Where will Danielson go? Where should he go?

[Doctor Awesome]

I have always had mixed emotions about Brian Danielson going to WWE. Though I think it's great to get to see him work on a consistent basis I've always been concerned that he won't be utilized to my liking. When it was announced that he has agreed in principle to a contract w/WWE upon fulfilling his ROH committments, I immediately wondered, where which brand would he go to?

There is no real good reason for him to go to FCW, he has polished mic skills and his work is second to none, so here's how I would like to see it play out, and actually believe that he will go to ECW. It makes the most sense for many reasons: CM Punk did it, they have very similar backgrounds and really came up in the same indy era together; worked for him, Regal was one of his trainers, you could do alot with them and Regal would certainly do all he could to elevate him, he and Christian have worked together a few times as well. ECW is in need of another face with some credebility, even though many will not be familiar with him, word could travel fast if he gets to actually wrestle.

I can honestly say that I'm excited he is making the move, it is overdue i guess and am curious where everyone predicts he will go, but also let me know where you think he SHOULD go if it's a different brand. In addition, do you think it is going to work out for BD?

 

[CM Punk Circa 2004]

ECW, I think it's a no brainer. He can have a few classics with Regal, as well as solid to very good matches with Christian. I don't like him leaving ROH, but it's done so w/e

 

[RVDgurl]

Obviously I'm a huge fan of Danielson. When it comes to wrestling, I live and breath for the guy. He is more than solid in every facit of the game: tremendous in ring ability, good mic skills and tons of charisma. He already has everything he needs to become successful in the WWE.

Upon arrival, I would say that he is going to have a very short stay in FCW or skip the developmental part completely. If the WWE is going to allow him to keep all the things that make him unique, then FCW is not necessary. If the WWE plans to make him work a strict "WWE style" then Danielson will probably find himself in FCW first.

With or without a stint in FCW, ECW would be the place for Danielson to make his WWE debut. It just makes sense. Right now ECW is full of new faces who are trying to establish a name for themselves. It is a great testing ground for young talent. Hell, even Christian made his return on ECW so the WWE could evaluate his future status. Danielson is already a well established name in wrestling much like CM Punk was a few years ealier. Punk was made to start at the bottom and work his way to his current status, and Danielson will be no different. If given a fair shake, we'll see Danielson as world champion someday, too.

 

[Viola Moonlight]

Danielson is most likely going to end up on the ECW roster to get him familar with the WWE fans first. He already has the skills neccessary to make in the E but needs to over with the crowd before making it to the top. The best place is ECW & he can gain some experience with the likes of veterans of mainstream business like Regal, Christian & Dreamer. It won't take long for Danielson to adapt to the WWe environment & once the draft roles around again... expect Danielson to be with SmackDown or RAW helping out the midcard division.

 

[Doctor Awesome]

I thought it really is a no brainer and I'm glad to see other people agree. I have actually met the guy outside of the wrestling world and got to chat w/him at a few ROH shows, he's a really cool guy and definitely deserved a fair shake in his run. I'm trying to stay positive on this one and believe they will let him be himself for the most part, since they are having trouble establishing new stars. if brian danielson doesn't have to follow a script verbatim, a la Jack Swagger, and he gets to act like himself and wrestle his technical/strong style things should go really well.

 

[RVDgurl]

I thought it really is a no brainer and I'm glad to see other people agree. I have actually met the guy outside of the wrestling world and got to chat w/him at a few ROH shows, he's a really cool guy and definitely deserved a fair shake in his run. I'm trying to stay positive on this one and believe they will let him be himself for the most part, since they are having trouble establishing new stars. if brian danielson doesn't have to follow a script verbatim, a la Jack Swagger, and he gets to act like himself and wrestle his technical/strong style things should go really well.

Right on point. I've met him as well (although I went into complete dork mode) and he is such a good guy. The "do good" type that goes to church, does volunteer work and loves animals- come on, how can you treat a guy like that unfairly!? He is a hard worker who has never had any type of back stage issues. There is no reason in the world why he shouldn't get a real opportunity to succeed. I'm also trying to stay positive about this, although part of me is still skeptical. There is still a very real possiblity that he will get a corny new name and an even worse gimmick. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

 

[TheMuz25]

i was thinking about this yesterday. ive heard great things about this guy, but i have never seen him in the ring. but from what ive heard he will be a rising star. my only question is will they have him debut with his real name or give him some kind of gimmick?

p.s. - when a user name has a line through it, underneath it it says future endeavored. what does that mean? out of pure curiousity.

 

[RicSpade]

I would have to say he is going to end up in ECW just because the lack of depth in Talent but honestly if they are going to bring him in automatically as a mid-card main eventer he needs to be heading to Raw because there is a lack of depth in the main event that they aren't letting guys like Evan Bourne and Mark Henry and MVP get to yet, and needs to be done desperately.

 

[4-Real]

Well because of the way wwe operates he will probably spend 2-4 weeks in fcw and then go to ecw as part of the new talent initiative. I for one would love to see him as ecw champion similar to what Jack swagger did except face. From there who knows what he is gonna do. Although I do wonder if he is going to get a gimmick or name change. Based on how wwe is I do think they will try to get him a new look or something but as long as he has the chance to rise among the ranks then I'm a happy camper.

