Doesn't Daniel Bryan, The Heel, Remind You of Kurt Angle?

[CM Steel]

Now adays during the WWE-PG. Heel turns are done slowly. Like the heel turns of Chris Jericho, CM Punk, and now Daniel Bryan. Daniel Bryan has done a well job thus far as playing the "innocent heel" role on Smackdown & RAW. But DB as the current heel strongly reminds me of Kurt Angle during his first run as a heel in the WWF/E.

Kurt Angle was the master of playing the inncent heel back in the day. His promo's were just too silly. But Angle could back up whatever he said in the ring. It's hard to compare Daniel Bryan to Kurt Angle in his prime. But DB is still young, and so is his WWE career. Only time will tell.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I can see parts of it. I'd say there is potential there for it to be a valid comparison eventually. As you said its hard to compare DB to Angle but he has time and the seeds are there

 

[MrAdam87]

I can understand what your saying, however Daniel Bryan has never reminded me of Kurt Angle, 'gimmick', 'move-set' or otherwise.
For whatever reason whenever i have watched DB I have found myself being reminded Chris Benoit, more so recently.
Obviously when I say i am reminded of Benoit I mean in-ring style not gimmick or promo which I realise was what you were more or less getting at.

Angel was one of my real favourites as a kid, a guy I loved to hate which made his Face runs all the more fun, because even while Face OR Heel Angle never really strayed too far from what he would normally do in promo's or in the ring, with the exception of obviously gaining real 'heat' from the crowds, but the basic tentpoles of his performance never really changed.

DB has had to change his gimmick vastly to start drawing heat, but it has been done so well and gradual that it is working perfectly and the lines of Face/Heel turn are being blurred at the moment, it happens gradually until suddenly one day he is being booed by everyone.

In summary I do not get reminded of Angle while watching the current emerging Heel Bryan.

chronoxiong



____________________
Just my humble opinion

 

[theBusiness]

this is a great comparison

bryan is nowhere near angles mic skills/charisma but he certainly is comparable in the ring. 99-01 kurt angle was that innocent, coward heel BUT he could back up whatever he said in the ring and compete with the best. Very similar to current Daniel Bryan. Great thread.

 

[kabby420]

Daniel Bryan has his moments where he can deliver a decent sentence, but string em together to form a paragraph, he doesnt do so well. Angle was the same way when he started....they are both great (well angle was) natural athletes....i think considering where we are in Bryan's career thats a very fair comparrison to make...as well the other posts were correct in their comparrison's..... so in my opinion....GOOD CALL!

 

[sInIzIn]

I've been lurking on this site for a long long time as I generally tape WWE these days and kinda skip through the crap. However, I registered just to say how much I actually do see Kurt Angle in Daniel Bryan. Obviously Kurt was more of a natural, but DB has the chance to really make a name for himself. I hope they keep up his character and don't feed him to Randy Orton or someone like that anymore.

 

[theBec2101]

I think its more of the Christian temper tantrum days and he use to make excuses on why he lost and what not. but I will say I do like him and his gimick. Unlike when Christian used this and made excuses on losing, he is actually winning and giving excuses of why he did it to win or retain the title. He's not fully heel or face, again I like it. Just please dont start saying "1 more match"

Also he could be doing the whole Edge gimick when he was with Viki, he use to have excuses and retain the title useing dirty tactics. Bryan is also growing the beard.

 

[Amarillo del Bosque Verde]

terrible comparison


db is nowhere near as good or as charasmatic as kurt angle.


angle>>>>>>>>>>>pile of poo>>>>>>>>>db

I seriously think idiots like this should be banhammered from here. -___-'

Anywho. I do see it. They both somewhat play the same kinda heel character. Well, Angle DID play I should say. And sure, on the mic you can't compare them, but why are people saying in the ring as well?
Yes, Angle is one of the greatest in-ring wrestlers of all time, but, so is Bryan. Right now, he's one of the best in world. Better than Punk in-ring.

