Poll: Daniel Bryan's Status In WWE

[Jack-Hammer]

Over the past few weeks, many have expressed their disappointment in Daniel Bryan not only becoming WWE Champion, but in him being taken out of the WWE Championship picture altogether. Over the course of the past few months, a lot of fans have been on pins & needles as to what WWE's ultimate plan might be for Daniel Bryan. There are a number of conflicting reports that have come out via the dirtsheets as well, making it all the more confusing to ultimately tell what's what.

Some reports, such as one on the main page, claim that Bryan has some heat from the Raw ratings and lower than anticipated ppv buys. There's a real chance of this being true as Vince McMahon stated that, in regard to the lower than hoped SummerSlam ppv buys, perhaps they didn't have a "attraction" that was strong enough. However, other reports from earlier in the week and even last week state that officials don't blame Bryan.

In all honesty, there's really some strong arguments that can be made for either side. Allegedly, WWE officials are said to sometimes seek out scapegoats if they feel that the numbers aren't where they feel they should be. At least, that's what dirtsheets report and have reported at times. If that's the case, then Bryan's time in the spotlight might well be over & done with.

The other side, however, also has merit. When CM Punk had his rematch in 2011 with John Cena at SummerSlam, the event drew 296,000 buys, exactly the same as Bryan vs. Cena this year. That figure was down from 350,000 buys that SummerSlam drew in 2010. Night of Champions in 2011 drew 161,000 buys, which featured Triple H vs. CM Punk, while this year's show drew 175,000 buys. In terms of TV ratings in 2012 for Raw against Monday Night Football, Raw is doing slightly better overall now than it was last year and this was with Punk, Orton, Cena & others front & center. I suppose the whole point of this is that, when it came to ratings & ppv buys as champ, CM Punk didn't exactly set new standards, yet WWE didn't rush to take the strap off of him and put him out of the main event picture.

Some reports over the past few weeks have also indicated that there's talk of Bryan POSSIBLY being back in the title picture during WrestleMania season. This has led to speculation from some fans that Bryan could wind up back in the title picture for purposes of having his triumph be all that much grander during WWE's most productive time of the year. But, again, there are also reports of WWE officials wanting to push bigger & stronger guys. So it's really all up in the air and anybody's guess at this point.

What do you think will happen to Bryan when it's all said & done?

 

[ASKane]

I think everything HHH and Vince said about him being a good hand but not a A player is completely true. I would like him to have a career path like Kofi Kingston. A regular mid card guy who doesn't win another WH or WWE title. He is just in a bad position that we have seen the underdog story far to often, Guerrero, Benoit, Mysterio and others have all been incredibly successful regular underdogs and I think the underdog story has been used far to often

 

[sanefan_har]

Like I voted, I can't trust all the info I've been reading and can't predict his future at the moment. That being said, the moment Randy Orton cashed in, it was all downhill for Bryan for me. There was no way he was coming out on top. And the worst part is you can't bring up Daniel Bryan being buried to the WWE officials (aka Vince) because they (him) will respond with "HE BEAT CENA CLEAN!!! WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT???". I hope he becomes another Chris Jericho and stick in the Upper Mid Card for a while. But as of now, it's TBD for me

 

[a member of wwe universe]

Well first things first, as it turns out, Daniel Bryan is NOT the Face of the wwe like the iwc claimed him prematurely lol.

I think Daniel Bryan is not gonna be buried heavily like the miz. Hes gonna be in that upper midcard-main event status later on. He is organically over as babyface. I've always said, i see him as a chris jericho, eddie guerrero type players in terms of status. Theres no way the mchmahon would go all out on daniel bryan cause they do not believe in a 5 foot 7 goat face to be that big star for wwe. B+ players, HHH's view on Dbryan as "not a star", 5'7 etc. It turns out these were shoots all along. It didnt matter what d bryan said in defense for himself in those segments. It was always about how the mchmahon sees him.

As far as this daniel bryan vs cm punk for wwe title at mania, its not happening imo. This is just more of a fantasy by iwc than actual reality based upon what has transpired in recent months. Daniel bryan was subjected to the humiliation in this authority storyline, and the scapegoat to the poor ratings and buyrates. So theres no way hes gonna be booked in a title at mania.

