Bryan Danielson- Overrated?

[justinsayne]

It seems that with Bryan Danielson, the fans either love him or hate him for the most part, I think I've watched enough of his matches, and I gotta say the guy just might be overrated, it seems the Indy fans praise this guy as a god, and where he does in fact have talent and has had his share of good matches, I just can't see what exactly makes him the "best wrestler", or what would make anyone think that, he is good but IMO he's not great, I just feel that some of his matches tend to move at a slow pace, and can drag on for too long, and as a result get boring, that of course isn't the case in all his matches

Last match of his I saw was the final match in the best of three series between him and Austin Aries, Aries is guy who's always had consistently good if not great matches in ROH, and in this match I expected nothing but the best from both of these guys, I expected a great match with both technical and high spots, and I expected to be on the edge of my seat the entire time, the match did have some good technical and high spots and it was decent, but it wasn't great, it wasn't as good as I thought it should have been, IDK maybe that's just my fault for getting my hopes up, but when you constantly hear that one of the guys is "the greatest wrestler ever" and you know that the other can deliver, then the match should be expected to be great

So am I wrong in the assumption that Danielson is Overrated, or am I just missing something?, Once again I'm not saying he's a bad wrestler, he is good, I just think he is given more credit than what he deserves, I could be wrong

 

[BooCocky]

IMO this guy is vastly overrated, he has never impressed me, i think his in ring talent is whack and he tries to throw 900 moves into one match. It just doesn't make any sense in my opinion. They say he is the best wrestler in the world? Gimme a break, who is saying this anyways? I should pay for them to go get their eyes checked. He is solid but not the greatest. if he was good the wwe would probably be trying to get him, but i dont see that or hear anything about that. I think he is a terrible seller, and couldn't sell a move with his life depended on it... I saw a match with him and Kaz, and Kaz kicked him like 20 times in a row and Danielson bounced right up, and attacked. What is up with that? Or is it part of the promotion?

 

[Freedom 35]

meh I think Ive seen enough of his matches to have to agree with you guys he is fairly overrated. while his matches to me are good but dont specifically stand out, I think he has talent and is a good wrestler but like you gys said when I hear best wrestler in the world thrown around I have to disagree. its just like every match hes trying to get as many moves in as he can and theres really no rythm to it they are all enjoyable but arent the type of memorable matches Id expect from the supposed "best in the world".

Final verdict-hes good but when he is considered the best in the world I cant believe it hes solid but clearly not the best therefore he is overrated because of the high standards set for him

 

[A.J.]

This guy is way...way overrated the IWC. Though as you see from these replies that the man not many in the IWC feel this way. I have to admit I have sat through a few Brian Danies on match and the well he is a joke at not selling and tries to hard to get stuff in. There is no flow in his matches IMO, though he is solid i believe but his in ring psychology in not of something you see companies like TNA or WWE calling for him to join them. You know in WWE he be nothing more than Val Venis long lost twin brother. He is ok but to say "best wrester ever" and all that other nonsense nah.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

It depends how much patience you have. He's a slow burn wrestler. So if you like your matches at a 20 minute minimum then WWE is for you. But if you can sit for an hour and you don't get bored then there's nobody better than Bryan Danileson. I'd go so far as to say he's better than anybody at long matches. Better than Flair even. Problem is that I doubt he could adapt and do shorter matches like Flair. Danielson will never make it in a large promotion. He's too bland, he has a rubbish physique and his style wouldn't work too well on your average weekly wrestling program. Not that it matters because he's a wrestler, not a sports entertainer. And wrestlers will always find work.

 

[GRocca7x]

It depends how much patience you have. He's a slow burn wrestler. So if you like your matches at a 20 minute minimum then WWE is for you. But if you can sit for an hour and you don't get bored then there's nobody better than Bryan Danileson. I'd go so far as to say he's better than anybody at long matches. Better than Flair even. Problem is that I doubt he could adapt and do shorter matches like Flair. Danielson will never make it in a large promotion. He's too bland, he has a rubbish physique and his style wouldn't work too well on your average weekly wrestling program. Not that it matters because he's a wrestler, not a sports entertainer. And wrestlers will always find work.

