Daniel Bryan on Why He Never Went to TNA

[It's Damn Real!]

Whether he ever considered going to TNA: "TNA probably doesn't want me saying this but I would make more money wrestling on the independents than I would wrestling for TNA. And it's a more free schedule and you're not under anybody's contract, you can go do what you want."

--

I think the word we're looking for here is 'ouch'.

Well, maybe it is. It may not be. This certainly throws a monkey wrench into the comments Manik made a little while back talking about how well paid Styles and Joe are though, for example. Maybe Bryan is right, but it's certainly conjecture if we don't know for certain that he was given an actual offer, no?

I get the sense this thread may be a really bad idea to invoke the wrath of the users who love to rip the company, but at the same time, it's probably worth the discussion.

Thoughts?

 

[hatehabsforever]

No reason to rip into the company based upon the comments of Daniel Bryan, because I have absolutely no doubt that he speaks the 100% truth. Danielson was probably making a comfortable living on the Indy circuit, and could probably have done equally well had he come to TNA. But it's hardly shocking to learn that TNA could come nowhere close to offering him the type of money he has to be making in WWE, and the amount of money he will make if his astronomical rise continues. I have no doubt that TNA could not offer him more money than he would already be making in ROH or wherever, even if a formal offer per se never existed.

The staunch TNA defenders on here get their noses out of joint whenever it is even suggested that TNA may not be in great financial condition. People are quick to point out that no one knows for sure the status of their books, and that's true. However, with the rash of recent releases, consistent rumblings about people not getting paid on time, and now seeing performers like RVD, Styles, Anderson, and now Mickie James have their contacts expire, or at least come dangerously close to doing so, it is a safe assumption that TNA is at the very least close to being in some degree of financial peril.

If we are looking at economics only, it would have been an asinine decision for Daniel Bryan to have selected TNA over WWE. Any suggestion otherwise would have to incur the wrath of posters who allegedly love to rip the company.

 

[Mac Attack]

This is a very interesting quote in that it somewhat confirms the pay problems that the other TNA employees are saying, as well as implies that Bryan had indeed been offered/looked at it in the past. TNA probably has to be hating the statement as he references because in a time where it seems they keep suffering loss after loss it just seems to be compiling into one big mess. I don't see any way TNA finds positives from this. This is just...well bad.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

He's correct.

Meaning that Bryan Danielson would be making more in the indies than in TNA. Before coming to the WWE, the guy had zero problems getting a job in America or Japan. I'm pretty sure he was earning a good stack 'o cash from different indy companies. TNA would start off by paying him a starting sum which is likely lower than what he was making on the Indies.

Of course, some people will take his comments as "The indies would pay me more than I'd get if I was a TNA Main Eventer", which would be wrong and is wrong. Common logic. What is TNA paying their guys if this was true across the board? Haribo Gummy Bears?

So, yeah, I find it believable that he was making more on the Indies. Regular Indy guys, though? Not a chance. The Young Bucks aren't making more. The Platinum Papa Rob Eckos wasn't making more (a.k.a Robbie E.) and so forth. In many ways he was a hot free agent, one of the most prominent names on the indies, so his price was rather big I assume. A little bit here, a little bit there and the guy's got himself a nice pay and a flexible schedule. Explains why he never bothered with the bigger companies all this time. He was doing fine.

 

[Thriller Ant]

AJ and Joe were big on the indies before they really became a big deal. When Bryan was the guy on the indies, there were multiple companies that most wrestling fans with even the smallest amount of knowledge about indy wrestling had heard of. I'm sure most of us would expect TNA performers to get paid more if we were to see the numbers, but I think this is more of a case of Bryan being a huge deal on the indies than it is TNA under-paying their employees.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let's hash this out with some thought. If Bryan was in negotiations with TNA or speculating about an interest in TNA it would have been what? Four or five years ago? At that time he was probably one of the hottest independent commodities out there. Maybe TNA "wouldn't" have paid him as much but that does not mean they "couldn't". This does not mean TNA was in financial peril four years ago and does not mean they are in financial peril today. Do you really think a company that can afford Hogan, Angle, and Hardy can't pay Bryan more than what he would make wrestling independent shows today?