I can see a HHH vs dbryan happening at mania. But you know the COO is gonna win. So whats the point?

Kudos to Mark Madden. As much as the marks hate him for his anti-iwc ideology, he has been spot on with the past months of wwe booking. The authority storyline was never going to be in favour of daniel bryan when it begins. He was never destined to have that ultimate payoff in achieving the wwe title definitively (now you can say that dbryan will win it mania instead, well i cant argue cause i cant predict the future)

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

I think the WWE has started a storyline with Daniel Bryan that it's going to ultimately finish by giving him the title. I think that the completion of that storyline is more important than considerations of whether Daniel Bryan is worthy of being "the guy"; I think these arguments are irrelevant because the WWE can put the belt on him for a time before giving it to someone else longer term.

In the end, that's what I want to see: The logical and satisfying conclusion of what's been an entertaining storyline so far.

 

[Redemption-2012]

As of right now, he is Chris Jericho 2.0 (upper mid-card) but I think come WrestleMania time he will be back in the title picture. The best idea (IMO) is to do a triple threat match in Randy Orton (c) vs CM Punk vs Daniel Bryan for the WWE title. Bryan gets his big win either that or the WWE completely give up on and put him smack bang in the middle of the card. (This would not surprise me).

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

I am hearing reports that the WWE is blaming Bryan for the low attendance and ratings. If this is true, I kind of feel this is a scape goat excuse from a bias WWE point of view. Why? JBL had terrible rantings as WWE Champion yet he had a 2 year run, Cena's months on Top of RAW when he was drafted get compatibly lower ratings, and Shawn Michaels didn't exactly draw great numbers yet he had a long run.

So I hope those reports aren't true the logic of blaming Bryan has been faulty when you look at the other areas of the product. Like how Bryan has been booked to get beaten up almost every week, or the fact that Orton and Bryan has been booked in PPV main events 4 times straight, or the fact that Orton has no momentum leading to his cash in, and the fact that Orton, the top heel for Bryan and WWE Champion, has been nothing but a lackey to Triple H.

Ok I get the appeal that Bryan is the underdog but viewers like a winner too, and they way they have handled Bryan's pushed is anything but a "winner".

As for his status, I am still optimistic that his mid card role at Survivor Series is just a filler on the Road to WM. But if not and he gets stuck in a whatever feud I am probably done with the WWE.

Sorry this is the first time in a long time I was invested with a superstar both Bryan and Punk because there were guys I could connect to. Sure Cena is over but he was a superhero type character, and they don't have that same attachment as guys you feel are a bit more real (that's why Bret Hart and Austin clicked so much). If WWE goes back to making Cena the sole top guy, I am done with the WWE since there really isn't anything to get invested in.

 

[GOOZEKING]

All I know is that if randy and or cena are in the main event if wrestlemania with then I am just not buying wrestlemania 30, even if there is going to be Brock vs taker. I could just watch the results next night on raw. Don't need to waste money watching a snoozefest of a match between cena and orton

 

[Tyrant25]

I don't believe the reports.

The evidence is in the audience every Monday night - Daniel Bryan is popular and one of the most over superstars in the company today. Do you see how many people do the "yes!" chants, even when he isn't on camera? People want to see Daniel Bryan. No, he isn't the "face of the company" (neither is Orton), but he's a close third or fourth. I take the internet dirt sheets with a grain of salt. They aren't pushing Big Show because he's "larger than life", they're pushing him because he was a part of the storyline at the right time and the audience is behind him. By the logic of the dirt sheets, Ryback and the Great Khali should be multi-time World Champions by now. Daniel Bryan is not in the main event right now, but he has a strong presence on Raw with CM Punk against the Wyatt Family and it shows every night.

Don't believe everything you see!

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I can well believe that they want "bigger attractions" at the forefront of the show, that has been their methodology since the 70's. But don't confuse "attractions" with the face of the company cos I am sure Vince and Trips aren't.

The attractions were guys like Bruiser Brody and Andre in the 80's, Undertaker, and more recently the Rock and Brock. Almost freakish guys who didn't need to be the actual face or the champion but their aura made them defacto equals to the top man of the time and equally important. Andre sold most WWE shows he was on prior to Mania 3 based on being Andre... People tune into Mania now to see Undertaker in much the same way.

