A recent report hints that WWE has requested that Daniel Bryan be pulled from the upcoming WWE 2K22. Rumors have been circulating that Bryan (real name Bryan Danielson) has been in talks to join rival wrestling promotion All-Elite Wrestling since his WWE contract expired earlier this year.

A longtime favorite among WWE fans, Bryan is supposedly weighing his options regarding where he intends to sign up next, with reports indicating that he wishes to work with New Japan Pro Wrestling. AEW already has a warm relationship with them (several noted AEW stars like Chris Jericho and even AEW Vice President Kenny Omega have wrestled for NJPW in the past), and WWE’s attempted partnership with them falling through last month is said to have pushed Bryan towards possibly signing up with AEW. Unfortunately for WWE gaming fans, this might mean the end of a nearly 10-year-long run of being able to play as the American Dragon in 2K’s interactive wrestling sims.

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According to SEScoops, wrestling writer and newshound Dave Meltzer claims that WWE requested that Daniel Bryan be pulled from the upcoming WWE 2K22 in the latest issue of Wrestling Observer Newsletter. This edict supposedly extends to all other media and merchandise outlets, meaning that fans probably shouldn’t expect any new Daniel Bryan t-shirts or action figures for the foreseeable future - at least not from WWE.

WWE 2K22 Wrestlemania Announcement Tease

The WWE 2K series has been fighting an uphill battle of franchise fatigue for quite some time, one that hit its zenith with the disastrous, glitch-ridden launch of WWE 2K20 a couple of years ago. Not even Daniel Bryan’s presence on the roster could save the troubled installment from the major backlash it received, which was so severe that 2K decided to rest its mainline wrestling series during 2020. Now, the developer promises a new direction with this year’s WWE 2K22, which was unveiled during April’s two-night WrestleMania PPV event.

The rumored loss of Daniel Bryan might be tough for some players looking to purchase WWE 2K22 later this year, given how massively popular he is with the wrestling fandom. For WWE to so readily have him removed not only from its upcoming video game but from all merchandise going forward means that his time in the company is likely at an end - even though there’s still a chance for him to sign back up with WWE if he so chooses. However, if Daniel Bryan is indeed moving shop to AEW, perhaps he can land a spot in the upcoming AEW wrestling game from former WWE developer Yukes.

Next: WWE 2K22: Will John Cena Be On The Roster?

Source: SEScoops