Daniel Bryan VS ??? at WM 31

[rko57]

I read a lot of posts here, but very rarely post anything. I want to change that by starting a series here and it's on who will *Insert Superstar* face at WrestleMania 31? WM will be here before we know it, and for the first time in awhile, I feel that this card is very unpredictable. Lets start the series off with last years Main Event winner, Daniel Bryan

The leader of the YES! Movement has been sidelined since the start of the summer after winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship over Randy Orton and Batista at WrestleMania XXX, and beating Triple H to get into that match earlier in the night. So lets go over his potential candidates:

Brock Lesnar: The Reigning, Defending, Undisputed WWE Heavyweight Champion of the World will more than likely headline WM 31 after ending The Streak last year. Daniel Bryan never lost his championship, and this could be his chance to regain that title and have an excellent match with Lesnar. For those saying that it doesn't seem realistic for somebody Bryan's size to beat Lesnar, remember that CM Punk had the MOTY in 2013 against Lesnar and took Lesnar to the limit, if you will. The redemption story could write itself very easily

Triple H: Yes, I know he faced him at WM 30, but he is the leader of The Authority, and that is who Bryan was essentially feuding with when he surrendered the title. Again, this could write itself

Seth Rollins: Mr. Money in the Bank could easily start a feud with Daniel Bryan, costing Daniel Bryan either the championship, or a shot at the championship for Triple H. This continues his feud with The Authority without having to face Triple H for the 2nd year in a row, and these two could put on the MOTN

Kane: Daniel Bryan was "injured" by Kane, and they never finished their feud. They could finish the feud once and for all at WM, but I hope this doesn't happen

Other: I can't really think of anybody else fitting in a feud with Daniel Bryan at WM, as there isn't a reason for other Main Eventers (John Cena, Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton assuming he turns face) to feud with him. Maybe a returning heel CM Punk in a similar fashion as Seth Rollins, but that's a very, very, very big IF

So what do y'all think? Who does Daniel Bryan face at WrestleMania 31?

 

[Navi]

I say he facing no one. It is unsure if he needs more surgery, and if he does he'll be out till after Mania. If he does come back around that time, I can't see him in any main event matches, as the guy would have been out for almost a year, and would need to get back into it.

But for argument's sake let's take a look at your list of competitors you've lined up for him.

Brock Lesnar - Would destroy a returning Daniel Bryan. The only way he could beat Lesnar and beat him convincingly enough, would be to have a fatal 4 way. Throw Cena in, as he is always put in, Orton, he still has a rematch clause from last year and Bryan. Let the other two beat him down enough for Bryan to get the pin. This would never happen but it's a way to do it cleanly and have Bryan get the belt again.

Kane- The last person I want to see against Bryan is Kane. As a matter of fact I don't want to see anyone against Kane. He should just retire from ring work, now.

HHH - Been there, done that, and no reason to do it again. Besides what would be the point.

Rollins - That would work if Rollins somehow get the title before Mania, don't see that happening though. Although they always put good matches on in the past, but again no reason to this time. Rollins is going for the title, and he has the MITB in his hands, Bryan deserves a rematch so it would be a pointless feud.

 

[rko57]

I say he facing no one. It is unsure if he needs more surgery, and if he does he'll be out till after Mania. If he does come back around that time, I can't see him in any main event matches, as the guy would have been out for almost a year, and would need to get back into it.

I definitely should have put a "Not Wrestle At All" option, but what about other superstars who returned in time for WM and either main evented, or were one of the main matches? Triple H at WM18, Cena at WM24, and Edge at WM26 come to mind. You don't think with how popular Bryan is, he'd be in a main event match IF he's able to go?

 

[Navi]

I definitely should have put a "Not Wrestle At All" option, but what about other superstars who returned in time for WM and either main evented, or were one of the main matches? Triple H at WM18, Cena at WM24, and Edge at WM26 come to mind. You don't think with how popular Bryan is, he'd be in a main event match IF he's able to go?

I do think if he comes back and is healthy he should have a shot at the title. Just how over he is though depends on his return. Will he get a huge pop yes, but fans will remember his last run was in a word dismal, and I'm not sure even I want to see him main event Mania again. Let him win the titles afterward, he's already had his Mania moment.

