Regarding the realism (or lack thereof) of Bryan vs Lesnar

[berlinbrawler]

You heard it everywhere before the Rumble and now that Bryan meets Reigns at Fast Lane the sentiment is out there all over again:

"Daniel Bryan vs Brock Lesnar is too unrealistic. In a real fight Lesnar would squish Bryan like a bug. There is no way we the fans can suspend disbelief to such a degree.“

To all who say or think that I got a Miz-quote for you: Really??

Before I go on, here is a list of a couple of random things WWE presented us with over the years that we somehow managed to swallow:

- Kane is (or at least was for many years) hideously burned all over his body, but still manages to compete in pro wrestling matches
- Steve Austin uses a forklift to lift a car with Triple H in it and drops it on its head, evidently murdering Triple H
- Triple H shows up shortly thereafter alive and well
- John Cena gets stabbed by a couple of Carlito’s goons (so he could leave and make a movie). Not only are no charges pressed, Cena doesn’t even have any scars from alleged stabbing
- Kane ties up RVD, pours gasoline over him and is seconds away from lighting him on fire. The camera guy doesn’t seem to have a problem with that, either
- Kane gets burned alive in a trash container and somehow survives with not so much as a scar
- Undertaker murders Paul Bearer by drowning him in cement
- Paul Bearer shows up years later alive and well and no one mentions a thing
- Edge kidnaps Paul Bearer for several weeks and Kane is too stupid to call the Police (who presumably must already know of this since it’s getting broadcast on live TV)
- The numerous occasions people get buried alive, but miraculously survive
- Papa Shango uses evil voodoo magic to make the Ultimate Warrior throw up green goo
- Hornswoggle spraypaints a hole onto a wall and runs through it
- Mae Young gets pregnant at her age and gives birth to a hand
- Undertaker attempts to murder Stephanie McMahon (where is the police?)
- Paul Bearer attempts to murder Steve Austin (where is the police?)
- Tiny Daniel Bryan defeats the behemoth Batista at Wrestlemania and makes him tap out
- Tiny Rey Mysterio defeats Mark Henry
- Hornswoggle defeats Chavo Guerrero not once, but several times

I could go on and on. My point is all this stuff goes well beyond the line of how far anyone could possibly „suspend disbelief,“ yet we somehow lived through it, even greatly approving of some of those things. Logic and believability has left the WWE many years ago, if it ever resided there to begin with.

If the WWE really did the switcheroo for Wrestlemania and replaced Reigns with Bryan, I would be cool with it. (They won’t, but I would. )
I think Bryan and Lesnar could have a spectacular match. I would certainly prefer it to Reigns vs Lesnar. Bryan beating Lesnar would be ridiculous for sure, but if I couldn’t handle ridiculous, I’d watch UFC instead. So what if it’s unrealistic. Screw realism.

 

[Dirk]

There are dozens (if not hundreds) of ways you can poop out an excuse to make it believable. Here are a few stupid suggestions, but I'm sure somebody with time and a good brain can come up with way better ones.

*During the match, Lesnar charges at Bryan, who dodges and drop toe-holds Lesnar's head onto the turnbuckle.

*Bryan evades Brock long enough to tire the big bruiser out, then mounts his offence.

*Bryan steps out of the ring, Brock gives chase, Bryan slides back into the ring and the moment Brock gets in, he eats a missile dropkick and from there Bryan mounts his offence.

*Brock throws Bryan around, but he manages to land on his feet a lot of the time, frustrating Brock into a mistake.

*Brock has Bryan in the corner, but Bryan crawls under Brock's legs, since he's small enough, then he attack's Lesnar's knee or something.

*Heyman moves to hit Bryan with a chair while the ref is out, but misses Bryan and hits Brock.

Basically, the only Bryan card you can't play against Lesnar is him being to outwrestle Brock, since MMA and whatnot. What would also make it more real is if Bryan (instead of doing his normal jokey-transitioning-into-screamy promos) acknowledges how big of a task it is.

 

[BaconBits]

There are dozens (if not hundreds) of ways you can poop out an excuse to make it believable. Here are a few stupid suggestions, but I'm sure somebody with time and a good brain can come up with way better ones.

*During the match, Lesnar charges at Bryan, who dodges and drop toe-holds Lesnar's head onto the turnbuckle.

*Bryan evades Brock long enough to tire the big bruiser out, then mounts his offence.