Where they painted themselves into a corner was allowing guys like Taker and Brock to a lesser extent dictate their terms and never made a concerted effort to find new ones or diluting the heat of those who come close like Kane and Big Show with endless turns and defeats. So they pay Brock a ridiculous amount of money for ten appearances a year, Taker more for 2 and rely on Super Cena and The Rock 3 years in a row.

It's right they need to find that new monster, the one who physically can dominate through size but also have the right level of charisma and fear factor. Ryback isn't it. I do like Luke Harper, but he needed a completely different push if they were going that route.

Remember Taker, Kane, Show and Khali and Henry are all within 2 years of retirement tops. If Taker doesn't hang it up at 30 I'll be shocked. Kane's new gimmick is likely a dry run for a real backstage role to see if fans would take to it and Khali is physically risking his life by continuing, sadly he left his surgery far too late. Henry is now a solid main event level player, but not an attraction in the way the others have been.

In Show's case, many are screaming blue murder about him usurping Bryan's spot. But this is very likely to be Show's last big run. It is entirely possible HE could be hanging it up very soon indeed. Any man his size is taking a risk by continuing, he is already fast approaching the age Andre died. In Show's case he was able to have his surgery earlier in life and while that will prolong it, he will likely need to slow down or even stop to ensure that.

So Show is being used while he is available, given a reward for his long service and producing some of the best character work of his career to boot.

They can't keep going to the well of Brock cos of the money. He's either got to commit to more dates or cut bait, same with Rock. I have no doubt Batista will show up by the end of the Rumble match as he'll want his profile high for when the Marvel film comes out so that may buy them 6 months but they HAVE to make replacing all those guys their top priority now. Guys like Punk benefitted from the change while the current attractions covered the attraction side for them. Now it's their turn to cover while the new ones are found...

This happened mid Hogan era too, better workers had to step aside for guys like Warrior, Big Bossman, Undertaker and Yokozuna. Of that crop they got one true attraction in Taker which was a good return to some, but they sacrificed Ted DiBiase, Dusty Rhodes, Jake Roberts, Rick Rude and to a lesser extent Lex Luger to do so. Bryan could be the sacrifice this time.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I've been thinking about it and, as of right now, I'm probably leaning more towards Option C. I've honestly never really expected WWE to make Daniel Bryan the "face" of the company. I'm not saying he couldn't do the job and he's certainly got the popularity to warrant a real consideration. Bryan's also someone who seems very comfortable and down to earth when it comes to doing media for WWE.

Over the course of the past 2 years, I've frequently gotten the notion in my mind that Daniel Bryan probably won't be the next John Cena, but I can easily see him as the next Chris Jericho. Like Jericho, Bryan is very popular and has been one of the most over wrestlers on the WWE roster. Like Jericho, Bryan is someone who has a genuinely strong love & passion for pro wrestling that's easy to notice. Like Jericho has in the past, Bryan has reportedly gained a very strong reputation backstage as the go to guy for putting together high quality matches where both guys look like stars. Like Jericho, Bryan's somebody that can do a mix of the high risk stuff, the technical stuff on the mat, is a pretty good brawler and has fans firmly behind him.

I don't think we've seen the last of Bryan in the WWE Championship scene and I think he'll get at least one real run as champion. At the same time, again like Jericho, I could see him easily transitioning out of the main event into the IC or US title picture, having good runs with either, ultimately putting over others without his own stock going down and making his way back into the main event title scene..

 

[enviousdominous]

Daniel Bryan is, hands down, my favorite current wrestler. For me, seeing him on tv at all is good enough to keep me tuned in.

Am I mad that he hasn't been granted the right to hold the WWE Championship for longer than a day? Hell no. He's already a two time WWE Champion after defeating John Cena and Randy Orton.

Do I care if an army of bandwagon jumpers are furious that Daniel Bryan hasn't carried the belt through the last three pay per views? Hell no. I don't need to see Daniel Bryan wearing a belt to find him interesting.