Out of all the posts so far, this one I agree with the most. I'm probably one of those people your referring to that can watch a match for an hour and dosent get bored. And after reading your post I realized that at times when I'm watching a Bryan Danielson match or any other ROH match that reaches the 30 min mark, I'm in awe. I love the slow steady pace in the beginning as they feel each other out then it gets exciting as they do more impactful moves, then the constant near falls at the end. Then I would watch a WWE match where 2 wrestlers would do the exact same thing but in a small amount of time and the crowd is completely dead. So yea, if Danielson went to WWE he would probably start getting boring chants and what not and end up being a complete dud. Y 2 Jake pretty much hit the nail on the head when he said it depends how much patience you have. Most ROH, Japanese, indy fans have the patience for a 1 hour classic while those who are used to wrestling made for a 2 hour tv timeslot aren't.

 

[RVDgurl]

It depends how much patience you have. He's a slow burn wrestler. So if you like your matches at a 20 minute minimum then WWE is for you. But if you can sit for an hour and you don't get bored then there's nobody better than Bryan Danileson. I'd go so far as to say he's better than anybody at long matches. Better than Flair even. Problem is that I doubt he could adapt and do shorter matches like Flair. Danielson will never make it in a large promotion. He's too bland, he has a rubbish physique and his style wouldn't work too well on your average weekly wrestling program. Not that it matters because he's a wrestler, not a sports entertainer. And wrestlers will always find work.

I agree with this post for the most part. Danielson will probably be an Indy wrestler for life. He wouldn't get the opportunity to showcase his style in the WWE or in TNA. He would be forced to wrestle much shorter matches and that would be a sin to take away what makes him great.

I am a HUGE Danielson fan so obviously I don't think he is overrated at all. I mark out like a little kid at ROH shows when he makes his entrance. He's very special for me, because I usually prefer hardcore and high spots. Danielson is very different from 99% of the wrestlers out there today as he is a complete throwback. His technical skills are matched by few and he does have an electric personality that I find comes across much better live than on a DVD.

 

[Shanks18]

He was trained by both HBK and Regal, to say his style is completely unadaptable maybe speaking too soon. The style he currently uses obviously works very well for him in ROH, Japan and the indies in general, so there seems little point in changing it.
I've heard rumours that WWE has shown interest in him, however he's had advice from HBK and Regal telling him to become more experinced in world wrestling in indies, Mexico and Japan, before settling on the WWE, becuase lets face it, if you land yourself in the WWE, hopefully its for life, and the WWE style does restrict someone in terms of creativity, spots and move set and someone like Danielson would suffer, ie London and Punk.

Personally I think he can be somewhat overrated, but who on the indy curcuit with talent isn't. But he is a solid technical wrestler, one of the best if you can tolarate the slow burnining pace. He can also incorperate psychology and a main event feel into big spots, and don't tell me he can't work a crowd.

Hi by the way!

 

[ROHDude]

Danielson is not overrated. The key thing to remember, and I believe Y 2 Jake mentioned this, but Danielson is a wrestler not a Sports Entertainer. When it comes right down to what pro wrestling was and should still be Danielson embodies that.

He can easily adapt to any style of match, he brings electricity to the "arena", he draws the crowd into the matches, he's got better mic skills and more charisma then people tend to give him.

As selfish as it is I hope Danielson never shows up on TV unless it is in a ROH ring. I look forward to 10 years from now to see where his career has taken him. He's a guy that deserves the praise he gets.

And this is all coming from a guy who in 02-04 thought Danielson was a good wrestler, but found him boring. Danielson grew on me and has easily become my favorite wrestler today. There is nothing like his entrance in ROH. It truely is electrifing.

 

[8five]

Danielson is overrated. I think he flat out sucks. His matches with boring competition are boring. He cannot elevate an opponent. I have seen probably only around 20 mathces of his but I have yet to be happy with one match. The only match I somewhat enjoyed was the 4 way with aries, hero, morishma and him, and that was only because hero and aries stole the match. He is not the best wrestler in the world, he might not even be in the top 100.

 

[mr. krinkle]

Bryan Danielson is the man.

"overrated" is just a matter of opinion...it would be different if he had never done a thing

i can see why some would call him boring, his style is not for everyone, but when he returned from injury last year, you could see that he modified his style for a more agressive, faster paced match, instead of the one hour marathons...as far as people saying he has to do 900 moves in his matches, i dont see it...what... strikes, suplexes, mat stuff, then you got surfboards, cattle mutilation, elbows to the head, am i missing hundreds of moves here? the thing is he is a throwback, and Best in the World is his gimmick...it is arguable wether he is the best or not, but who really cares?