But the greatest thing in all of this is the fact that Bryan is talking about money. Not how he is a wrestler but how he chose to take more money. How dare he? His new name is Bryan Danielson Bryan Hogan.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Just to point out he isn't the only person who has said there is more money to be made on the indies than in TNA. Kevin Steen has said he knows several people in TNA (I have a suspicion one is Kenny King) who he gets paid better for working for ROH. The Young Bucks have said their collective monthly earnings from working the indies and wherever they wish minus a contract is more than they'd earn working under contract for TNA and Nigel McGuinness has said he's earning the same nowadays as he was in TNA due to the pay per appearance nature of his contract. Hell Jay Lethal left TNA to work for ROH for more money. The idea certain indies or in ROH's case regional promotions can't pay mid or lower card talent more money than TNA is outdated. It's 2013, not 2006.

I like TJ Perkins but his comments shouldn't be taken out of context either; Samoa Joe and AJ Styles have been in TNA a long time. As has Christopher Daniels, three guys who got noticed working the indies. But that was a long time ago, over time with new contracts and pushes their pay would have risen, but TJ Perkins is a different story. He still does outside TNA appearances on the indies, just not under the Manik mask, so he has two sources of income in wrestling so he's bound to make more money now than he was say a year ago when ROH weren't using him.

 

[Slash-LN]

Pretty much what everyone else has said.
It was probably better for him personally to work the indies because he was a big name in the indies. He got paid more because promoters knew people would pay to come see him. That doesn't mean that would translate over to a national audience of casual viewers. I'm sure guys like AJ and Joe didn't start with the rates they're paid now. They most likely negotiated larger contracts as they got more popular in the company. It would probably be the same for Bryan. They would bring him in for less than he probably thinks he's worth and depending on his popularity and such they would renegotiate when his contract came up.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

To be fair about the time he had the chance to go there would also have been the time Hogan and Bischoff were circling, so that probably had a good deal to do with why he wouldn't go... but look at it logically - he's a guy who could at the time go to Japan on as many tours as he liked, be well paid for doing so and be the highest paid guy on the circuit for ROH or on an Indy show... if you're not in it for dollar, as his career path has shown then you're gonna need "opportunity" and I guess he saw better opportunity in WWE at that time but if he'd stayed on the Indies, he'd have been like a Bruiser Brody before long - literally writing his own ticket although he may still be that one day... I get the feeling in 5 years time he, Punk Jericho and JR might well be running their own promotion...

 

[theshadowranger]

Bullshit to the extreme.
1. The ONLY reason Bryan didn't go to TNA is because he knew that when he got fired from WWE back in 2010, it was only temporary until the tie incident blew over.

2. TNA lets their guys work indy shows anyway so he could have done both.

3. The only reason he could make more working the Indy's now is because he's had the WWE machine turn him into a big star who can command a higher asking price.

4. He's a top guy in WWE of course he isn't going to publicly say anything positive about TNA.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I read Bryan's remarks earlier today and it seemed to me like he comments were geared towards what sort of money HE could make in TNA rather than other wrestlers or TNA as a whole. On the other hand, maybe Bryan knows something we don't. I'm sure he's friends with, or is at least acquainted with, wrestlers on the TNA roster. Maybe some of them are working for peanuts. Stevie Richards has made such a claim as have The Young Bucks, aka Generation Me. T.J. Perkins might be making a good amount of money in TNA, great for him, but it doesn't mean that others automatically are either. At the same time, however, it's to be expected that some are going to make more because TNA feels that they're worth more. After all, everyone on the ROH & WWE rosters don't make the same amount.

If TNA had come calling several years back, there's no way to know what kind of offer would have been made. If Bryan was a free agent as of this very moment, I've little doubt that TNA would offer him substantially more than most TNA wrestlers are alleged to make. Why? For the same reason guys like Angle, Hogan, Sting, Hardy, Bully Ray and various other big names who have passed through the company: they've had exposure on a bigger stage and in front of bigger audiences. Would it automatically translate into ratings? Not necessarily, especially as it's a strategy TNA has used before without success beyond the occasional pop in the ratings.

