This was one of the best WWE segments in years. That some people are complaining about it is baffling to me. What more did they want? What weren't they given? Seriously. Some people really won't be happy unless they're the ones writing the show.
To those saying the WWE was mocking the fans with the segment, they weren't. They took something that they'd lost control of and they simply regained control of it. At a certain point in time, they realized they had to get Daniel Bryan in the main event of WrestleMania, and so they took an organic occurrence - the fans threatening to revolt - and they used it to tell their story. Isn't that a good thing? Aren't the best stories the ones that turn up the volume on real life situations? Well, that's exactly what the WWE did last night with the occupy segment.
It's no different than in 1997 when Vince McMahon organically became Mr. McMahon after screwing Bret Hart at Survivor Series. People legitimately hated McMahon for it, and so he used that to launch one of the best villains of all time. In doing so, he wasn't mocking Bret Hart or the WWE fans. He took an organic happening, and he used it to tell a better story that he could control. From a story-telling sense, how is that really any different than the WWE using the 'hi-jack' threats as a vehicle to launch Daniel Bryan into WrestleMania? It isn't.
I saw on the story article threads (a place I'm no longer welcome to comment...) that people were upset that the fans at ringside were paid workers - as if they felt lied to because the WWE didn't allow 100 or so fans jump the barricade and enter the ring for 20 minutes. That, honestly, has to be one of the dumbest complaints I've ever heard. If you thought the 'fans' at ringside last night weren't scripted into the show, then that says all I need to know about you. You aren't going to put your wrestlers in danger like that - or risk potential chaos - by allowing a bunch of drunk idiots into the ring during a live broadcast. There are hundreds of potential lawsuits that come from that.
As for the duration of the segment... I saw no problem with it. It was 20 minutes, and it never stopped moving forward. From a technical writing standpoint, it might actually be the best-written 20 minutes the WWE has ever produced (from a technical standpoint, 99.9% of what the WWE writes is pure garbage.) They told you the problem (Bryan wants the match with Triple H). They heightened the problem (the fans stormed the ring, the fans refused to leave the ring, a match couldn't get started.) They exploded the problem with Stephanie's epic tantrum. Then they solved the problem with Triple H realizing he had no choice but to accept the challenge. And they followed with an honest conclusion to the situation when Bryan - realizing he had Triple H by the balls - demanded a spot in the main event if he beats Triple H.
...because let's be honest. When we realize we have someone pinned against the wall, we never ask for just one thing, right? We always try to push the envelope and see if we can get more.
