Do you miss Daniel Bryan?

[BestWrestlingOpinions]

Bryan has been almost absent from WWE programming for like 2 months now (?)
Yet, all this time, we haven't heard any Daniel Bryan or YES chants. In the meanwhile, Punk chants are heard most of the times even after like 6 months almost since he was gone.

Why is this? Is this because people don't really miss Bryan? I don't think so. Punk is still being chanted by the fans because of the reason he left, which is most probably bad blood with him and Vince. The fans chant for him for support or whatever against Vince. Bryan just has an injury and he will eventually be back, so there is no real point for the fans to chant for him.

In my honest opinion, I don't think Bryan is missing at the moment or his absence is critical for the show. WWE is stepping up with the Shield, the Wyatts and now with the return of Jericho etc. Obviously, it would be nice to have him back and it would definitely increase the quality of the show and matches, but the product is fine without him, and this is coming from a guy who most people know is one of his biggest supporters.

On the other hand, Punk is still being chanted for for support against Vince. Also, at the time he left, the company didn't have a lot of direction. WM seemed like it was a boring show at the time he left and his absence was really big.

As a sidenote, to those who say that Bryan is over because of the YES chants, because they are easy and people like to do them, SUCK ON IT. No one has chanted YES ever since Bryan left, so Bryan isn't over because of the YES's, but because he is amazing.

 

[hatehabsforever]

I don't find myself missing Daniel Bryan, nor did I really expect that I would. And just to be clear, I really like Daniel Bryan and am a big fan of him and his current run. However, the WWE is very deep these days, with lots of other stuff going on, whether it be the Shield members, the Wyatt's, the Authority, all of the other up and coming talent, not to mention the significant existing talent. Any void being felt by the absence of Bryan has been filled in admirably by the depth of the rest of the roster.

Having said this, I will welcome Bryan back with open arms upon his return, and I fully expect him right back in the main event picture as soon as his health permits it. I wouldn't read too much into chants, or the lack thereof. Fans are fickle and will chant for CM Punk to be adversarial, simply because of the circumstances of his hiatus. Once Daniel Bryan is medically cleared, he will be fast tracked right back to the forefront, and the ensuing chants will be as loud as ever.

 

[Softcore Holly]

The whole Punk thing doesn't scream "I miss Punk" or "Please come back Punk!" or even to cheer for Punk(hard to cheer for someone that's not there or doing anything to get cheers), most of the time it's used to try to troll the WWE. That and to cheer for AJ for obvious reasons, but mostly to try to get under the WWE's skin. Anyone that's actually a fan of Punk knows that what they're doing isn't going to help bring him back and that he doesn't give a crap about what they're doing, they're just having some anti-establishment fun in his place.

As for Yes! Chants, we just heard plenty of them a few weeks ago in the MITB Pre-Show. They also tend to happen whenever the Authority brings DB up in their promos.(which Steph has a funny way of turning it back at the crowd) Not sure how you missed them really.

In any case we don't need constant reminders from the crowd for a absent person. No one did anything for Cena during his 4 month absence, or anyone else back in the day when they were out for a long time. And yet that didn't hurt Cena's or anyone else's popularity. Besides it's more annoying then anything else, I like DB as much as the next guy but if the crowd start doing Yes! chants during a Cena promo or a Usos match I would SMH just like all the random times people do it for Punk. Personally I rather give cheers/chants/whatever to the people performing right in front of me since I know that the people that are unwilling or unable to perform don't need or care any of that until they get back, in which case I'll happily give my reactions to them.

 

[Tyrant25]

The inevitable reality of pro wrestling fans... someone is inserted into the "underdog" role and fans eat it up, underdog makes it to the top, something happens and the underdog is forgotten and pushed back down to the bottom. Fans never cease to amaze me. It happened with Zack Ryder, it happened with Dolph Ziggler, it happened with Daniel Bryan, and I honestly can't wait for the day it happens to Roman Reigns. It's like fans have the attention span of a 4 year old.

 

[Slash-LN]

Absence makes the heart grow fonder and he hasn't been gone long enough to miss him.

He was just at the Money In The Bank pay per view.