 

[Deexter Jorgan]

The way i see it I would love to see Danielson being utilised properly, and the only place for him is ECW, the guy can work a proper wrestling style without compramising, eventually he may need to switch up a little and work towards a more WWE orientated style but I believe if anyone can do Danielson would be the best option.

Look at how much Punk has accomplished without taking too much of a step back of what braught him to the dance, he hasn't compromised much and has managed to build some great feuds maintinang strong heat weather heel or face, from what i heard though Brian Danielson is banged up and doesn't know how much time he has left in the industry so im hoping that hes utilising his time to heal up prior to coming to the WWE.

He deserves this more then anyone in the Indies at this time, he is a great worker and one of the best in the indipendants so im hoping that the WWE gives him a fair shot which i do believe they will due to the fact that they are lacking a newer generation of stars, so hears hoping.

 

[wiKid hoRse]

why start from scratch? why can't they run some promos saying the greatest unsigned wrestler is coming to wwe. make a big deal about it, use some footage from the indies and what not to get him over and throw him into the upper mid card on smackdown. if they make out he is the shit then people should buy it. it worked when they brought kurt angle in way back when.

 

[Spunky]

I'm not a huge Danielson fan, I'll admit it. The only reason I'm not a huge fan is simply because i've not seen enough of him. He wrestles my favourite style, He has a great look to him, And he damn sure could charm the pants off of you. The point i'm getting at is I've only seen him a few times, Yet I can see him hitting the big time.

Where will Danielson go when he arrives? Probably a short stint in FCW, Followed by a year in ECW to big his persona. Where do I want him to go? SmackDown, It's WWE's new breeding ground. When was the last time someone has come from ECW, And made it big? CM Punk, You could say John Morrison has, But you would be wrong. SmackDown is the place to be if you want to hit the main event at the minute. Just ask Diggler, And JoMo.

 

[Stormtrooper]

why start from scratch? why can't they run some promos saying the greatest unsigned wrestler is coming to wwe. make a big deal about it, use some footage from the indies and what not to get him over and throw him into the upper mid card on smackdown. if they make out he is the shit then people should buy it. it worked when they brought kurt angle in way back when.

I have to disagree with you on this. I have only seen like 2 Brian Danielson matches, and I was impressed, but you can't bring the guy in right away and put him high up in the card for (at least) 3 reasons.

1. He needs to learn how to work a WWE style match, and more importantly, a TV match in which they get about 8 minutes, including entrances.
2. He needs to get used to a WWE ring, which is different from other rings. everybody except WWE uses the cables for ropes, wwe uses ropes. Also, WWE's ring is bigger.
3. Fans have no f'n clue who in the hell he is, and would crap all over it.

I don't see him being in FCW for more then a month or 2, just to get the aforementioned issues resolved. Once he is there, I would actually like to see them run vignettes (using only FCW footage, since they have that available) talking about his wrestling ability for a few weeks, without mentioning his prior achievements (hyping his prior achievements shows people how good he is, but also shows that you knew he was good for a while, and still didn't sign him, which is bad). Come time for his debut, I want him in ECW as part of the New Talent Initiative. Most people seem to be crapping on the NTI because it brings in guys nobody heard of with no fanfare, and what better way to give it credibility then to hype the debut of someone the IWC loves, with a little bit of fanfare.

And comparing him to Kurt Angle is absolutely ridiculous. Danielson is excellent in the ring, but doesn't have either the mainstream attention Angle had, nor the credibility. To tell casual fans that this guy is the best in the world is ludicrous, because they would wonder why it took so long for him to make it to WWE, and why they never heard of him. Angle was the best in the world (at Olympic Freestyle wrestling, not pro wrestling), that's what they hyped him as such. And Angle (coming in as an Olympic gold medalist) has credibility in the eyes of casual fans, because he won an Olympic Gold Medal, something everybody knows about. Believe it or not, most people never heard of (and don't give 2 craps about) Ring Of Honor. So treating Danielson like any other new guy in the company is the only way to go. The only difference is you can expect (and most likely get) more from him then other new guys, and that is where his talent will come into play.

 

[muzzerman]

I'm a big fan of Danielson and I hope that WWE make the right decision with him whatever that may be.

I personally too think he should go to ECW but to be blunt ECW is getting very overcrowded for a 1 hour show. It wasn't in 06 when Punk was up and coming but now with the ECW development angle it is.

Raw may be the most practical for the company, though because they are overcrowded by Triple H's and John Cena's and HBK's. Especially with DX reuniting, you have effectively lost 2 main eventers. And when Batista is gone, Raw are short on 3 normal main eventers. WWE need to produce some young talent in to main events on Raw as they are running out vastly.

 

[Pimpin]

I'm a huge fan of Danielson & i'm prayin' that whatever decision that WWE makes with him is gonna hopefully do wonders for him.

