Daniel Bryan... the 1st IMPORTANT U.S. Champion in years...

[JasonSensation]

So last night I was watching RAW; well, not necessarily WATCHING, but more or less just had it on the TV in the background while I was doing some work on my computer, and I was bothered by the fact that they were advertising DB vs. Miz. I thought "great, yet another opportunity to make the US Title meaningless AND bury the roster's most gifted wrestler all in one fell swoop." Sometime later I overheard the sound of the match beginning, which I looked up and glanced at a few times, but didn't bother looking too much into as I expected some sort of angle that would end the match within minutes-an angle that would likely bury DB and make the US Title that much more inferior and unimportant. Suddenly, something happened that I didn't expect... we got a commercial break. I began to wonder just what kind of match the fans who were there live were being treated to, as it was inevitable that mere minutes after returning from commercial, the schmozzed finish would take place, likely involving the Bellas/Gail Kim, Alex Riley, or Lawler doing the ol' run-in. While paying a little-but not a lot-more attention, my interest piqued when all of a sudden we went to yet another commercial. WHAT?! It hit me. The WWE was allowing the US Champion to have a classic, competitive match with the WWE Champion on TV for the world to see. I anxiously awaited the return to the live broadcast, anticipating the end to what was sure to end up being a fantastic match... and a fantastic match it was. As the referee counted to three after the skull-crushing finale I imagined just how huge a pop we would have heard if Bryan got the shoulder up out of nowhere, forcing Miz to deliver another SKF or possibly bringing on one more exchange of false finishes. Remembering that WM is just over the horizon, I figured it made sense to allow the WWE Champ to look strong with a clean pinfall victory on TV. However, DB was the last candidate I would have imagined them selecting for this task.

It's no secret that the WWE isn't exactly excited about the US Title these days. But despite losing clean to Miz last night, DB left RAW looking like a stonger US Champion than we have seen in recent memory. For starters, it should be complimentary to DB that the "E" considered him a strong enough opponent to portray Miz as a strong champion by defeating him. Secondly, Bryan was allowed to go out there and go move-for-move with the man on top in a non-house show environment. He displayed the fighting spirit of a true champion and we ended up seeing something that many fans may never have known or may have forgotten. Back in the day, the IC Title/US Title was treated as an unofficial number one contendership of sorts. Back then, when the secondary champion faced the champ in a match, it was a huge deal. What could have been bigger than champion vs champion? We see no in other sports, with NCAA Football being a prime example. Oregon vs. Purdue was huge, as is the BCS Championship game every year. Why? Because it's the top two contenders meeting to determine just who is the best. The WWE has really lost sight of this tradition. Nowadays, we would be lucky to see US/IC champions lasting more than 5 mins in the ring with the WWE/WH Champions. In a moment that was overshadowed by The Rock's return, Daniel Bryan further narrowed that gap between the two respective singles titles on RAW. Combine that with the fact that DB is the first US Champion in awhile to carry that title with pride. Just look at the way he walks, talks, and wrestles. He is a champion that the WWE should be proud of. I have been a fan of DB's title run (with the exception of being squashed by Sheamus on RAW not long ago) and feel that with time, important defenses against strong challengers, and consistent exposure on TV with the red, white, and blue belt around his waist I feel that he can end up bringing some much-needed prestige back to the upper-mid card.

 

[JM Punk]

I agree that Bryan looked good in defeat.

But overall, Bryan's run has been lackluster. He just hasn't had one credible feud since he's been in WWE other than against The Miz. DiBiase has been booked so badly where I can't take him seriously as a contender and he wasted too much time with the Bella twins.

I hope last night was a sign that Bryan is getting back to more of an in-ring technician like he should be and not involved in the ridiculousness of the WWE. They NEED to find him somebody to feud with. Either they need to move some of the mid card heels on Smackdown to RAW, elevate someone on the RAW roster (like a Zack Ryder), or get the title on somebody else.