If he's gone for a long time yeah I'll probably miss him a little bit. However people come and go in wrestling so often that we just kind of get used to it. Like I wish Edge didn't have to retire like he did but now that's he's been gone for a while I'm over it. I'm focused on the current product and who is coming up now and everything.

 

[UFOcalling]

People are still chanting for CM Punk, because those idiots don't understand why he left. The only person that acknowledged Punk on TV (since he left the day after the Royal Rumble) was Heyman, and that was only done because they were in Chicago. Yes, I know his name was mentioned by others as well, but the only official explanation for his WWE departure was done by Heyman (and it was a vague explanation at that). In Bryan's case, the WWE has gone above and beyond explaining his absence. Just in case you missed it, the WWE will replay it & replay it - so the audience is satisfied. If you missed Heyman's promo about Punk, then you missed it. They didn't replay it once (not even the same night on Raw, like they replay everything else 100 times), but you'll see Bryan call Bo Dallas a "boner" five or six times over the week after the Money in the Bank PPV.

Not every wrestling fan goes on the dirtsheets, even some that consider themselves to be "smarks" (crazy, I know). Those are some of the idiots who are still chanting Punk's name. Not because they miss Punk more than Bryan, but because they don't understand - or accept the reason that Punk is gone. Other idiots who chant for Punk are doing so because they know Punk isn't coming back, and people want what they can't have...at least a lot more so than something they know they will have again - as long as they're patient (ie: Bryan). There are also the people that just don't understand why Punk left, so they chant his name because they desperately want a "real" explanation (more so than his actual return)...even though the "real" explanation is simply that Punk was unhappy working for the WWE. There's also people that join in with these chants, because they honestly don't know where Punk is. They hear the chant start up, and think "oh yeah, where is Punk? I'll chant his name too".

So to answer the main question, yes. I do miss Daniel Bryan, and I'm excited for when he can return. I also understand that he needs to be away to recover from surgery, as most of the WWE Universe does (the WWE does a good job of keeping everyone up to date about what's happening with Bryan as well). I find these Punk chants to be idiotic, because the fans are acting like it's the WWE who took him away from them. Believe me, the WWE probably wants Punk back even more than those fans do. Chanting Punk's name has become the "hip" thing to do, because these fans feel it pisses off the WWE higher-ups. It does, but not for the reason the fans think it does. It makes Vince & Co angry because they want Punk back even more than those fans do, and the chants just remind everyone of how he took his ball & went home. The Punk chants may or may not die down in the near-future (probably not, since AJ is back), but I don't let them get to me. When I hear them start up, I just remember that these people don't accept the fact that Punk chose to leave on his own...and I find it sad that they think chanting his name might actually bring him back.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Comparing the Bryan & Punk situations is like comparing apples & oranges.

Punk "walked out" of WWE without notice half an hour before Raw went on the air the night after the Royal Rumble. Exactly why he did it has been talked about, discussed and debated for almost half a year. In the grand scheme of things, we're no closer to knowing what actually happened now as we were then because neither side has made any sort of real comment on it. What we THINK we know, based on numerous reports & rumors, is that Punk was burned out physically and mentally, he was said to be unhappy with how he was used, thought that a feud with Triple H at WrestleMania wasn't worth his time, various complaints about this & that, etc.

Initially, fans did the CM Punk chants as a means of rallying behind him in declaration that they wanted him back and/or that they were on his side, even though they had no way of knowing who was in the "right or wrong" in the situation. Since WWE is the big corporation, that automatically puts them in the "wrong" in some people's minds. As time has gone on and various information has come out, Punk's lost a lot of sympathy in the eyes of a good number of fans. The chants have moved from a show of solidarity among fans raging against the "WWE Machine" to being somewhat analogous to the "What?" chants. They've become the "cool thing" to do during certain segments involving certain people.