 

[JasonSensation]

Bryan Danielson is the man.

"overrated" is just a matter of opinion...it would be different if he had never done a thing

i can see why some would call him boring, his style is not for everyone, but when he returned from injury last year, you could see that he modified his style for a more agressive, faster paced match, instead of the one hour marathons...as far as people saying he has to do 900 moves in his matches, i dont see it...what... strikes, suplexes, mat stuff, then you got surfboards, cattle mutilation, elbows to the head, am i missing hundreds of moves here?

I agree. If you have seen his match with Morishima (the one in which his eye was busted) then you will definitely be able to pick up on this. Not adaptable? Go to youtube and check out his match with John Cena on Velocity. Danielson makes Cena look fantastic, but doesn't forget to shine himself up as well. The match was about 5 minutes, but it was a long 5 minutes that the crowd seemed into. And that was in 2003! I think to say he is overrated wouldn't be entirely accurate, as someone who can wrestle his style as well as he does but then adapt to the strict WWE style as he displayed in that match could only be held down by politicians above him.

the thing is he is a throwback, and Best in the World is his gimmick...it is arguable wether he is the best or not, but who really cares?

Another good point. Best in the World is indeed a gimmick and I think it becomes hard for the IWC to see it that way sometimes when it is pushed on someone so hard. No doubt, the gimmick seems to fit as with every entrance the guy has, the crowd is shouting it at him in unison. Given, the crowds who know him are biased towards him to begin with, but he proved in a WWE ring that he can get a crowd behind him who isn't particularly familiar with him.

I will, however, say that I think selling is not his strongpoint and it does seem at times like he is trying to get all of his spots in, no matter the pace of the match. But overall, I do believe him to be in the top 10th percentile as far as wrestling skill and even working a crowd.

Great topic of discussion, justinsayne.

 

[Freedom 35]

Bryan Danielson is the man.

"overrated" is just a matter of opinion...it would be different if he had never done a thing

i can see why some would call him boring, his style is not for everyone, but when he returned from injury last year, you could see that he modified his style for a more agressive, faster paced match, instead of the one hour marathons...as far as people saying he has to do 900 moves in his matches, i dont see it...what... strikes, suplexes, mat stuff, then you got surfboards, cattle mutilation, elbows to the head, am i missing hundreds of moves here? the thing is he is a throwback, and Best in the World is his gimmick...it is arguable wether he is the best or not, but who really cares?

well to be honest we really care, thats the whole point of this thread. dont get me wrong I think Bryan Danielson is a great wrestler I enjoy his matches and go out of my way to watch any of them whenever I can, however to call him the best in the world is just absurd. my one problem with Danielson is his matches seem like hes trying to get as many moves in as possible and IMO the match doesnt have enough rythm to it. And another problem I have with him being labeled the best in the world is because people are always trying too hard label things the best of something when really its just easier to say hes a really good wrestler or hes one of the better wrestlers out there because then when he doesnt live up to everyones huge expectations its not considered a huge let down

and that my two cents on the situation

 

[THe WHoLe FuCKiN SHoW]

Bryan Danielson is a wrestler plain and simple and a damn good one at that. I for one have watched tons of his matches and enjoyed every single one of them. He's wrestled some of the best and put on great matches with guys like Mcguinness, Homicide, AJ Styles, Kenta and countless others.

in some ways i could see why a lot of people might find his matches or his wrestling style boring. it reminds me of how many people say that the wrestlemania 12 iron man match with bret and hbk was terrible. now if you like wrestling, that match was a masterpiece but otherwise you probly hated it.

for a guy with that much talent, whose able to go that long and still perform and only be 26 or 27 or something like that, its hard for me not to be impressed. he may not be the greatest entertainer but hes a hell of a wrestler. i dont think the word overrated applies here. when there are only a handful of guys in the world or ever for that matter who can do what he can do inside of a wrestling ring, he cant be too overrated.

i agree that he'd never make it in wwe or tna and that was proven a while ago when he jobbed to cena on wwe television. (this was way before cena blew up). nonetheless ill continue to watch him in ROH and regard him as one of the best in the world.

