Jack-Hammer
YOU WILL RESPECT MY AUTHORITAH!!!!
Since Daniel Bryan became the World Heavyweight Champion at the TLC ppv, there's been a great deal of discussion, which is to be expected. Some people are thrilled at the notion of Daniel Bryan, an internet favorite and well established indy talent, has won a World Championship in WWE. Also, some don't care much for Bryan winning as they're just not fans of the guy, which is to be expected because no wrestler appeals to everyone. Some don't like how the title win came about, some are worried that Bryan will be made to look bad and some are cautiously optimistic that this could turn out alright in the end.
I don't agree with the notion that Bryan is someone that got zero build prior to winning the title. He didn't get a perfect built, I agree, but I don't agree with the notion that they pulled the exact sort of think that happened with Jack Swagger. Daniel Bryan did win MITB and he did hold the case for almost half a year before cashing it in. He did go on a storyline "losing streak", wrestled some great matches and picked up some wins along the way.
Since Bryan came to the WWE, he's been billed as something of an underdog. For some inexplicable reason, a good portion of the IWC is under the impression that every single wrestler on the roster is supposed to be built up, booked and pushed as this near unstoppable juggernaut of ass kickery. They want the faces that way and they want the heels that way. The problem is that you simply can't pull that off with every wrestler because it's not believable. Portraying Daniel Bryan in the light as an "unlikely" WWE Superstar is believable and can rally people behind him in much the same way it's done for Rey Mysterio. In a recent promo, Bryan himself listed his "shortcomings" and many of them rang true. Daniel Bryan is a 5'10" 210 pound vegan with a bushy blonde beard. He doesn't have the freakish size of Big Show, he doesn't have the freakish strength of Mark Henry or John Cena, he doesn't have the movie star looks of some wrestlers on the roster, he doesn't have tons of quirky catchphrases. What Bryan has demonstrated is great ability inside the ring, some good intensity at times and has demonstrated an ability to talk well on the mic that I think can only improve in time.
Because of his "shortcomings" and the fact that he does seem to be an underdog, Daniel Bryan's WHC reign is going to be looked at with a degree of trepidation and uncertainty. That doesn't have to be a bad thing, however, because one thing is currently happing in Bryan's WHC run that outweighs any other factor you can name: people are interested and invested in seeing what's happening and where it goes. That is THE single biggest and most important task that a main eventer and World Champion has to accomplish. If the fans don't give a shit, then it doesn't matter how big you are, how good you look, how cut your abs are, how many flips & flops you pull off, what your amateur background is or how athletic you are. Whether you like Bryan or not, he has you talking or debating or wondering exactly what's going to happen.
I don't know what happens on SD! tonight because I don't read spoilers, but I'm guessing that Bryan will defend his title either tonight as a means of closing out 2011 or on the first episode of SD! of 2012 to start the year off with a bang. Henry is injured and I've read that he's working through the injury in house shows, though he's very limited in what he can do, so I'm guessing that Big Show will be Bryan's opponent. If Bryan can successfully retain his title in a program against these two, it will be a huge boost to his career. I'm not talking about retaining everytime via DQ or count out, but decisively defeating the much bigger opponents inside the ring. Show is a legit 7 footer and his actual weight is about 397 pounds. Mark Henry is also around the 400 pound mark and is legitimately one of the physically strongest human beings on the planet. If Bryan can successfully navigate his reign through these men that outweigh him by nearly 200 pounds, it will effecively end any legitimate argument anyone can make regarding the issue of physical size in Bryan's case.
I don't agree with the notion that Bryan is someone that got zero build prior to winning the title. He didn't get a perfect built, I agree, but I don't agree with the notion that they pulled the exact sort of think that happened with Jack Swagger. Daniel Bryan did win MITB and he did hold the case for almost half a year before cashing it in. He did go on a storyline "losing streak", wrestled some great matches and picked up some wins along the way.
Since Bryan came to the WWE, he's been billed as something of an underdog. For some inexplicable reason, a good portion of the IWC is under the impression that every single wrestler on the roster is supposed to be built up, booked and pushed as this near unstoppable juggernaut of ass kickery. They want the faces that way and they want the heels that way. The problem is that you simply can't pull that off with every wrestler because it's not believable. Portraying Daniel Bryan in the light as an "unlikely" WWE Superstar is believable and can rally people behind him in much the same way it's done for Rey Mysterio. In a recent promo, Bryan himself listed his "shortcomings" and many of them rang true. Daniel Bryan is a 5'10" 210 pound vegan with a bushy blonde beard. He doesn't have the freakish size of Big Show, he doesn't have the freakish strength of Mark Henry or John Cena, he doesn't have the movie star looks of some wrestlers on the roster, he doesn't have tons of quirky catchphrases. What Bryan has demonstrated is great ability inside the ring, some good intensity at times and has demonstrated an ability to talk well on the mic that I think can only improve in time.
Because of his "shortcomings" and the fact that he does seem to be an underdog, Daniel Bryan's WHC reign is going to be looked at with a degree of trepidation and uncertainty. That doesn't have to be a bad thing, however, because one thing is currently happing in Bryan's WHC run that outweighs any other factor you can name: people are interested and invested in seeing what's happening and where it goes. That is THE single biggest and most important task that a main eventer and World Champion has to accomplish. If the fans don't give a shit, then it doesn't matter how big you are, how good you look, how cut your abs are, how many flips & flops you pull off, what your amateur background is or how athletic you are. Whether you like Bryan or not, he has you talking or debating or wondering exactly what's going to happen.
I don't know what happens on SD! tonight because I don't read spoilers, but I'm guessing that Bryan will defend his title either tonight as a means of closing out 2011 or on the first episode of SD! of 2012 to start the year off with a bang. Henry is injured and I've read that he's working through the injury in house shows, though he's very limited in what he can do, so I'm guessing that Big Show will be Bryan's opponent. If Bryan can successfully retain his title in a program against these two, it will be a huge boost to his career. I'm not talking about retaining everytime via DQ or count out, but decisively defeating the much bigger opponents inside the ring. Show is a legit 7 footer and his actual weight is about 397 pounds. Mark Henry is also around the 400 pound mark and is legitimately one of the physically strongest human beings on the planet. If Bryan can successfully navigate his reign through these men that outweigh him by nearly 200 pounds, it will effecively end any legitimate argument anyone can make regarding the issue of physical size in Bryan's case.