In Daniel Bryan's case, he's legitimately injured with issues regarding his neck and possibly needing another neck surgery, which he revealed to fans on the MITB kickoff show, and that a full exam recently revealed issues with his one of his shoulders that MAY require surgery to correct. Fans can be as smarky as they want or genuinely as supportive as they want, but they know that no amount of chants are going to somehow miraculously make these injuries go away. With Punk, there's still the possibility of WWE somehow "screwing" him over that led to him deciding to walk, whereas Bryan has merely suffered an a rollercoaster ride of a year. He's built up like a superstar during WM season, gets his opportunity to main event WM XXX, has a great match with Triple H, faces Orton & Batista in a great triple threat match that sees him capturing the WWE WHC, delivers a great WM moment, marries his fiancé a week later, takes off for a week to celebrate his honeymoon. It goes downhill from there as his father suddenly passes away mere hours before Raw airs on the day Bryan goes back to work, he insists on doing the angle that'd been planned even though you could see that he was struggling to hold himself together, has his match at ER with Kane and all this stuff about his neck comes to light with the revelation that he's not healing like doctors hoped, that more surgery might be needed and that other potential issues have been revealed.

As a fan, I do miss Bryan because I like the guy. I'm a fan of his work and while he doesn't have an over the top personality, I dig the fact that he's generally a down to earth kinda guy. At the same time, as a fan and a human being, I want him to stay gone as long as necessary for him to heal up. I'd hate to be watching Raw or a ppv on the WWE Network after Bryan came back too soon, saw him hit the diving headbutt and wind up paralyzed from the neck down right there in the center of the ring.

 

[Brelyn]

No I don't. I wasn't a fan of his when he was there and I'm not a fan now. I have a ton of respect for him but all in all--outside of his skills in the ring--he never entertained me and I need more than great ring skills to pique my interest.

 

[idif]

I really don't find myself missing him too much-if at all-these past couple of months. I think that has too do with how he was booked AFTER he won the championship at WMXXX. His feud with Kane was awful. I won't comment on the match they had(since I didn't watch it). To me, their feud has horrible, horribly acted, and highly predictable. Being predictable isn't a bad thing, as long as it's executed well story wise and in the ring. This was not(story wise) so it was awful. To be fair, I liked him better in 2012 when he was a heel. So, to summarize, no I don't really miss him.

 

[BestWrestlingOpinions]

The whole Punk thing doesn't scream "I miss Punk" or "Please come back Punk!" or even to cheer for Punk(hard to cheer for someone that's not there or doing anything to get cheers), most of the time it's used to try to troll the WWE. That and to cheer for AJ for obvious reasons, but mostly to try to get under the WWE's skin. Anyone that's actually a fan of Punk knows that what they're doing isn't going to help bring him back and that he doesn't give a crap about what they're doing, they're just having some anti-establishment fun in his place.

As for Yes! Chants, we just heard plenty of them a few weeks ago in the MITB Pre-Show. They also tend to happen whenever the Authority brings DB up in their promos.(which Steph has a funny way of turning it back at the crowd) Not sure how you missed them really.

In any case we don't need constant reminders from the crowd for a absent person. No one did anything for Cena during his 4 month absence, or anyone else back in the day when they were out for a long time. And yet that didn't hurt Cena's or anyone else's popularity. Besides it's more annoying then anything else, I like DB as much as the next guy but if the crowd start doing Yes! chants during a Cena promo or a Usos match I would SMH just like all the random times people do it for Punk. Personally I rather give cheers/chants/whatever to the people performing right in front of me since I know that the people that are unwilling or unable to perform don't need or care any of that until they get back, in which case I'll happily give my reactions to them.

Well, obviously I've heard some YES chants, but that's because there is a direct reference to Bryan. If Bryan isn't there or isn't involved in a storyline/promo, there won't be any chants, which means the YES's are only being chanted for Bryan, which means Bryan is over (for those who wanna throw the "Bryan isn't over, the chant is" thing).

Now, I am also happy we don't get random Bryan chants at random segments and there is really no point. And I also agree that the Punk chants are mostly a way to mock the WWE (espec when HHH/Steph are talking).

Basically, the main reason of this thread is to hear what you guys have to say over the idea of "Bryan wasn't over / oh I don't miss Bryan / he was a flop" etc, because his name isn't chanted like Punk's. Apparently this isn't the case and I'm really happy about it.