Don't get me wrong. It would be nice to see Daniel Bryan get his due for all that he's given of himself to the art of pro-wrestling. I recognize that there's only so much room on the top of the card, and occasionally you have to shuffle your people around so everyone who can draw has an opportunity to shine a little. Bad booking doesn't affect my bank account, so I couldn't care less if the WWE brain farts a main event like The Big Show vs Randy Orton. Undiscovered tribes in the heart of an obscure Peruvian jungle have already predicted a Randy Orton win in that one.

You don't need a belt or a slew of redundant main event matches to be a main event guy. While the main event is traditionally where you have two pompous piss poor excuses for wrestlers grunt and groan through a series of poorly executed arm bars and headlocks all in the name of their derivative super hero gimmicks, I see the main event as the one match that you actually paid to see. Daniel Bryan has status on tv as a good guy who only wins fairly and only loses fluke matches, that kind of status is only invested in someone that the bookers actually like. I see no reason to think that he's being treated poorly.

 

[BigRedPunk]

I voted Upper mid-card. One of those guys that they unfortunately won't let go all the way for whatever the reason. Maybe it's because of his recent blame? Not sure, none of us really are certain unless we trust all the online "news". I do hate that they dropped his feud with Orton/HHH without giving him the title in the end. Waste chance there as he is arguably the most popular guy in the company at the moment, along with Punk.

 

[the_peoples_adam]

DANIEL BRYAN has the ENERGY there.... But he never EVOLVED...He is suited for the MIDCARD...Well i love his WRESTLING...BUT he ain't got that PERSONALITY of the LEGENDS that has come and gone...

 

[steven87gill]

I'm going for option A, all of the articles talking about Bryan in recent days feel like they've been lifted from a page of WWE creative and fed as 'insider knowledge'. Seriously, read them, all they're missing from them is the term 'B+player'.

I get the feeling VKM is just working the dirt sheets.

 

[Loveless]

I'm going for option A, all of the articles talking about Bryan in recent days feel like they've been lifted from a page of WWE creative and fed as 'insider knowledge'. Seriously, read them, all they're missing from them is the term 'B+player'.

I get the feeling VKM is just working the dirt sheets.

I feel exactly the same, this is 18 seconds at Wrestlemania all over again. Piss off the internet so they get behind him even more. Bryan will be walking out of Wrestlemania as champion.

 

[DietPepsiRocks]

I dont know where he'll be moving forward. Anyone this time of year wouldnt' be able to draw so for him to be blamed for that is annoying, its Football season and kids are back in school and its the holiday season, all those things working against the WWE around this time of year. No matter who they would have pushed right now the numbers would have stayed the same. So I don't get how they can be mad at Bryan for all of this. What a waste if he's just a mid card talent going forward....Seeing as how he's so popular, i'm surprised they haven't put two and two together and realized that maybe it was the other guys on the card that turned others off...But Vince like big guys, so I guess lets get used to seeing Kane, Big Show, Khali, Langston and Reigns at the top compared to who we really truly want, Sigh*

 

[BaconBits]

He is this generation's Chris Jericho type guy, and that role is vital within the company. He (and his fans, for that matter) should be honored that the E feels he is the guy for the job.

Much like Jericho, DB was never going to be "the face" of the WWE. He managed to get over (though, basing that on the YES! chants is shortsighted, the chant has long since transcended him.) But not so over that he can carry the show if need be.

But he is perfect to hold it down on the upper-midcard and main event a couple times a year, He'll get his title runs here and there, to reward him for his work, but he's never going to get the year long reign or anything like that. And as he ages, he'll be the guy to give the youngins the rub that helps them get over.

And that's okay. I'm sure he makes a nice paycheck for it and will have a long, beloved career.

 

[DietPepsiRocks]

So you're saying he's not as over to carry a show? tell that to the people in the UK this week, and the people in Scotland this past weekend, and all the people in Miami that the Yes movement was born. He can carry the company, if they weren't so focused on derailing him by belittling him. He's more than the Chris Jericho role, he's the best wrestler in the company by a country mile. You don't think he's good enough to be the face of the company? he's the one EVERYBODY picked. The Casuals, the Kids, the hardcores, everyone picked him as the guy..Why can't he have a long title reign? Punk did, so Punk is better than Bryan? Bryan appeals to all demographics. Other than Cena, who can be the face besides Bryan? They're going to try to force feed us someone like they did with Del Rio and Sheamus. They might force feed us Reigns without him getting over with the fanbase first which will be the worst thing they can do. Cena and Bryan are the only wrestlers fans care about in the company nowadays. To think otherwise is just silly, people want Bryan! If they booked him without belittling him and calling him names, and having people screw him over, he'd be more higher than Cena on an everyday basis, but they don't want to pull the trigger.

