With Linda McMahon critics looking for anything that could be used against her that's more recent than ten-year-old storylines that crossed the line, I suppose this could have been seen as them being vulnerable to that kind of criticism. It's also a sign of WWE taking very seriously their commitment to sponsors and other partners that they're family-friendly and PG start to finish, every week, without exception.

[Bryan Danielson photo by Wade Keller (c) PWTorch]

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