 

[triple_b2k]

Daniel really needs a good fued. Maybe giving Michael Tarver a chance at the title. that would at least get him off his blackberry back stage and into the ring. There aren't any strong mid-level wrestlers on RAW at the moment. To me Tyson Kidd was the only mid-level wrestler that was going to get a push but that fell flat after they brought in some zero to be his bodyguard than sent him back to FCW the next week. That completely killed his push.
Only one person I really want to see fight Bryan, Michael McGillicutty. McGillicutty should have won NXT and avoided this whole Nexus crap. He's useless now in CM Punks group. He isn't even mid-level, just a jobber. I wish he was kicked out of the group and thrown into the U.S. title hunt.

 

[DJ-LyRiX]

WWE has a habit of burying the US Title over the years. I thought it was only when the title was on Smackdown and there wasn't enough talent for a second title to be taken seriously. But the IC Title means a lot on Smackdown in comparision to the US Title on Raw, and has done for a long while. When was the last time the United States Championship was the Main Event on Raw?

Bryan is not really the most important champion in years to be honest, The Miz's massive push came as a direct result of him being US Champion and then losing it and moving up to the Main Event.

Bryan is getting a decent push in terms of wrestling time and a backstage storyline to go with it. But the US Title is probably not doing anything for him right now. I care what's going on for Daniel Bryan in WWE regardless of whether or not he is the United States Champion, because, as has been said already, there are no serious contenders for him.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'd honestly have to say that The Miz was the 1st important United States Champion in quite a while. Before The Miz won the title, it was pretty much lost in the realm of obscurity for the better part of about 2.5 years.

Now, of course, title defenses are important and nobody can claim otherwise. However, for me, the single biggest and most important job of a champion is to make fans interested in what he's doing or involved in. The Miz didn't defend the title as often as one would like on television or on ppvs, but The Miz was ALWAYS a highly visible star on Raw after he became champ. He was always on Raw cutting a promo or wrestling a match, keeping the title visible and touting the importance of the title. Defending a title is important, as I said, but it's just part of the equation.

When it comes to Daniel Bryan, many of the same factors that applied to Miz apply to him as well. Daniel Bryan is someone that's gotten over with fans based upon his ability inside the ring. I'm not saying that he's quite John Cena over, but I think the potential is there if and when they decide to give him a microphone. In any case, like Miz, Daniel Bryan has always been visible as the United States Champion each week on Raw. I'd prefer to see him defend the title more often as well, but at least he's still getting exposure and is able to make people give a crap about seeing what he winds up in. It's true that the WWE had gotten off track with Bryan for a little while, something I wish hadn't have happened. However, over the past few weeks, it looks as though they've gotten back on track with him. The response of the live crowds to his performance in his matches are a good indicator that people are still digging watching the man wrestle a helluva lot. And, last night, he looked very strong against the reigning WWE Champion, a man that he has shown himself capable of beating.

The Miz & Bryan as champs have been able to make me care about what happens to the title and as to what they're involved in. If a wrestler isn't able to do that, then they simply don't need to be carrying a championship.

 

[Wickpeeka]

Outstanding post....

This goes to show what others have posted and what I also believe. The WWE is doing an amazing job lately of pushing that next generation of wrestlers. They realized that with people tuning in to see the announcement of the Wrestlemania host (and everybody had an idea that it COULD be The Rock) they had the opportunity to put on a great match that punctuated one of their young stars. I'm glad that the opportunity for a match with Miz opened up when they had Lawler unavailable (condolences).

Considering the impact Morrison, R-Truth, Ziggler, Del Rio and several others as well as Daniel Bryan had, last night was a huge success for the WWE (even if I didn't agree with Rock putting down the likely WWE Championship match competitors in his promo).

It was a great match by the pair. Good to see them use him. They know that they can count on him having a great match.