For argument's sake, say Bryan did leave WWE and turned up in TNA 3 or 4 months from now. He'd be in a unique situation among the various major stars who've been in TNA in the sense that he's in his physical prime, isn't half crippled by the wear & tear of the business, doesn't have issues with substance abuse, has no history of legal troubles and/or his popularity is based on the here & now with what he's capable of bringing to the table rather than what he was doing 5 or 10 years ago. Again, it wouldn't guarantee TNA's ratings would reach new levels but it'd be a coup for TNA to bring in a well known name whose both currently relevant and isn't bringing a ton of baggage with him.

Would TNA make him a substantial offer, at least by alleged TNA standards, today? Absolutely. Would they have 3 years or so ago? I highly doubt it.

"1. The ONLY reason Bryan didn't go to TNA is because he knew that when he got fired from WWE back in 2010, it was only temporary until the tie incident blew over."

There's a real possibility of that.

"2. TNA lets their guys work indy shows anyway so he could have done both."

Allegedly, now remember this is allegedly, TNA often charges indy promotions a fee to loan out their stars. Sometimes, again allegedly, these fees are outrageously high and a lot of requests from some companies go unanswered. At least, that's what I read a while back.

"3. The only reason he could make more working the Indy's now is because he's had the WWE machine turn him into a big star who can command a higher asking price."

Not necessarily. Working the indy scene, Bryan could potentially work however many shows he wanted, wherever he wanted as long as his body held up. IF, and I mean IF, most wrestlers in TNA are on a paid per appearance deal, then, depending on the amount, it'd be highly possible for Bryan to make more working the indy circuit. On top of all that, Bryan's a huge name on the independent circuit and was a long time before WWE came calling. He was a big star in several well known Japanese promotions, including New Japan and Pro Wrestling Noah.

"4. He's a top guy in WWE of course he isn't going to publicly say anything positive about TNA."

There's a possibility in that. At the same time, you have to apply the same thing to T.J. Perkins. He's not gonna say anything negative about TNA, whether it happens to be true or untrue. He's on the TNA roster and TNA's been facing rumors of financial issues for months including not paying workers on time, not paying them the contractually agreed amount on time and the stories of many former wrestlers stating that they made next to nothing. How much, if any, of it's true, I dunno.

 

[ABMorales787]

People may forget a variety of things here.

1) Bryan was offered that spot in 2009. 4 years ago. Both TNA and it's finances have changed a lot in that timeframe. Say what you will about TNA today, but I seriously doubt it's worse today than when the Impact Zone didn't go past 900 people.

2) Unlike a lot of indy guys, he got work literally everywhere. Mexico, Japan, US, UK, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, if he said yes, he was booked in a heartbeat.

3) At this point, anyone would crap out as much money as possible to hire the most popular wrestler today.

Is he wrong? Actually no. But that in no way has any indication to TNA having issues. Mickie James leaving does though.

 

[Mcase7187]

I think it has to do with more of being under contract than anything and ya Cuban make more money in the indy's but ur wresting more matches and paying ur own way so really think about it

 

[vampxx24]

Bullshit to the extreme.
1. The ONLY reason Bryan didn't go to TNA is because he knew that when he got fired from WWE back in 2010, it was only temporary until the tie incident blew over.

2. TNA lets their guys work indy shows anyway so he could have done both.

3. The only reason he could make more working the Indy's now is because he's had the WWE machine turn him into a big star who can command a higher asking price.

4. He's a top guy in WWE of course he isn't going to publicly say anything positive about TNA.

you dont get what hes saying and i think only a few on here get it. hes not talking about daniel bryan in tna. hes talking about bryan danielson in tna.

when was the last time you saw aj,joe,aries ,daniels,kaz ect ect working the indys? this was part of a huge thing a couple years ago where tna did not want their talent working the indys. then they slightly backed off , but still do not want them on any televised event(which would be a huge loss of income).

bryan danielson was HUGE on the indies. tna wouldnt be paying for what were seeing today, they would be paying entrance level, and with how tna books it wouldnt be gaureenteed that he would become anywhere close to where he is today.