Now as to what brand he should start on when he gets to the main roster. I'm also gonna say ECW due to it not havin' enough credible faces besides Christian, but like Muzzerman said, it is pretty damn overcrowed for a 1 hour show. Plus he does kind've need to learn the WWE style of wrestling for a bit & ECW is the brand to do it on & he'll build his character up there as well.

Smackdown also wouldn't be a bad show for him to be on either due to guys like Ziggler, Morrison & Punk havin' major success over there.

Whatever they decide to do with him, just don't put him on Raw.

 

[samboisdead]

I belive Danielson will spend some time on the ECW roster. Never do anything then get released kind of like Colt Cabana. This way WWE can claim to have given him a chance and say he wasnt good enough therefore stopping all the talk about him being the best. Vince hates guys he doesnt create Punk only got big because no matter how much Vince tried to squash him his merchandise kept flying off the shelf. Anyway while I think Danielson is incredible he doesnt have the charisma or look that Punk has and I doubt he will last long in WWE.

 

[Sbutts8182]

HBK comes down to the ring on Raw and cuts a promo onlong the lines of

"During this recent lay off i've realised that Old HBK can't go on forever, the mind is willing but the old body is telling me that my time maybe up. I've started to question what my legacy will be, yes, I am the showstopper, I am the mainevent and yes I am Mr wrestlemania. But fans are so fickle nowadays that it won't be long after i'm gone that a new star will rise and Old HBK will be forgotten. A lot of you may not now that years ago when I was out with my back injury, I started a wrestling school to help develop the next generation of sports entertainer to carry on my name, it produced such names as The Brian Kendrick, Paul London and Lance Cade but all of them had a chance and just couldn't cut it at the top level. My brightest student was never giving the chance because, according to the powers that be, wasn't WWE material. So that Student went away and worked his ass off in many countries, paying his dues the way I did back in the day until finally someone took notice, ladies and gentleman please welcome the man I would like to pass the torch on to when I finally hang up these boots, Brian Danielson"

Brian Danielson comes down to the ring and he and Shawn embrace. Legacy's music hits and out comes Orton, Rhodes and DiBiase.
Orton cuts a Promo something like.

"Shawn, did I hear you say Legacy, there is only one Legacy around here and you are looking at it. So your thinking of hanging up your boots are you well let us help you make that decision by ending your career right now, oh and Brian whatever your name is I suggest you clear out of my ring now before you get hurt"

Legacy attack HBK but Danielson helps out, he throws Rhodes out the ring, HBK comes back at Orton while Danielson takes care of DiBiase. Danielson puts Orton in Cattle mutilation, Orton and the commentators sell it like crazy. He finally releases it after Orton taps out like mad. As Orton (holding his shoulder) DiBiase and Rhodes disappear up the ramp, Danielson picks up the microphone

"my name is Brian Danielson but i'm sure you won't forget it again"

Orton looks angry

Thats how I would book his Debut, then i'd have HBK and Danielson go against Legacy for tag titles at PPV, winning them. Let them have a couple of defences at the next few PPVS, Start having HBK make sure he is getting the pins, taking up the microphone time etc. Lose the tag titles at the December PPV.

Have HBK announce that he intends to retire in the next year and that this maybe his last Royal Rumble, Danielson is pissed off at HBK calls him selfish. Danielson throws HBK out of the rumble match, Michaels makes sure that Danielson is eliminated when its down to the last 3. Danielson cuts a promo the next night on Raw, calls out HBK, Berates him for costing him his WWE titleshot, Injures Michaels with Cattle Mutilation (this is sold as career threatening)

WWE resigns London, Kendrick and Cade on short term deals. For the next month or so Shawns former students try to take retribution for Danielson "Ending" HBKs career. They are each defeated by Cattle Mutilation and injured, at the February PPV, Danielson v Cade, Danielson puts on Cattle Mutilation and refuses to release it until HBK makes the save.

That sets up HBK V Danielson for Wrestlemania, HBK would get the victory and then cut a promo saying something like

"I forgive you, the Old HBK threw his tag team partner through a window to get to where he is today, you proved to me you have what it takes"

thats how I would like to see it done, what will probaly happen is he'll end up on ECW for 6 months and then wished well with future endeavors.

 

[XgringolocoX]

I do agree that it'll probably be ECW, but I'd like to see something different. How long has it been since someone came in and made a big splash? I personally would like to see a guy come in on RAW and start handing out loses like M&Ms. I'm talkin a no bullsht, running roughshod over the locker room. This guy doesn't need to be huge and Goldbergish, just down to business and a step ahead.
This is my dream for Danielson.....kickin azz, f++K the names.....

 

[johnnyblaze3:16]

im pretty sure i read somewhere that he'd be skipping fcw and developmental and going straight in so that being said i think he'll be on ecw soon maybe as christian's friend against koslov regal and jackson i think he'd be a great ecw cahmp and should quickly move over to raw/smackdown what about a ziggler/danielson for the intercontinental strap?

 

[HBK-aholic]

As far away from Raw as possible. If Danielson is going to be pushed as a strong competitor here starting out on the best show would be suicide for him. I'm in agreement with everyone that ECW is the best place for him. The WWE can get a feel of how the crowd reacts to him before making any major decisions and moving him about.