 

[flaircokenotstril]

I say Lesnar v. Rollins v. Bryan would be gnarly.

 

[PeterSellersSTL]

Who's Daniel Bryan? Ha, I'm only kidding, but the clock has struck midnight the Cinderella tale is over with. Daniel Bryan vs Sheamus.

 

[L@RISANO]

If he doesn't make it for the Royal Rumble...and ends up coming back close to Mania instead....then I'd actually have Daniel Bryan vs Rusev and have him be the one to give Rusev his first defeat and have the Entire Arena doing duelling USA and YES! chants.

Would be an Epic moment worthy of Wrestlemania and would surely be something to remember, and would be a brilliant way to get Bryan back without forcing him into the Main Event straight away in a rushed programme given his injury problems.

 

[PeterSellersSTL]

^ I can get behind that, Rusev vs Bryan would be a fun feud and match. It would be interesting to see Daniel Bryan take up the Mr. America mantle.

 

[mont3818]

The Brock option:
Don't tell me this match won't be realistic... Because, realistically, NO ONE on the WWE roster can beat Brock. If they could than that would mean they might also have a chance at being UFC Champion, to which I'd respond 'Hell No!' Why did CM Punk fight Brock at Summerslam? That was 'unrealistic'!
So with that being said, they're both pros. They could pull off a cat-and-mouse type match where Bryan frustrates Brock, outwits him a couple times, and maybe eventually starts to wear him down. Good in-ring psychology, storytelling, time to work, and aerial offense by Bryan could do the trick. Plus, it just makes sense; Bryan never lost the belt, is the most over with the fans, and needs that title reign that was taken away from him.
Speaking of reigns, Roman Reigns isn't ready to win the belt at a Mania, and The Rock option might be a little too tricky to pull off (though a Brock/Rock rematch would be epic publicity crossing multiple entertainment platforms).

My other Bryan option:
Kurt freakin' Angle!!! Now that's a long shot at this point. Because somehow WWE thinks Kurt doesn't deserve part-time status. When his reasoning is even more valid than that of a Jericho or RVD. Not to mention his credentials being much better too. So I'll never understand that. BUT, that would be a perfect piece to WM31.

 

[MWRedskins]

the hope for me is that he is healthy and ready to go and WWE forgets about pushing Reigns for now and let's Bryan be the guy to beat the 1 who was the 1 in 21 and 1.....BUT i don't see it happening. my guess is (if healthy) he faces someone like Kane (boring) or Seth Rollins (i rather see him not have a match and cash in on Reigns)....IF WWE doesn't have him in the title match, to me, the only match that makes sense is for him to face and beat (Again) Triple H and the reason why is he will blame him and Stephanie for his injury and want revenge for it.

 

[Mudlup50]

I'm surprised no one has said John Cena yet? He's my pick, really Cena doesn't need a Wrestlemania match but I could see this feud coming together really nicely. For these reasons

A. Brie Bella is feuding with Nikki Bella, and the loser will be the winners servant for a month, till Survivor Series basically
B. We'd have a mad Bryan saying that Cena failed the WWE by losing to Lesnar over and over, and due to when he comes back...Bryan never gets his shot
C. Cena says Bryan doesn't deserve to be at the top because he failed when the WWE needed him most!
D. In essence this would be the beloved "passing of the torch" match.
E. Did Cena ever get retribution on Bryan for taking the title at Summerslam 2013?

Plus most everyone else in my fantasy booking is booked xD Lesnar v Reigns, Dean v HHH, Rollins v Orton. So I mean, who else is at Bryan's level?

Also I could see the feud being epic
Cena: I chose you to be champ, and you failed me twice.
Bryan: The fans want me to kick your ass Cena! *crowd chants yes*

Even if Cena was to win, you couldn't be too mad. This would be a great match in my opinion, I just hope that if Bryan competes, he has a good match

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Lesnar is the money match. Ultimate monster vs ultimate underdog. So many layers to this too. Both guys really started at roughly the same time. Bryan stayed the whole time, paying his dues. Lesnar became a star, comes and goes as he pleases. Bryan gets hurt, comes back. Everyone knows Lesnar can legitimately hurt someone even by accident in pro wrestling, making people even more nervous about Bryan.