 

[Slyfox696]

Of course Danielson is overrated. Any wrestler who is praised as often and as blindly as Danielson is will be considered overrated, as no wrestler could ever possibly begin to live up to the hype that is Bryan Danielson. It's unfair really how his fans refuse to see any of his many faults, and are so worked by his gimmick that they blindly praise each and everything he does. Danielson could literally drop his pants and take a dump in the middle ring, and his fans would talk about how it was the best dump ever taken. So, while I have very little respect for Danielson as a worker, it is completely unfair to ask if he's overrated, as there is not a single wrestler who could ever live up to the praise that is labeled upon him.

People call him the greatest in the world, and the man isn't even in the Top 25 in American based companies among active wrestlers.

 

[Novakane487]

Whats so great about this guy? Wrestling is supposed to be entertaining. If I wanna watch some jackass hug some other dude and do a bunch of mat moves then I'll watch UFC. Its not like pro wrestling is an actual competition, its a fucking TV show. You have to either be entertaining or exciting to watch. Someone like Low-ki/Senshi doesn't really do a lot of the entertainment stuff but he is exciting to watch because of all that crazy shit he does. Technical ability means nothing in the pseudo sport that is pro-wrestling. If its gonna be scripted like all wrestling is than you may as well be like Low-ki and awe the audience and have them on the edge of your seat. To me this danielson guy cant touch guys like Low-ki, RVD, or AJ Styles or even those two guys from TNA the Motor City Machine Guns. Danielson is bland and boring. I'll watch UFC to see guys do what he does. If it aint gonna be entertaining or exciting than it may as well be real. Who the hell wants to watch a guy pretend to do borderline amateur wrestling?

 

[shimmymorphine]

ive watched so many of his matches live at fip and im going to have to say he basically had the same match every time i saw him(and trust me ive been to alot of fip shows) he has nothing special to me...just another indy wrestler and if youve sen one youve seen them all...i find him very boring

 

[The_Natural]

I agree, while still very good, Danielson is overrated. I think the main reason I feel he is is because ROH has shoved him down our throats much like TNA has done with AJ Styles over the years. I hate to say it but I just could never get behind Danielson as champ because of his look. Here's a pretty small wrestler who I could probably take out, yet in his matches he dominates most everyone he faces. He looks like a ****** to.

While I appreciate his technical and overall skills as a wrester, he just doesn't have the complete package to make him a real entertaining attraction. He fills a certain niche but I think guys ike Alex Shelley, AJ Styles and RVD are overall way better than Danielson.

I hope ROH doesn't give him another title run; I've had my fill of Brian Danielson.

 

[MattButcher]

Whats so great about this guy? Wrestling is supposed to be entertaining. If I wanna watch some jackass hug some other dude and do a bunch of mat moves then I'll watch UFC. Its not like pro wrestling is an actual competition, its a fucking TV show. You have to either be entertaining or exciting to watch. Someone like Low-ki/Senshi doesn't really do a lot of the entertainment stuff but he is exciting to watch because of all that crazy shit he does. Technical ability means nothing in the pseudo sport that is pro-wrestling. If its gonna be scripted like all wrestling is than you may as well be like Low-ki and awe the audience and have them on the edge of your seat. To me this danielson guy cant touch guys like Low-ki, RVD, or AJ Styles or even those two guys from TNA the Motor City Machine Guns. Danielson is bland and boring. I'll watch UFC to see guys do what he does. If it aint gonna be entertaining or exciting than it may as well be real. Who the hell wants to watch a guy pretend to do borderline amateur wrestling?

Just a quick aside. Pro wrestling began as guys doing borderline amateur wrestling and many of the great pro wrestlers of the last hundred years made those techniques part and parcel to their performances. For some fans using a more realistic style is entertaining because it adds to the suspension of disbelief that what is happening is a genuine competition. That might sound stupid in the 21st century, but I enjoy marking out from time to time. (Don't worry, I won't come over to your house and make you watch Gotch/Thesz tapes.)