 

[Raptor93]

Thing that bugs me is that they gave angle the opportunity to look like a real threat, even aginst big show or other big guys by having him take out there ankle. DB on the other hand has to put everything into not losing. Its stupid but separates them at least in there credibility, other wise I agree

 

[Grimy Grizzly]

Tho I don't really see it, I think they should of had him kind of like Angle now that you say it Angle won every title and had that to use in promos ect. heel or face i think if they had DB do that win different titles at some point before his World Title reign he coulda brag about that to get more heat and have him earn each title in the ring heel or face he'd be able to use that and have credibility etc.

 

[Mustang Sally]

It's an interesting thought, but I don't know that the word "innocent" applies to either Bryan or Angle.....although I can see how it might be interpreted that way.

Kurt Angle wasn't innocent. He was goody-goody, he was cocky, he was self-absorbed.....but he played a character who was bowled over by his own technical wrestling ability and came off as a guy who was playing the audience in an effort to make us think he felt humbled by his own success. In fact, the guy was brilliant at the part.

Daniel Bryan isn't innocent, either. He's also a technical wrestling marvel who toiled as a little guy trying to compete with the big boys and always coming up short (no pun intended). Then, he achieved big-time success by taking a shortcut with the MITB effort. Yes, he was perfectly entitled to do this .....yet, if a guy is going to win the title in that manner, he should at least be realistic enough to know that taking the shortcut doesn't suddenly boost his abilities to a higher level than before. To be innocent is to be uncorrupted by evil and malice......and that doesn't apply to Daniel Bryan. He's been completely corrupted, as evidenced by his newly-found high opinion of himself. That sure isn't indicative of innocence.

But your thoughts are good.....and it's easy to compare Kurt Angle and Daniel Bryan, particularly as it concerns technically superior wrestlers who successfully function as bad guys. If you can remember back far enough, you can add Larry Zbyszko to that list, too.

 

[Nada]

I think they are similar but Bryan comes across as far more unlikeable (in a good, heelish way) than Angle

There was always a dorky, loveable aspect to Angle in his WWE days, you booed him because he was a clown not because you hated him. Bryan really is excellent at portraying the "heel who thinks he is a face" and is doing the right thing.

 

[Ryberg]

The way they're booking the Bryan persona now is very entertaining. I have always liked Bryan a lot but they were really missing the ball with him in the way he was booked. NOW they have a great idea with him. But I don't think it's like Angle, I find the heel turn more along the lines of Eddie Guerrero's heel turn. Watch some of Eddie's old promos! Once he gets the mic skills or works on them more DB will be GREAT!

 

[Cats Pajamas]

I think there are similarities, but not much beyond the comparisons you could make between Angle and numerous other wrestlers, before and after Kurt. Kurt Angle was able to get into a character that's actually pretty common (and potentially entertaining as heel's go) and he evolved into a caricature in itself.

It has the same elements, but Angle went far beyond what you normally see. He had, "Intensity, Integrity, and Intelligence" and he won Olympic gold medals "with a broken freakin neck", and while Daniel Bryan is self-absorbed by his own wrestling prowess, he's not the demi-God Angle made himself to be.

It's an oft-seen schtick that's being recycled once again, albeit less charismatically by Bryan.

 

[AustinHartLesnarHBKTaz80]

daniel bryan still has YET to prove something to me in the WWE.

his mic skills need MAJOR work.

i have yet to see a GOOD match out of him in the WWE.

comparing him to kurt angle right now is UNJUSTIFIED.

as far as WWE work is concerned, so far, ANGLE was far SUPERIOR to bryan IN the ring and on the MIC.

to me, daniel bryan is UNWATCHABLE on the mic. i cringe every time he speaks.

his mic skills actually remind me of benoit. i loved benoit in the ring. he was AWESOME. but on the mic, i would cringe every time he spoke. same with bryan (on the mic).

i don't think bryan DESERVED the world title that soon.

honesty, he HASN'T really impressed me all that much.

watch this quick video :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nBDmkvp-Qw

i can't erase this horrible performance from bryan off my mind. michael cole's commentary is spot on.

 

[Shakin' Abe]

Does anyone really buy Daniel as the champ? I can't stand his character. He's about as believable as Hornswoggle. He can turn heel. He can be a face. I don't care. Just get the belt off of him quick! Would you buy a ticket to a house show, knowing he's in the main event? Maybe in Ring of Honor!

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I can see bits & pieces that are similar but, overall, I don't see much of a resemblance.