 

[d_henderson1810]

The inevitable reality of pro wrestling fans... someone is inserted into the "underdog" role and fans eat it up, underdog makes it to the top, something happens and the underdog is forgotten and pushed back down to the bottom. Fans never cease to amaze me. It happened with Zack Ryder, it happened with Dolph Ziggler, it happened with Daniel Bryan, and I honestly can't wait for the day it happens to Roman Reigns. It's like fans have the attention span of a 4 year old.

This is why I said that the WWE should continue to follow their own path, and ignore the "WWE Universe" (that term makes me sick) when it came to putting the belt on Daniel Bryan at WMXXX.

From January to WMXXX, every man and his dog were saying that Daniel Bryan MUST win the WWE World Title at Wrestlemania XXX, or the world would explode. He wasn't allowed to win it at Elimination Chamber, Raw the night after, the post-WM Raw or even at "Extreme Rules". It was Wrestlemania or bust.

In fact, these stupid morons ruined the Royal Rumble by booing everyone. They even disgustingly booed a guy at No. 30 who had nothing to do with Bryan not being in, and pissed on a guy who won the Rumble, who, funnily enough, they seem to cheer nine years earlier when he won the Rumble. But because "flavor of the month" Daniel Bryan didn't win, or wasn't even in the match (despite having a match earlier in the night, and no-one else who had a match earlier that night were in the Rumble, which happens most years at Rumble).

Now, Bryan's not around, has lost his belt, and people move onto someone else. Dolph Ziggler, one of the most overrated guys in IWC history, was "the guy" in 2013. He was the next big thing. This year's model was DB, next year, it will be Roman Reigns. This is the "throwaway" generation, who line up at midnight to buy this year's version of the IPhone. So, why would they have the patience to support any guy long term.

Many people are just sheep. If any of them ever had an individual thought, they would have to ask everyone's permission first. So, if one person boos, the others in the crowd do it too. If stick your head in the toilet was the new trend, these sheep would all do it. Bray Wyatt should cut a promo one time how the people follow a performer, and then abandon them, and move onto the next "big thing". So, Daniel Bryan is yesterday's news.

Either Daniel Bryan won the titles because of the fans, or that was the plan all along. If it was the plan all along, then the Universe needs some damn patience, and see how things play out, instead of booing Rey Mysterio. If the fans changed the WWE's minds, then they were weak, because the "customer is NOT always right". The customer wants what they want, not what is always good for them, so their opinion should be listened to, but not always followed. If the Universe knew better, they would be millionaire wrestling promoters, not sitting in the crowd.

Punk gets cheered because he is "anti-WWE", he is "anti-Authority", and it is cool to hate those in charge, those who know better than you. This is why "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, remained popular, despite using the same six catchphrases that stopped meaning anything post- 1999. Because he "stuck it to the boss". Those who can do, do, and those who can't, bag. The lazy and disrespectful criticise those greater than them to cover over their own insecurities and inadequacies.

But, in the end, the WWE wins anyway. You need them more than the WWE needs any individual one of you. They know that you will still watch Raw, SD, PPVs and buy the Network. You are addicts, junkies. You NEED WWE. So, they continue to play you like a fiddle, because you talk tough and throw your weight around, and threaten to quit watching, but, in the end, they have you. You are a slave to their programming. Face it.

I have followed wrestling for over thirty years. I was watching Steamboat-Savage when most of you were in diapers, so I know a bit more about these things, and I have shown that I am loyal. I am a "lifer" because I CHOOSE to be. If I don't like something WWE does, I just shrug it off. It's not the end of the world. I would be interested to see how many of "today's" wrestling fan will still be there, not because they feel they have to, but because they WANT to. But loyalty isn't admired anymore in society. That is why lovers of professional wrestling with strong work ethics like John Cena are hated, whereas ungrateful money-grabbers like C.M. Punk and Brock Lesnar are loved.

 

[Brushfire]

Yes, I miss Daniel Bryan. Once that I am invested in a wrestler they will continue to be one of my favourites for as long as they are in the industry. Even watched TNA at one point almost solely for Styles/Angle/Hardy/RVD because I really enjoy watching those guys wrestle.