Having said that, I think Danielson is a great performer and I have seen some great matches from him. Oddly enough, my only complaints with him have been him trying to work too fast paced from time to time and including more flippy/springboard offense which can look sloppy. I thought he was well matched with KENTA where they could both work stiff as hell and do their fighting spirit no-sell bits in a way that draws you into their matches. Other than that the guy is way over in ROH and probably could take a dump in the ring to deafening applause, but I still feel that ROH is best as a live experience where getting into the event and screaming bloody murder is just all part of the fun.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

The starter of this topic has RVD in his avatar, makes me think he's a "MOOVEZ!!!" guy who doesn't appreciate storytelling.

THAT is what makes Danielson so damn good, that and every move he does he puts energy into, no move does he mail in and no move does he not sell like he should. Also, his climaxes are amazing, he's the Peter North of finishing streches in wrestling.

Bryan isn't flashy or spotty, and that's why I love him, he'll put an intelligent match out of anyone and make you think "damn that was smart" constantly, he won't make you go "how'd he do that" unless it's mat wrestling where he uses visual trickery to make you think he's twisting the guys arm all the way around.

He's also a master at manipulating a crowd, how many wrestlers do you know that can milk a segment and get a standing ovation by simply saying "I have till five"? For those of you that don't know, Danielson says "I have till 5 referee" whenever the reff makes him break the hold, but recently he's been holding off saying that until the crowd just can't stand it anymore and really really REALLY wants him to say it, then he says it and the place loves it.


Danielson is great because he can get a reaction out of simple moves that most guys have to do highspots for, he's much more of a true pro wrestler than the other guys, who are more gynmist than wrestler.

 

[peazy420]

You know whats fun? Go start an overrated chat at an ROH show when He shows up. I have never seen such an angry response. He isn't overrated, he just a bit of an aquired taste. I personally love HEEL Danielson, when he ribs with the crowd. He is actully very great and knows how to put on an entertaining match, you know if your into those hour long, knock down, drag out, lots of head locks and techincal wrestling kind of matches.

 

[justinsayne]

The starter of this topic has RVD in his avatar, makes me think he's a "MOOVEZ!!!" guy who doesn't appreciate storytelling.

THAT is what makes Danielson so damn good, that and every move he does he puts energy into, no move does he mail in and no move does he not sell like he should. Also, his climaxes are amazing, he's the Peter North of finishing streches in wrestling.

Bryan isn't flashy or spotty, and that's why I love him, he'll put an intelligent match out of anyone and make you think "damn that was smart" constantly, he won't make you go "how'd he do that" unless it's mat wrestling where he uses visual trickery to make you think he's twisting the guys arm all the way around.

He's also a master at manipulating a crowd, how many wrestlers do you know that can milk a segment and get a standing ovation by simply saying "I have till five"? For those of you that don't know, Danielson says "I have till 5 referee" whenever the reff makes him break the hold, but recently he's been holding off saying that until the crowd just can't stand it anymore and really really REALLY wants him to say it, then he says it and the place loves it.


Danielson is great because he can get a reaction out of simple moves that most guys have to do highspots for, he's much more of a true pro wrestler than the other guys, who are more gynmist than wrestler.

Alright, did you even read my post, I said he was good, I just said that I didn't agree with the fact that he's "The Best In The World"...and that he may, let me repeat that for you, he MAY be overrated, there is no need to attack me and assume that I'm a "MOOVEZ!!!" guy, and not a fan of storytelling, that's just ignorance, I've said before Danielson is very capable of putting on some great matches, I've just recently watched two more that were great, one of which was recommended by someone in this thread, the Danielson/Morishima match from GBHIV: night 2, and the other was from Throwdown and was a three-way elimination match for the ROH title, Jimmy Jacobs vs. BJ Whitmore vs. Danielson, another great match once again let me say this...DANIELSON IS A VERY GOOD WRESTLER, WHO IS CAPABLE OF PUTTING ON GREAT MATCHES, BUT IN MY OPINION HE IS NOT THE GREATEST IN THE WORLD

But then I'm just an RVD fan what do I know

Just a thought but maybe from now on instead of just assuming what type a fan a poster is just by looking at who they have in their avatar, you should read their posts

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

First of all, Glory By Honor IV only had one night, and he beat Gibson for the title, at Glory By Honor V night 2, he beat KENTA, this years Glory By Honor VI he went against Morishima.

If you think he's overrated, you're likely NOT a storytelling fan, that's all he does. If you don't like that, just say it, there's nothing wrong with that.