As for his future.... Book him in a Wrestlemania feud with Wade Barrett to unify the IC and US titles -- NXT season one winner Vs NXT season one darling. It would be a strong feud for the two of them. They already have the backstory so it really writes itself.

 

[classicviolence]

Ever since 2007 the Untied States championship meant something. Benoit had the belt and dropped it to MVP. MVP held the title for over a year, then drops it to Matt Hardy. Up to that point the U.S. title meant something in WWE as the aforementioned wrestlers as well as JBL fought to bring the title prestige.

Even the Shelton Benjamin era as US champion was well done, but after his loss to MVP the title went threw a downhill trend. After Miz dropped it to Bryan, the title started to look more prestigious after he defeated Ziggler 3 times and retained time and time again.
The Kofi/Miz/Bret/Truth reigns made the title look rather weak imo.

 

[Vega]

I disagree.

I think we don't need to mention Daniel Bryan can pull off the best matches of all wrestlers in the company. There is not a single bad match of him and more often than not his fights were MOTN. So of course they let him wrestle. The thing is, he has no direction besides that. Some people tend to believe he's bad on the mic, but he really is not. They just don't seem to be interested in a further push or story for someone who can put on great matches no matter what. The Bella's story was rather stupid and didn't emphasise Bryan's strengths in any way.

Until he won the US title, he was vicious. He attacked Michael Cole, bashed the WWE on NXT, choked out Justin Roberts and made the Miz and Riley whine like bitches on many occassions. After that, he hugged the Bella's, had to do stupid facial expressions and giggles, act like a geek and looked like an idiot. He doesn't need that to get over. Give him a mic before his matches and let him be focused and aggressive, not muddle-headed and goofy.

See, my problem with the clean loss yesterday: Some months ago, Bryan dominated Miz when cheating was impossible, and that's how it should be. Look at the facts: From a power perspective, they're pretty much equal. Maybe Miz has a marginal size advantage, but Bryan has the intensity. When they're aggressive, Bryan looks like he will kick or rip your head off, while Miz looks like a baby which struggles to crawl out of the playpen. From a technical perspective, it's a no contest. Bryan is the best technical wrestler the company has to offer, and his submission style is one of his trademarks (look at his shirt). The only thing Miz has in favor is cheating and sneaking. That's the only style Miz can succeed with, and he does it rather well. They booked him that way and it works.

That being said, why the guy who is the master sneaker who wins every match via cheating succeeds 100% fair and square against the power-equal technical genius is beyond me. That is a HUGE hit on Bryan's credibility and I'm still a bit angry about it.

 

[Bane]

I disagree. It's just as irrelevant as ever, just because a good wrestler is holding it doesn't change the fact that he has no competition for it. Honestly, the last time the US Title mattered was during Shelton Benjamin's reign after getting the title from Hardy, not that it was a great reign or anything but even though he didn't really have notable feuds with anyone, at least he had competent opponents that looked like they could take the title away from him.
Danielson is a great wrestler but so far, his reign has been mediocre at best...I mean what has he done so far? had some matches with a few people he had to carry the entire match such as DiBiase or Miz and have some awkward and stupid interactions with the Belas. Oh and the clean loss to Miz? stupid, really stupid.

 

[Montague]

I wouldnt say in YEARS but it is the most important US Championship since the Miz's first reign back in Oct '09 (but that is a bout a year), but the last important champ before Miz would be MVP's first reign so Bryan has one of the most important but maybe not the MOST important.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

I would have to agree and say yes Daniel Bryan is one of thee best U.S. Champs in recent memory. Even the ones that were technically sound or athletically gifted (R-Truth,The Miz,Kofi Kingston,Shelton Benjamin,Matt Hardy, etc.) didnt usually recieve the pop that Bryan gets and was involved in atleast some kind of weekly story like Bryan. BEST U.S. CHAMP IN YEARS!

 

[I am the Jerichoholic]

Hey guys first time post whats up!