I definitely agree with the comment that it does seem to always be about "flavour of the month". Those that now "hate" Batista but "like" Reigns baffle me, because the two are similar in a number of ways. Even their pushes are being handled in a similar manner. Yes, Dolph Ziggler was that in 2013 - I still like him now, regardless of whether he is regarded as "overrated", "injury-prone", or anything else by people. I want to see him succeed.

I for one very much look forward to Daniel Bryan's return regardless of his place on the card. I hope WWE don't give up on him because of his injuries, or because they feel his "yes" chants are the only reason he got over, or because they are bored of him and want to move on to other things. And I hope that those that loved him before don't either.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

I miss him on RAW. The guy gave us some of the best matches of the past year. In fact, it was this time last year that he, Kane, Orton, and the Shield were tearing it up week in and week out.

The simple fact of the matter is that it's a better, stronger show with him on it than without him.

 

[Cena Is A Punk Rocker]

Instead of talking about how much we miss (CM Punk, Daniel Bryan) and whoever else, let's talk about how good Dean Ambrose is right now. Let's discuss how Dean Ambrose is going to change the entire landscape of professional wrestling. He is the love child of Terry Funk, Brian Pillman and Stone Cole Steve Austin, all rolled into one machine.

 

[oldschool123]

I think he would be missed a lot more if the last memory of him wasn't that stupid Kane feud. It was so hokey and made him look weak.

 

[Raptor93]

Thing is Bryan was a major piece but WWE mainevent and main stories usual involve a dozen or so stars and personalities , anyone missing and it can be covered up. Cena could leave, HHH could leave everyone would move on if its just the one and the story continues. The wwe is bigger then anyone one star. I personally miss Bryan he always made the best of what could possibly be done, put on great matches and wether it was mic skills , charisma or a unknown there was no denying he could connect with the crowd

 

[Reflection]

Do I miss Daniel Bryan? Not as much as I should have, I admit. The reason for this can be attributed to the vast amount of other interesting stars that we have in this era- Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Cesaro, Bray Wyatt and the Family, and Damien Sandow. If this
was the "PG era" of 2007-12 which was almost universally a dark phase for any 10+ year old fan, and when the only stars were Randy Orton and the already-stale John Cena, I surely would have missed Daniel Bryan, CM Punk and Bad News Barrett a whole lot more.

 

[#1druid]

I think he would be missed a lot more if the last memory of him wasn't that stupid Kane feud. It was so hokey and made him look weak.

It's because they were too concerned about pushing Roman Reigns, who will be the next big flop, the three guys Daniel Bryan should have been feuding with all were facing the shield which was just being used as a launching pad for Reigns, so instead we get a lame Kane fued, who Bryan had beat what seemed like dozens of times just before Mania, so no one bought Kane as a threat meaning they had to over compensate by making him look as a larger threat and made Bryan look weak. So the WWE wasted Bryan, Orton, Batista, Kane, Rollins, and Ambrose all to push Reigns who has no ring or mic skills and will falter under his own weight when he can't live up to the hype.

To answer the op's question yes I miss Daniel Bryan.

 

[Reflection]

The inevitable reality of pro wrestling fans... someone is inserted into the "underdog" role and fans eat it up, underdog makes it to the top, something happens and the underdog is forgotten and pushed back down to the bottom. Fans never cease to amaze me. It happened with Zack Ryder, it happened with Dolph Ziggler, it happened with Daniel Bryan, and I honestly can't wait for the day it happens to Roman Reigns. It's like fans have the attention span of a 4 year old.

I don't think this is a valid argument. Daniel Bryan has not been forgotten by any means; the majority of the people are simply not "smarky" enough to chant someone's name who isn't even there, like an idiot. Daniel Bryan is still very over, as we saw in Money in the Bank. While the "underdog" character can be given some credit for that, this is not the only thing that got him to the WWEWHC. While Bray Wyatt is a character that developed off screen and debuted after he had already improved, Daniel Bryan was a character that improved day after day ON screen, and the fans got to witness every bit of it. Starting as an indie nerd, a rookie with very limited WWE-material, he became the most over guy in the roster at one point, and that was before John Cena gave him that title shot and the real underdog storyline began. The bigger reason why people love him is because he really is that damn good.
Also, lets face it- Daniel Bryan is more talented and skilled than both of these guys. Both Dolph Ziggler and Zack Ryder are stagnant characters with some of the highest loss records in the WWE. Just because they suffered that fate doesn't mean that a main-eventer like Daniel Bryan will land in the same place upon his return.