Like Angle, Bryan is currently doing something of a nice guy bit, but he's doing it in a more realistic way. Angle would go on and on about his accomplishments, especially winning the gold medal, like an arrogant buffoon that believed he wasn't being the least bit cocky and that he was just a "nice guy". Bryan's situation is that of a guy that almost seems like he's being misunderstood due to curcimstances and points of view. For instance, Bryan saying that Big Show intentionally ran over AJ as he was so focused on taking the title from Bryan does have a ring of truth to it. Is it true? Not at all, and people know that & boo Bryan for suggesting it by feeling that it's a means of putting Show down while avoiding the issue that he might have been close to losing his title. At the same time, when you look back over the course of their feud, Show has obviously been frustrated at his short title run, Bryan having the title and not being able to take it from him thus far. So him being so reckless that he ignored AJ's safety isn't impossible. Unlikely, but not impossible.

Trying to build Bryan in the same way as Angle may not have worked. At the time when Angle first showed up, the WWE used the fact that he was this highly decorated amateur wrestler that won a gold medal at the Olympics. That he sometimes competed and fought through tremendous injury for the sake of being the best. Daniel Bryan, on the other hand, is a veteran of the indy circuit that stands under 6 feet tall and weighs about 200-210 pounds. Angle, on the other hand, was a very muscular 250 when he began his career as a pro wrestler. Also, they didn't start Kurt Angle out feuding with men 200 pounds heavier than he was after he won his first World Championship. It's believable to see Bryan having to resort to using everything he has to beat the likes of Show & Henry. He has to use his athleticism, his superior wrestling knowledge and even a little cunning to overcome the fact that he's so much smaller & physically weaker than his opponents. He can't just stand in the middle of the ring and trade haymakers with those two. It'd look ridiculous and not the least bit believable. Believability has been the key, thus far, to the success of Bryan's slow transformation into a heel, believability was key to Mark Henry's incredible success & dominant title run since last summer and the believability they've generated in the big man vs. little man scenario has helped all these matches tell great stories.

 

[TimeIsWasting]

We are talking about Daniel Bryan and Kurt Angle in the same sentence? Sure there are some similarities as far as the heel gimmick, but that is it. When DB comes on t.v. it is a piss break, smoke break, or anything other than watching him break. When Kurt was doing his thing I wanted to watch him and see what was next. Angle was and is better than DB in every way. I just pray that they take DB off t.v. very soon. He is the worst champion ever. I feel as if he is making a mockery of the world heavyweight championship. Let's all be honest, he isn't as good in the ring or on the mic as Angle and I can't find it in me to put them two in the same sentence together.

 

[The_Don]

So many hating here on Bryan and being subjective in the process most of them. At least speak the truth and don't exaggerate just because you don't like him.

On topic: I also see a bit of similarities, but Angle was more innocent than Bryan. In the ring they're different, both technical but different. Bryan has some promos influenced by hate, something Kurt never did from 99-00.

Bryan is doing well in promo or maybe it's just me, idk. People here want him to have mic skills in only a year in WWE. Give him time, WWE is building him up really well as a heel. I won't be surprised at all if he's defending the title against Orton in WM, in fact, I'm looking forward to it!

 

[AustinHartLesnarHBKTaz80]

the don,

daniel bryan has been in the wrestling business for more than 10 YEARS now.

you would think that he would have learned some CHARISMA or MIC SKILLS by now------but he HASN'T..

HE SUCKS ON THE MIC.

all he does is YELL, YELL, YELL, and say ''I'M THE WORLD CHAMPION!!!" over and over.. thats about the extent of his mic skills..

daniel bryan fans be honest with me here:

has he generated at least a **** match yet in the WWE? NO.

has he delivered a solid in ring promo that generated legitimate heat from the audience (not piped in crowd noise smackdown is notorious for)? i have yet to see one. when he first won the world title and grabbed the mic on raw with punk and ryder, i was cringing.

for all his experience in pro wrestling, he's still very GREEN on the mic.

ALBERTO DEL RIO is better than him on the mic. and he's only been in the WWE for less than 2 years.