Bryan is the best in the world in the ring. He knows what he's doing. He knows how to work matches. It'd be a beautiful match and I hope Bryan would stay safe.

 

[Zycho32]

Going over the options, from highest on down;

Brock Lesnar:
-This is extremely complicated, because barring a total disconnection, the storyline DEMANDS this matchup, seeing as how Bryan went down with an injury and was supposedly to drop the belt to Brock at Summerslam. On the other hand, this match does NOT happen unless Bryan comes back presumably at or just before the Royal Rumble.
-The discussion involving how the match would play out is well-known; most cannot fathom how Bryan puts Brock down, or even puts him in danger. I can ALMOST see it; Brock in the YES Lock, with Bryan and EVERY FUCKING FAN IN ATTENDANCE screaming out 'TAP!!! TAP!!! TAP!!!' but getting to that finish leaves me scratching my head. That's a 40-minute marathon at best.
-The wrinkle I can see is the Authority aligning with Bryan near the tail-end, after their attempts to take the belt from Brock have failed and left them in ruins. Enter the returning Hero to promise to bring the belt back to the WWE, and the authority figures turning Face as a result of teaming up with him.
-Final Analysis: I want to see this matchup the most for WM 31, but then I'm a storyline ****e.

Triple H:
-Color me unimpressed by this idea; seen once already, already used as a proving point for Bryan, not sure why HHH would even bother this time around.

Seth Rollins:
-This is assuming Rollins no longer has the Briefcase. This also assumes Rollins has not only survived the vengeance attempt by his former brothers-in-arms but also won it handily. Because otherwise, where do you build the drama? Does Rollins simply go out on the Authority's orders to rub out Bryan as a potential threat? Does that generate further strife within the Authority, Rollins being used like a grunt instead of the Golden Boy?
-At least the match quality would be high caliber; 4 star at worst.

John Cena:
-People sure like to bring up this pairing. Maybe it's the Bella twins(bad connection anyways, since Cena has done NOTHING with Nikki in all this time). As a 'passing the torch' match, we technically had that at Summerslam '13. Is it still viable? Well, sure, as long as you had someone like Reigns healthy and over enough to play the Top Spot, then you could ease Bryan in more gradually with this sort of program.
-Here's an insulting wrinkle to consider; Imagine if John Cena faced Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania 31... as the WWE Champion? Your blood must be boiling, knowing that Cena has now tied Ric Flair's record and your world must be crashing down... and Cena's first order of business after winning said belt is to fulfill a promise about a rematch. Enter Daniel Bryan, ready and willing to accept the challenge. Well, Bryan would have to win the Rumble first, then have his championship opportunity stripped via Authority douchebaggery, THEN have Cena come out and tell them basically, 'Fuck you, he's who I want, and he's who I'm gonna GET'.

The Rock:
-Not even given a thought, because, really, it's The Rock. Outside of that crazy Brock/Rock dream bout(which only happens if both Reigns AND Bryan are incapable of performing) his most likely program is HHH. That said, The Rock could easily go over as a bastard heel if he went after Bryan- fans would have no problem at all booing him for it.

Batista:
-Now a returning Batista, that feud has some mileage to it, some leftover animosity over what happened on the Road to WM 30, and a need to settle for good and all if this little pipsqueak can take on the Animal in a straight-up fight. As a consolation bout, you could do a lot worse.

Randy Orton:
-Seen before, sure, but you never got a clear deciding end to the Feud because of the Batista Incident. Settling the score here, like with the Animal, can be a fine consolation prize if Bryan isn't ready to reclaim the Top Spot.
-One major advantage Orton has when compared to all the other 'consolation prizes'; his reputation as perhaps the safest worker in WWE, no small attribute given Bryan's current injuries and debatable health in the upcoming year. You'd think if ANYONE could ensure Bryan is able and healthy enough to go the whole distance in a match, it would be the Viper.
-This doesn't even have to be dependent on Orton's alignment, as even a Face Orton could just as easily want to know if Bryan is really all that.