theres no doubt byran danielson would be making more money working roh,njpw,noah,ajpw than working at tna as he was a top indy name.

this is also something that happens in mma. we see some higher level indy guys rejecting deals from ufc as it would be a loss of income. king mo talked about this at the start of his career as he would earn more being unsigned by ufc than being signed because he wouldnt be restricted by a contract.


theres a difference between tna signing joe smith on indys compared to siginging someone like him,davey richards,eddie edwards. joe smith isnt in HUGE demand around the world so what tna would offer would very likely equal or be better than what he was making on the indy circuit. with guys like danielson,richards,edwards these guys are in huge demand all over the world. if tna was paying them say 10,000 a month but they could make 30,000 a month working indys its obvious which they would pick. the key here is you have to seperate the fact that these guys are not your typical indy workers...there pretty much your A listers and in huge demand all around the world and being unrestricted lets them work whenever, however they want at the worlds top promotions not joes wrestling promotion paying 200 a night.

i wouldnt even go as far as saying he was taking a shot at tna, hes just flat out speaking the truth. why would anyone sign for less than there currently making ? and why would tna pay more for someone unproven on the big stage. i dont fault either side but its pretty much business 101. as i said happens all the time in mma as well and why you dont see some of the worlds top unsigned talents in the ufc. it would be a high risk scenerio signing with tna at that point in time, look how many indy guys they basically squandered. now out of those x many months he missed look at the lost income.

 

[The Roadie]

Just wait until WWE don't want him anymore & dump his ass. He'll be knocking on TNA's door looking for a promotion to keep getting national exposure with. Just like many of the ex WWE guys in recent years, wanting to keep themselves out there so they cna try & get back into WWE.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

To be fair, ive seen many folks say this about working the very bottom of the card in WWE, as well. No reason to assume he would be an automatic world champion ME level guy upon entering TNA.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

From the bussiness point of view its totally logical choice. I mean why would he even want to go to second grade promotion if he can go to first grade even if he wouldnt be "Top Dog" there. Even worst why would he even go to second grade promotion if he makes more money on his own? They cant even offer more money yet alone better working schedule then he had in indipendent circuit.

And he made a right choice as we can see now.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Bullshit to the extreme.
1. The ONLY reason Bryan didn't go to TNA is because he knew that when he got fired from WWE back in 2010, it was only temporary until the tie incident blew over.

2. TNA lets their guys work indy shows anyway so he could have done both.

3. The only reason he could make more working the Indy's now is because he's had the WWE machine turn him into a big star who can command a higher asking price.

4. He's a top guy in WWE of course he isn't going to publicly say anything positive about TNA.

You're an idiot. DB was probably pulling in over 100k/year on the indies and Japan. He was a huge name even before WWE. TNA wouldn't pay him that much. You wanna work for less money and less control for a company that notoriously does batshit crazy stuff or do you want to be in control of your own brand and make more in a wider variety of markets?

If you think the 100k number is bogus, think of this. He wrestled twice a weekend. 1k/show isn't at all unheard of for top names. He probably made even more per show in ROH. I saw Sal Rinauro pick up 400 at an ROH show in Chicago from Cary Silken (i counted the 100s cary gave him put of curiosity) in 2008 I think. Sal Rinauro in 2008 ROH isn't shit compared to prime ROH Danielson.

 

[GameOver]

Bullshit to the extreme.
1. The ONLY reason Bryan didn't go to TNA is because he knew that when he got fired from WWE back in 2010, it was only temporary until the tie incident blew over.

2. TNA lets their guys work indy shows anyway so he could have done both.

3. The only reason he could make more working the Indy's now is because he's had the WWE machine turn him into a big star who can command a higher asking price.

4. He's a top guy in WWE of course he isn't going to publicly say anything positive about TNA.

Unless they are high profile and required on the TNA shows at the time. and what positive is there to say about TNA? they have nothing going for them overall other then a guarenteed TV deal. there is great talent in alot of promotions so that's irrelevant, small indy promotions could get big followings so thats irrelevant the only thing TNA has going for them that an Indy promotion doesn't well until the last year is a seemingly bottomless pit of money and a tv deal. If they had no TV deal they'd be dead in the water.