Daniel Bryan was fired on June 11, 2010, for using his tie to simulate choking Justin Roberts on an episode of Raw (he has since been re-hired).  The most widely accepted reason for this is that WWE is aiming to provide PG-rated programming and it was not comfortable with the graphic nature of Bryan's actions. I don't believe that was the reason.

WWE has struck the memory of Chris Benoit from their archives, but most of us have not forgotten.  For those unaware of the story, Benoit was involved in a double murder-suicide in late June 2007.  Benoit's wife and son were found dead of asphyxiation (strangulation) and it was determined to be at the hands of Benoit.  In response to the tragedy, the WWE eliminated any kind of move that simulated strangulation and wanted to separate itself from Benoit in any way possible.

Flash forward to the Daniel Bryan situation and his subsequent firing and we see what appears to be remnants of the Benoit reaction.  The morning after the Bryan segment aired, WWE received quite a bit of heat for allowing that to air on its show and it needed to appear as if it were taking the criticism seriously.  Some argue that because Linda McMahon was running for Senate at the time, the WWE was on high alert as to any negative attention the company may bring her and reacted out of fear it would hurt her candidacy.

It is now a full four and a half years after the Benoit case and a year and a half past the Bryan firing, and the act of asphyxiation has reentered the WWE.  Mind you, the PG ratings have not changed and publicly the company maintains its shows are family friendly. 

Kane has been using a new maneuver since his return, covering his opponents' mouths with his gloved hand until they "pass out."  This wasn't an issue that happened once like Bryan's situation, but this has been a continued act that has been shown in segments being performed on John Cena at least twice and then performed again on Zack Ryder on Monday's episode of Raw.

It is beyond my scope of reasoning why this is accepted and why the network—or, at the very least, other writers—haven't gotten upset about this double standard.  Granted, Kane has been with the company for a long time and certainly would not face the same scrutiny as Bryan.  It was obvious then and even more apparent now that Bryan's firing was an off-the-charts overreaction.  Luckily for him, aside from the few months Bryan was not in the WWE, his career has not been hurt from that spot at all.

WWE goes out of its way to tell everyone it is entertainment and not sport.  I can understand the defense that people die in movies all the time and it is understood that it is a performance and not real life. 

However, the WWE decided to treat Bryan's situation as real life and Kane's situation as theatre.  WWE needs to choose which side of the fence it wants to be on and stick to it. It is not enough to toe the line and if someone gets upset then save face by creating a scapegoat.