Roman Reigns:
-On paper, virtually NO REASON at all for these two to feud. Only way it would be possible is if Bryan wasn't healthy enough and Reigns wasn't over enough and even then they both have more appealing matches elsewhere to be booked in.
-If anything, you'd see Bryan vs. Reigns somewhere prior to WM, like say one of them wins the Rumble and puts that spot up for grabs at Elimination Chamber(you couldn't have the match in the chamber itself, because that just ******s the Rumble Winner concept, then again it fits with Authority Douchebaggery if someone they DON'T endorse wins it).

Dean Ambrose:
-Ambrose, unlike Reigns, isn't going to be Main Eventing WM so he's more likely to get in a program with Bryan. That said, it's still a major problem on paper. If anything, you'd almost have to pair these two up as a Tag Team, which is a few rungs down from 'Consolation Prize' but still a few rungs up from someone we'll get to soon enough.

Rusev:
-I get the idea; big men, strong men, All-American men, none can stop the 'Russian' juggernaut. America needs a hero, and here comes Daniel Bryan to be that hero. That's assuming Rusev is still unbeatable around this time. It actually works quite a bit, though I would agree that's an option if Bryan comes back sometime AFTER the Rumble and needs to be eased into a program (though by now you'd think Rusev would be hunting for a Mid-Card belt).

Bray Wyatt:
-By now we're into programs that have little chance of getting over. As far as Wyatt is concerned, this looked MUCH better on paper before Bryan's injury when the Wyatt family had their momentum stalled by outside circumstances and now they are just in a WEIRD stage right now. I can't even call this a Dark Horse option because I can't see either Bryan OR Wyatt taking this established feud someplace different.

Kane:
-Kane, in my opinion, is the warm-up program between RR and WM. Someone for Bryan to wreak vengeance upon for his injuries. Anything more is a colossal waste, even if Bryan isn't Main Eventing WM.

Sheamus:
-Remember Last Year, when the dirtsheets were stating that Bryan, instead of feuding for the WWE Title, would be in a feud with Sheamus? That went beyond 'Consolation Prize' and plummeted straight down to 'Piss Gargling' territory. This year is nooooooooot quite as bad, but it's still not good. Sheamus made a great program for Bryan when he was on the way up through the Mid-Card, but the Irish lug has fallen if anything else, making him terribly inappropriate in virtually any context so far described.

CM Punk:
-This is in half-jest, since I don't believe Punk will return in time for WM- whether he returns AT ALL is up for debate. Still, this would be Punk doing for Bryan what Chris Jericho did for Punk. But honestly, I would say a future Bryan/Punk storyline would involve Bryan as the Champ and Punk returning to reclaim that title. That would be SummerSlam material for sure. But realistically, I don't see this happening. Ever.

 

[FromGlasgow]

My pick would be his former tag team partner Kane, In the storyline the man who injured him and put him out for nearly a year, It wouldn't make any sense for him to come back and ignore that fact since the whole thing had been Kane's fault apparently, Rather than going after the world title in his first match back let it build for a while untill maybe next years Summerslam.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Of those on the list, I'd much rather see Bryan vs. Lesnar than anyone else on the list. Bryan vs. Lesnar would be the penultimate David vs. Goliath match and the feud practically writes itself. Bryan haters would absolutely flip at Bryan being the one who stopped The Beast Incarnate because they don't think it'd be "believable" just because Bryan's not a jacked up 250-275 pound guy. Since it's a foregone conclusion that Lesnar will be dropping the strap at WrestleMania XXXI, I'd rather it happened to someone to whom the win would mean a lot to, is ready for the spot and is over with the fans.

IF The Rock was to wrestle at WrestleMania XXXI, I think Bryan would be a great guy to put him up against. This is all pure fantasy booking, so I'm not gonna go off if WWE doesn't gimme what I want, but just suppose that Bryan returns at the Royal Rumble as a surprise entrant, is one of the last two guys left in the ring and the other is Roman Reigns. Unless fans' opinion of Bryan has turned a huge 180, I think they'd be going nuts here as they went at it one on one for a while like we saw with Taker & HBK back in 2007. Both men have been in the ring a long time, I think it'd be especially fun if they were numbers 1 and 2, so they're tired, they're going back and forth before hitting each other with a double clothesline or something along those lines. Suddenly, The Rock's music hits and he comes down to the ring to cheer on Roman Reigns, who is The Rock's cousin in real life, as they get back to their feet to resume their struggle. After a bit, it looks as though Bryan's getting the better of Reigns, maybe takes him down with Knee Plus, the big running knee he uses, and starts a big Yes chant. The Rock climbs into the ring, spins him around and puts him in the Rock Bottom before waking up Reigns, Reigns pulls Bryan up and puts him over the top rope to win. The Rock embarrassed Bryan back on the 1000th episode of Raw, so that could be worked into the story but the main story would be The Rock costing Bryan a shot at the title at WrestleMania.