DEL RIO is far more ENTERTAINING and far more CHARISMATIC than daniel bryan.

i have yet to see an ENTERTAINING segment featuring daniel bryan.

daniel bryan NEEDS to step his game up .

cuz, as far as i'm concerned, he has done NOTHING in the WWE to deserve that world heavyweight championship.

 

[The_Don]

daniel bryan has been in the wrestling business for more than 10 YEARS now. you would think that he would have learned some CHARISMA or MIC SKILLS by now------but he HASN'T..HE SUCKS ON THE MIC. all he does is YELL, YELL, YELL, and say ''I'M THE WORLD CHAMPION!!!" over and over.. thats about the extent of his mic skills..daniel bryan fans be honest with me here: has he generated at least a **** match yet in the WWE? NO. has he delivered a solid in ring promo that generated legitimate heat from the audience (not piped in crowd noise smackdown is notorious for)? i have yet to see one. when he first won the world title and grabbed the mic on raw with punk and ryder, i was cringing. ALBERTO DEL RIO is better than him on the mic. and he's only been in the WWE for less than 2 years. DEL RIO is far more ENTERTAINING and far more CHARISMATIC than daniel bryan. i have yet to see an ENTERTAINING segment featuring daniel bryan. daniel bryan NEEDS to step his game up. cuz, as far as i'm concerned, he has done NOTHING in the WWE to deserve that world heavyweight championship.

You expect me to believe this is an objective opinion? Well I'm gonna answer each of your "points"

Let me ask you, who has been an indy star that entered the WWE with great mic skills that quickly? No one. It's not the same being 10 years on indy, where they don't emphasize the promos and are not as good as in WWE.

A 5 star match in WWE? Did you saw the ones he had with Dolph Ziggler? How about his 1st match with Jericho? His match with Alberto? Cody? You must have watched another program.

The other stuff you talked was a load of crap. You're obviously a hater, nothing else I can tell you.

 

[sdaniel1977]

There is no similarity between Angle and Bryan in their heel roles. Angle tried to play the goodie two shoes heel who won a gold medal and he was booed because we aren't patriotic. In other words, him turning on us was our fault, not his. Daniel Bryan seems more like the Biblical snake that was possessed by Satan. He does heel actions, mostly behind the backs of those he's doing them to and the only true knowledge of the entire picture is the viewer.

 

[Miakisaki]

Let me ask you, who has been an indy star that entered the WWE with great mic skills that quickly? No one. It's not the same being 10 years on indy, where they don't emphasize the promos and are not as good as in WWE.

A 5 star match in WWE? Did you saw the ones he had with Dolph Ziggler? How about his 1st match with Jericho? His match with Alberto? Cody? You must have watched another program.

Let me emphasize this a little more.

When CM Punk first entered the WWE nobody really paid attention to him. He came in and had some good matches then was moved up and won the World Heavyweight Championship via MITB cash in (sound familiar?). Nobody really cared too much then either. Afterwards he lost the title and appeared to be going nowhere like they had nothing for him, since the SES wasn't doing it for him. At that stage, he wasn't revered for his mic skills because he was never given an opportunity.

Then came that opportunity. A program with John Cena as the new leader of Nexus, something Cena may or may not have had something to do with.

All of a sudden, people started paying attention. Punk's mic work now is considered the stuff of legends, and the pop he received for the WWE title match against Cena at the MITB PPV was nearly Austin worthy. People began to accept him as a main event talent and champion where he wasn't before, because he was given that opportunity. In short, give Daniel Bryan a chance to get into the element he's always been the most comfortable with and best at. WWE has had him booked as a nerdy face now for the longest time, which rubbed people as corny or cheesy. He may lose the title, but guys like him and CM Punk just need that opportunity to prove that they are masters of their craft.

 

[xoxo French Kiss xoxo]

Sort of like Kurt Angle... minus the Three I's Intensity, Integrity and Intelligence.

Bryan isn't anywhere near Angle's level of overall talent. He's not as good in the ring or on the mic as Angle was at this point in Angle's entire wrestling career. Bryan still bores me, Angle has always been entertaining

 

[mike1215]

ABSOLUTELY NOT.

hahaha Daniel Bryan doesn't remind me of Kurt Angle AT ALL. Whoever started this thread should apologize to Kurt Angle.