I agree DB is finally someone that is not using the U.S title to get a quick jump up to the ME spotlight but someone who is holding that title with a bit of pride for once. His match last night was fantastic as 95% of his matches are, and it made Miz look great going into the ppv and didnt hurt DB one bit

once they find someone around his level then maybe we can start seeing some sick best of 5 matches over a spand of 5 months like they did with Benoit and Booker, and that will only help the US title in the long run.

 

[ctln4rko]

I agree, I thought it was a great way for Miz to come out strong, CLEANLY, but I have so far enjoyed Miz's reign as US champion more than Bryan.
Bryan needs some credible defenses against people above Ted Dibiase.

 

[CuddleBuns84]

Well, he is a decent champion none the less. But our main problem is the booking of the champion, and his opponents.

Ted Jr. has a lot of talent, and they booked him as him he is the classy Brooklyn brawler. Put up a decent fight, then has to job to someone. It's really stupid. Now, why do I bring that up...

Ted has been one of the opponents during Byran's reign. Should of been a good mid-card feud. Instead, he taps, and Ted looks like a fool.

I miss good booking of this championships. I would of loved to see a Daniel Bryan vs. John Morrison, best of 7. Kind of like Booker T and Benoit. Good matches, and we built credibility around that television title.

Now, I have a theory, that a lot of people might agree with. Well, it isn't mine, but it's my take on theory.

Money in the Bank has killed the mid-card titles.

If you look at the past 4-5 years, Money in the Bank has made me cringe with disappointment. Because, now, a good wrestler doesn't have to build his resume up with titles, but now he can build his resume with a cheap win over a beaten down champion. Really doesn't help the scene.

Let's rewind to Summerslam 1992. Bret Hart vs. The British Bulldog in the intercontinental championship. It main evented Summerslam. It was a good damn match.

The year before. Hart vs. Perfect. One of the best matches in WWE history.

Now, lets look the present. Both the IC and US titles have been subjected to props. We don't see Steel Cage matches at pay-per-views for that belt. We don't see battle royals to name number one contenders for that belt. We don't see those belts receive a main event time slot for that belt. But, if we are lucky, they might get defended in a ladder match at TLC!

In my opinion. Till they revamp Money in the Bank. The mid-card title picture won't be as valuable as it once was.

 

[itssoeasy123]

BUT WHY DID MIZ WIN! AHHHHHHH DANIELSON IS BURIED! NOOOOOO HE'S THE BEST WRESTLER IN THE WORLD! WHYS HE NOT WWE CHAMPION! AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!


Really, that match was very, very good. Both of them have very good chemistry together.

Bryan has been built well as a Champion. Even though he's in a love triangle storyline, in the ring, he mean's business. He can lock on that Lebell Lock and your out. His Lebell Lock has been built like the crossface, a legit submission hold that make's you tap out in seconds. He's the United State's Champion and get's am tch every night. Sometimes, it's the MOTN. It's just, he's got no competitor's. Besides like Dibiase, who else is gonna face him? The no talented Tyson Kidd, the hopefully future endevored DH Smith, the medicore Migillucuty. RAW just does'nt have people for RAW to face, maybe Bourne will have a storyline when he returns, but for now, there's really no one to have a storyline with him.

And people saying it was a mistake for Miz to win. Well, Miz is the WWE Champion. Does'nt matter if he is small, weak, a coward. If he's got that belt, he's winning his matches on RAW. Bryan put him through one hell of a match, but Miz was able to capitalize. Bryan nearly beat Miz.

And also, for like, the first time Miz was Champion, he won the match clean! No help from anybody, no cheating, no crying, just a very good clean-cut win for the Miz.

 

[fenfool]

I want to agree with you, and I hope it comes to pass...but he's been jobbed out to The Miz, Sheamus and Morrison, all within the last month or so. He still has the belt, because they were all non-title, I guess because the U.S. Title is beneath them...Morrison lost a World Title match to The Miz the week before, as the #1 contender. So why wasn't he a contender to the U.S. Title after that? Surely one title match loss doesn't drop a guy THAT far, does it?