Also, the quotes in your sig make me think you don't know shit about wrestling, Cena is an amazing wrestler, he gets the smarks to boo him relentlessly, and the marks to cheer him relentlessly, WWE isn't supposed to put on innovative or five star matches, read my post on the John Cena thread, I don't feel like explaining the whole thing.

The internet is full of ignorant morons who don't know shit about wrestling, from a guy on youtube telling me that CZW is a good promotion (by NO standards is it a good promotion, indy fans don't even like it) to people thinking that Cena sucks because he "only has 5 moves."

BTW, I like Cena, tell whoever that he doesn't have to hold back on me, I challenge him to debate with me and tell me why Cena sucks, and I'll rip him a new ass and tell him why Cena, in the WWE, doesn't suck. Too many people have the same opinion as everyone else, everyone seems to think that Cena sucks, WWE sucks, TNA is the "wrestling" company on TV (which is laughable) and that cool moves executed perfectly, innovation, and fast paced mat wrestling makes you a good Meltzer, no one seems to think for themselves and realize what's really going on in wrestling.




Peasy, LOTS OF HEADLOCKS? Have you SEEN a Danielson match, technical wrestling, mat wrestling, and Bryan Danielson is a hell of a lot more than headlocks, come to think of it, I can't remember Danielson EVER using the headlock excessively.

 

[jmt225]

I really, really use to hate Danielson, but somehow, the guy really won me over and is to me, what he and his fans say: The absolute best in the World. The guy has it all: mat-based ability, cool high spots, charisma, presence, and mic skills. He's like another Sting to me; only much, much more technically sound.

 

[Lil Wes]

Alright, seriously I'm sick of this dude ranting about something he thinks he actually knows.

Also, the quotes in your sig make me think you don't know shit about wrestling,

He obviously knows alot more than you being a Cena fan and all. Why do you think you can just come upon these boards and rant about people knowing nothing? It's usually a matter of opinion. Danielson is overrated. I haven't seen a match of his that didnt bore me too tears, he isn't "the greatest pro wrestler" today or he would make it in the big time companies in front of mainstream fans instead of bingo halls with bitter ECW marks.

Cena is an amazing wrestler,

he gets the smarks to boo him relentlessly,

He's the top babyface. He isn't suppose to be booed and he doesnt try to get booed, he tries to play his role, it's stale and doesn't work with the IWC and other fans.

and the marks to cheer him relentlessly,

Kids are marks. Women just want his penis.

WWE isn't supposed to put on innovative or five star matches, read my post on the John Cena thread, I don't feel like explaining the whole thing.

It didnt make alot of sense. Because everyone already knows WWE doesn't live on 5 star matches, Do you even know what a 5 star match is? I think not because WWE hasn't had one in ages.

The internet is full of ignorant morons who don't know shit about wrestling,

And you supposedly do? From your posts, you don't know a whole lot yourself son. At least IMO.

to people thinking that Cena sucks because he "only has 5 moves."

He does pretty much. He uses the same ones over and over and over. Did you happen to see the Rumble? Same stale routine

BTW, I like Cena, tell whoever that he doesn't have to hold back on me, I challenge him to debate with me and tell me why Cena sucks,

I'm right here.

and I'll rip him a new ass and tell him why Cena, in the WWE, doesn't suck.

Hahahahahaha!

What are you going to do? Say the same goddamn bullshit Cena haters have been hearing since 05? No, Sorry Jr. It's old. Get over yourself and realize that Cena's character has had it's run.

Too many people have the same opinion as everyone else, everyone seems to think that Cena sucks, WWE sucks,

Cena does suck IMO.

WWE as well. It is just god awful.

TNA is the "wrestling" company on TV (which is laughable)

I agree TNA is piss poor as well.

and that cool moves executed perfectly, innovation, and fast paced mat wrestling makes you a good Meltzer,

Meh, I'm not one that ejaculates over spotfest ROH type matches, I just like to see good entertaining wrestling than doesn't follow the same routines and borefest comeback gimmicks.

no one seems to think for themselves and realize what's really going on in wrestling.

What's going on in wrestling is it's in a slump. WWE will pick back up one day as for TNA, I doubt it. They are shitty and likely don't have much of a future as a big time player.