As with Lesnar, IF The Rock is gonna wrestle at WrestleMania XXXI, I think it should be against someone to whom the win would mean a whole helluva lot to and can help carry & protect The Rock during the match. It might cast The Rock in the role of a heel, even though The Rock wouldn't necessarily have to act too much like a heel. He'd just have to be his own arrogant, cocky self by talking down to Bryan, trying to verbally belittle him, etc.

 

[MC_Live]

I say Daniel Bryan vs. Brock Lesnar. I'm so tired of the "Oh the little guy can't beat the big guy cause it wouldn't be believable" thing. To anybody who thinks big guy always beats little guy, I say this: Royce Gracie. Big guy can be outsmarted and out maneuvered. Sure, Lesnar could toss Bryan around. Hell, Lesnar is even an accomplished grappler, so he could mat wrestle too. But All it takes is a few quick strikes and one mistake and then we have a new champion. Not to mention the storyline, in my eyes, would be really good. Just imagine the promos Heyman could cut on the YES movement. They would be priceless. I know WWE wants to fast track Reigns to the top, but I think Reigns lacks the experience to carry the company. In my mind, you bring Bryan back (He'll be back by WrestleMania) and give him the Championship. And then, WrestleMania 32, possibly in front of 100,000 people in Dallas, then Roman Reigns can take over for the company. Does this mean that Bryan returns and win the Rumble? I don't know. Maybe someone else wins the Rumble and we have a triple threat. But I believe that Daniel Bryan should beat Lesnar in the Main Event of WrestleMania.

 

[rko57]

I am very happy to see all the replies so far in this new series I started. Very interesting stuff everyone. I'm also happy to see that Brock Lesnar is the big front-runner here, as that was my vote as well. My next post in the series will be in a couple of days.

I never legitimately thought of The Rock or Rusev, but those were some very interesting ideas and I'd be okay with either of those, depending on who Lesnar faces.

 

[87wcw87]

Daniel Bryan if he returns. I think should fight rusev and lose.

I know this is far fetched but would love to see a usa title
Match at mania 31 as a submission elimination match. Only can be eliminated
By submission.

USA championship(submission elimination)
Rusev(c) vs john cena vs Daniel Bryan vs sheamus vs the miz vs jack swagger

One way to keep rusev strong after mania is have miz and sheamus eliminated
First. Then have Bryan,cena and swagger all apply there finishes at the same time to eliminate rusev. Have swagger beat cena in the final 2. Be a good way to bring Bryan back. Have him build to a Rollins or cesaro match at mania 32

 

[Mustang Sally]

Talking about who Daniel Bryan should fight at WM31 makes me think of Ultimate Warrior's return to WWE and his match against Triple H at WM12. Can you imagine how iffy it must have been to book? For one thing, there's no way to be sure Warrior would show up in the first place, right? So, no matter how far in advance you try to commit Triple H to the match and take him away from whatever program he was participating before WM, you run the risk of doing it for nothing. Even if everything turns out okay (which it did), you're still diverting a major player from his path. Tough stuff.

Asking who Daniel fights is the same thing. First, he might not be there at all, no matter how great the plans for him might be. Then, you've got to take another prime competitor away from the program in which he was involved.

So, how can we schedule Daniel for anything? The entire WWE storyline will be different by then, with everyone important having a fixed plan. If Daniel is to come back, hopefully management will know it months in advance....but asking who he might face is nearly impossible. Most of the responses in this topic list who the poster would like to see him face...and that's about all we can do at this juncture.

Of course, they could put him up against a guy who wouldn't have a match at a major PPV in the first place, but that would presume fans were so crazy-mad to see Daniel that they wouldn't care who he was opposing.

I mean, do you want to see Daniel Bryan vs. Heath Slater at WM31?

Me, either.