I'm glad he's held the title for a good long time, and I'd like to see him keep it...maybe make it a year or so with the title. That would help bring some prestige back to the title...less frequent switches with the IC title have helped that one as well. But you can't keep having your champ lose cleanly on TV so often, I don't care who the opponents are. Let's see him go through SummerSlam without a singles loss of any kind, then maybe we'll remember that the U.S. title is a big deal.

 

[MinistryDeadman95]

I disagree.

I think we don't need to mention Daniel Bryan can pull off the best matches of all wrestlers in the company. There is not a single bad match of him and more often than not his fights were MOTN. So of course they let him wrestle. The thing is, he has no direction besides that. Some people tend to believe he's bad on the mic, but he really is not. They just don't seem to be interested in a further push or story for someone who can put on great matches no matter what. The Bella's story was rather stupid and didn't emphasise Bryan's strengths in any way.

Until he won the US title, he was vicious. He attacked Michael Cole, bashed the WWE on NXT, choked out Justin Roberts and made the Miz and Riley whine like bitches on many occassions. After that, he hugged the Bella's, had to do stupid facial expressions and giggles, act like a geek and looked like an idiot. He doesn't need that to get over. Give him a mic before his matches and let him be focused and aggressive, not muddle-headed and goofy.

See, my problem with the clean loss yesterday: Some months ago, Bryan dominated Miz when cheating was impossible, and that's how it should be. Look at the facts: From a power perspective, they're pretty much equal. Maybe Miz has a marginal size advantage, but Bryan has the intensity. When they're aggressive, Bryan looks like he will kick or rip your head off, while Miz looks like a baby which struggles to crawl out of the playpen. From a technical perspective, it's a no contest. Bryan is the best technical wrestler the company has to offer, and his submission style is one of his trademarks (look at his shirt). The only thing Miz has in favor is cheating and sneaking. That's the only style Miz can succeed with, and he does it rather well. They booked him that way and it works.

That being said, why the guy who is the master sneaker who wins every match via cheating succeeds 100% fair and square against the power-equal technical genius is beyond me. That is a HUGE hit on Bryan's credibility and I'm still a bit angry about it.

The Miz won last night because they were trying to give him some credibility cuz he's WWE Champion. They didn't want the top guy to lose to the a midcarder. They were both midcarders when Bryan beat Miz a few times a couple of months back.

As for the topic, I also am enjoying Daniel Bryan's title reign. It has made the US Title prestigious again and his matches are excellent indeed. What I would like to see next is Sheamus jump in a feud with Daniel Bryan for the title.

 

[Hovertical]

Just because Daniel Bryan is a good wrestler doesn't make the championship itself any better in my eyes. I would actually like to see it defended more I mean when was the last time he defended? Hell in a Cell?????? Like really sure he gets a nice title reign but does holding a championship he defended at max like 3 times over a long period bring any more credibility to him or the title. From the view of people who only know him from WWE he is just a kid who came on the scene and got a championship and don't find him super credible (as a lot of my friends have told me.) However I did like the match last night against him and Miz, even though I knew he was going to lose it was a great match.

 

[thebrownmenace]

I have to agree with the last post. Bryan Danielson is a damn great wrestler, but that does not necessarily make his reign automatically great. He has not really been involved in any storyline that concerns the actual US Title. He's been screwing around with the DIVAS. FTW! It would have been great if his feud with the Miz would have lasted longer, or if he had, like many of you are saying a best of series with someone else who can go like he can. In all honesty, they should have done that with Ziggler in order to unify both mid card titles because the WWE does not utilize them well at all anymore. Just have one mid-card title which the champ can defend on either show, and have the shows switch off each month for a title match at a ppv. Again, this is no knock on Bryan because his matches are off the charts, but we need a storyline to make us care about the person wearing the belt.