 

[BaconBits]

So you're saying he's not as over to carry a show? tell that to the people in the UK this week, and the people in Scotland this past weekend, and all the people in Miami that the Yes movement was born.

The Miami thing is super-overated by DB marks. Post Wrestlemania crowds are always incredibly smarktastic. The chants transcended him that very night in fact, i.e.: SI! SI! SI! for ADR.

He can carry the company, if they weren't so focused on derailing him by belittling him.

Wrong, it's building him for the ultimate underdog role.

He's more than the Chris Jericho role, he's the best wrestler in the company by a country mile.

This is just stupid. John Cena is by far the best wrestler in the company, he draws the most money.

You don't think he's good enough to be the face of the company? he's the one EVERYBODY picked. The Casuals, the Kids, the hardcores, everyone picked him as the guy..

You speak for everybody? Interesting.

Why can't he have a long title reign?

He hasn't proven he can draw for the long term yet. And in today's wrestling, 3 or 4 months is a long reign.

Punk did, so Punk is better than Bryan?

Yes. Punk is better than Bryan. He has drawn more money by a rather large margin for quite some time now

Bryan appeals to all demographics

Again you speak for everybody. You have no proof.

Other than Cena, who can be the face besides Bryan? They're going to try to force feed us someone like they did with Del Rio and Sheamus.

Sheamus is the likliest candidate. He make the company a lot of money.

They might force feed us Reigns without him getting over with the fanbase first which will be the worst thing they can do.

You mean like they did with Daniel Bryan when they had the WHC on him?

Cena and Bryan are the only wrestlers fans care about in the company nowadays. To think otherwise is just silly, people want Bryan!

Again you're speaking for all people. That's getting old.

If they booked him without belittling him and calling him names, and having people screw him over, he'd be more higher than Cena on an everyday basis, but they don't want to pull the trigger.

He's not going to be more higher than Cena on an everyday basis. Nobody is for the forseeable future.

 

[DB-Fan]

The Miami thing is super-overated by DB marks. Post Wrestlemania crowds are always incredibly smarktastic. The chants transcended him that very night in fact, i.e.: SI! SI! SI! for ADR.

One gaping hole in your theory: the Si! Si! Si! chant took place specifically because of who ADR had come out to talk to. And who was that? Sheamus, who was getting absolutely booed out of the building at the time. So you are wrong to suggest that DB wasn't absolutely over that weekend and on Monday Night Raw.

 

[DietPepsiRocks]

Punk and Cena and Sheamus draw money because they've been given opportunity after opportunity after opportunity to draw money..they put Bryan in the spotlight for a couple months and he is on a ppv with one bad buyrate and they pull the plug out from under him after one event. They never gave him the title to show how big of a draw he can be. I'm not understanding how he can be compared to those other three when he has never been in the main event before August. Then he's dropped from a storyline with no explanation and there's no payoff for him. To me, thats a screw job and that's very unfair. When a wrestler is hot, you take advantage of it and give them gold because you never know what results that can yield. If they just let him walk out of Summerslam with the title, who knows what could have happened. instead they gave it to Orton and he got screwed again and again and again after that. So how is he supposed to prove how huge he can be when the rug is pulled out from under his feet? Big Show replaced him, that's embarrassing and a slap in the face to his fans. There's no defending how they handled the WWE storyline of Bryan. They never gave him a full chance. I still have no idea what they're doing with him. He still never gets pinned clean, yet they won't give him the championship. Is anyone else confused other than me? They make fun of him and he gets his butt kicked outside the ring, but inside the ring they show that he can beat anyone and it takes only interference to beat him but one on one he's unstoppable..So they book him strongly in the ring, but apparently he's still a B+ player and they won't give him the title....its just too confusing. Is he going to get it or not? they keep jerking us around.