 

[SeanEric19]

I have to say, I am glad he's off WWE television. His promos were hard to sit through, and I found myself changing the channel during the "Yes Movement" segment. With that being said, the next flavor is obviously Roman Reigns, but I'm very intrigued with Seth Rollins, The Authority, Dean Ambrose, and The Dust Brothers to really give a second thought to Daniel Bryan.

It also doesn't mean CM Punk is missed. He walked away. So what? He owes nothing to the WWE fans. He had a much tougher, and longer, climb than Bryan, having to endure the whole WWECW era.

 

[DB2CMPUNK]

I miss Daniel Bryan in action, I truly do.

However...

I feel like WWE done a great job in not making me miss Daniel Bryan. The quality of the show got so much better after Extreme Rules. It may be the new head writer from RAW, but finally there are some decent storylines are brewing. All hats to the superstars and writers.

As for Daniel Bryan, everyone knows he will be back. I really hope he can overcome it because neck injury are very serious. If Daniel Bryan ever come back, you bet he will get one of the biggest reactions.

 

[madness1992]

I was rooting for him because it was clearly what the people wanted, and in wrestling that's what should happen, more or less. However I don't understand why the people liked him so much, he's terribly boring on the mic, his matches are pretty boring, kicks and dives aren't all that exciting to me, especially now when almost everybody is doing the out of the ring dive. I don't miss him at all, and feel the product is better without him.

 

[BestWrestlingOpinions]

Instead of talking about how much we miss (CM Punk, Daniel Bryan) and whoever else, let's talk about how good Dean Ambrose is right now. Let's discuss how Dean Ambrose is going to change the entire landscape of professional wrestling. He is the love child of Terry Funk, Brian Pillman and Stone Cole Steve Austin, all rolled into one machine.

Or, how about we discuss about if people miss Bryan here and we talk about Ambrose in another thread?

Reading all your responses, we conclude I guess (apart from a couple of replyers) to the fact that Bryan will come back eventually, after he is healed up. He isn't being missed,not because "he sucks", but because there are a lot of other things going on that fill his hole almost completely.

 

[SuperTaco]

I miss seeing Daniel Bryan compete in the ring. Outside of that, it hasn't been too much of a loss for me. I really enjoy his ring work, although I think it may get toned down upon his return.

Honestly, I don't really know what to expect from Daniel Bryan when he returns. Can he be the same exciting performer he was before? Can he still get the people behind him despite being out for so long? Time will answer these questions and I will wait patiently. The product has been enjoyable and engaging without him, I can only hope that he adds to it when he comes back.

 

[DCLXVI]

Hey, first time poster here. Always watched wrestling (more towards the Puro/ROH style when I was heavily into it) but I keep up with the WWE. I stopped following the programs for a couple years but still kind of kept up with what was going on so I saw Daniel Bryan's rise in the company.

I was first really getting back into it because I have Hulu now right around the build for him to take the belt. I watched the Pay Per View, the Kane match was ridiculous (using a forklift to bring him back into the ring was tacky and stupid in my opinion). The "Daniel Bryan vs. The Authority because he was only a B+ player" and an underdog made sense, but man did they screw up his World title win with that Kane feud.

I occasionally watch wrestling when non-wrestling fans are over and that angle with Kane emerging in the car and Brie Bella shrieking was painful and embarrassing to watch with people over (when they are normally really impressed by guys from The Shield camp etc.). Daniel Bryan's acting was terrible and Isn't this the "reality era"? Why was Brie Bella even abruptly announced as marrying him on-air? Total Divas?

To answer the question, No. I hope he gets healthy. I think Daniel Bryan's a good wrestler but his character is boring, his promo's are on-par but not meant for lengthy segments. The "boner" thing was stupid. The "YES" chants eventually got annoying... and his promos always lead to him saying "YES" or "NO" to something (I guess that's his gimmick and he can't be blamed)... but the Kane thing was a huge disservice to leave people to remember his reign as champion by before he had to give the belt up.