 

[Mr. Steve]

I want to agree with you, and I hope it comes to pass...but he's been jobbed out to The Miz, Sheamus and Morrison, all within the last month or so.

I feel as if that term is being used around loosely. I mean, to job is to set up the match in such a way that prevents the jobber to build any type of momentum. Which is to say, in every single spot and sequence that makes the match up, the jobber has NO momentum. Sure, the term jobber to the stars can be counter argued, but the thing is: none of these things apply. To do the job is to imply that the jobber will have no credibility in that match, which is clearly not the case of last night, in which the opposite of jobbing was seen: He took the Champ to the limit, as he is one to do. The Miz did an equally fine job as well.

He still has the belt, because they were all non-title, I guess because the U.S. Title is beneath them...Morrison lost a World Title match to The Miz the week before, as the #1 contender. So why wasn't he a contender to the U.S. Title after that? Surely one title match loss doesn't drop a guy THAT far, does it?

True enough. But keep in mind that once a main eventer is established, you can't just shoot him back down to the mid card, where the US title resides. To do so would be to undermine the credibility. "He couldn't get the brass ring, and he didn't even go after it, so he's going for a title that's easy pickings." It may work the other way around, like the US champion/IC champion being groomed to chase after the WWE/WHC title, but I digress.

I'm glad he's held the title for a good long time, and I'd like to see him keep it...maybe make it a year or so with the title. That would help bring some prestige back to the title...less frequent switches with the IC title have helped that one as well.

That is what brings prestige to a title. Even more so when it's the holder's first run with a title. See Miz's first title run with the US, Ziggler with his IC, and now Daniel Bryan. It establishes the fact that these guys took the shot that they were given, and they show promise that they can break the glass ceiling. So to answer the thread, yes and no. Yes to Daniel Bryan being one of the important US title holders, but no to him being THE most important in years.

But you can't keep having your champ lose cleanly on TV so often, I don't care who the opponents are. Let's see him go through SummerSlam without a singles loss of any kind, then maybe we'll remember that the U.S. title is a big deal.

It's being seen as kind of a big deal even among a promotion that considers its titles to be nothing more than props and plot devices. It's up to creative to ensure that the particular Plot Device of the US championship is capable enough to enhance a storyline. And with it, the title holder. In the case that concerns us, Daniel Bryan.

 

[mral82]

How many years are you talkin about? Daniel Bryan defends his title at house shows so probably the last title defense was this past weekend or last weekend. But the last time he defended it on TV/PPV was Survivor Series back in November. Plus the last important one was MVP as he made it abut the title not some bs storyline. So no and no to ur ?

 

[stylin'andprofilin']

Daniel Bryan is a good wrestler. Straight up. He goes out there and works for a good match to promote the U.S. title. Go back to guys who held the U.S. Championship back in the nwa days. Tully Blanchard, Magnum T.A., Dusty Rhodes. To the days of WCW when Sting, Goldberg, Booker T held the championship. To the WWE, JBL, Cena, Benoit, Guerrero. These are popular names some of the best ever in this buisness. Beside the miz, i agree. DB is the best in a while.

 

[Tech N9ne]

Taking nothing away from Daniel Bryan at all, I think he has been the BEST US Champ in years.

I think Bryan was one spot away from being the most important in years. I believe The Miz grabbed that accolade first. The Miz has been must see, not just as WWE Champion, but overall for about the last year and a half.

He grabbed every title available to him on the show he wrestles on. Plus, he had the US Title and MITB at the same time. I think he really made that title relevant.

The US Title is always looked at fondly from a legacy stand point. But over the last few years it hasn't really been too relevant, as far as who has held it, and also the matches it was defended in.

But when The Miz captured it, it brought a broader awareness to the title again. Whether you were happy to see The Miz get his first Single's Title or you just wanted to see him lose it every time he defended it. He definitely brought more spotlight, or focus, to The United States Championship, then we have seen in a very long time.