*Bryan steps out of the ring, Brock gives chase, Bryan slides back into the ring and the moment Brock gets in, he eats a missile dropkick and from there Bryan mounts his offence.

*Brock throws Bryan around, but he manages to land on his feet a lot of the time, frustrating Brock into a mistake.

*Brock has Bryan in the corner, but Bryan crawls under Brock's legs, since he's small enough, then he attack's Lesnar's knee or something.

*Heyman moves to hit Bryan with a chair while the ref is out, but misses Bryan and hits Brock.

Basically, the only Bryan card you can't play against Lesnar is him being to outwrestle Brock, since MMA and whatnot. What would also make it more real is if Bryan (instead of doing his normal jokey-transitioning-into-screamy promos) acknowledges how big of a task it is.

Brock kicked of three consecutive Cena finishers at one just a couple weeks ago, was put through a table and "broke a rib" and still came back and won. Cutesy drop kicks and shit are supposed to phase him?

Bull. Fucking. Shit.

 

[Dirk]

Brock kicked of three consecutive Cena finishers at one just a couple weeks ago, was put through a table and "broke a rib" and still came back and won. Cutesy drop kicks and shit are supposed to phase him?

Bull. Fucking. Shit.

Not drop him, just give Bryan an opening.

But I see your mind is already made up, so...

 

[Bernkastel]

WWE hasn't portray Daniel as a shoot fighter like they did with Punk. That's the reason why the Punk/Lesnar match worked. Bryan is more of a striker, who uses allot of kicks to wear the opponent down. And he has some submission holds to go along with that, but they don't have a very good set up. On top of that he isn't a grappler. Nobody in the world would think that Daniel could win a grappling contest against Brock Lesnar. Because WWE doesn't portray him that way. Even if Lesnar has lost those types of fights to much smaller opponents.

This match isn't going to look like a work shoot or whatever, not like the Punk/Lesnar match. It's going to be Bryan hitting Lesnar with a billion kicks and nothing else, with Lesnar no selling about 70% of them.

Unless WWE plays up Lesnar's "glass jaw" and weakness when it comes to strikes, but of course they aren't going to do that, so any "realistic" way for Bryan to win against the way Lesnar has been portrayed recently goes out the window.

A Bryan victory at this point would really be stretching the suspension of belief.

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

Pretending there isn't a way to write Bryan vs. Lesnar is merely pandering to people with a lack of imagination, a startling many in this day and age.

 

[Miko]

The realism crowd can actually suck my hairy balls. You wanna book Bryan to beat Lesnar? Simple, you have him kick the absolute shit out of Lesnar, you have Lesnar rag-doll Bryan, you have Bryan evade being ragdolled by Lesnar and kick the shit out of him some more, then you drop a nuke on the fucking building and fuck you all that don't think that a flying knee followed by a three count and then a shocked looking Heyman and very pissed off looking Brock wouldn't look perfectly fine in a pro-wrestling environment. Bryan Yes! chants his way up the ramp while Brock looks shocked in the ring.

 

[Kris Benwa]

I think the alleged broken rib will come into play no matter who faces Lesnar. If he appears on RAW I can see him re-injuring it setting up a believable Achilles heel. Play up his diverticulitis issues and have his mid section worked

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

The realism crowd can actually suck my hairy balls. You wanna book Bryan to beat Lesnar? Simple, you have him kick the absolute shit out of Lesnar, you have Lesnar rag-doll Bryan, you have Bryan evade being ragdolled by Lesnar and kick the shit out of him some more, then you drop a nuke on the fucking building and fuck you all that don't think that it'd look perfectly fine in a pro-wrestling environment.

Ezackly sir.

And if we really want to be realistic, the AA is a fucking shit move and doesn't like it would hurt a teenager. Getting kicked in the head and chest over and over again are going to take WAY more of a toll. Not that I care to traverse that route.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

Realism? Daniel Bryan won two consecutive matches last Wrestlemania and Lesnar killed a zombie. There is no realism in this sport. Bryan is as good a contender as any with a fan following.

 

[Miko]

Oh shit! Its Bryan vs Brock WrestleMania 31 poster!

Edit - Alternate version;

 

[Uncle Sam]

I would've hoped these complaints would have gone away after the "Punk isn't a legitimate threat" stuff ended in a brilliant match, and after people got a basic grasp of the premise of pro wrestling, but come on:

 

[Wally Dangerously]

I would much rather see Bryan vs. Lesnar than Reigns vs. Lesnar. Bryan and Lesnar are both fantastic workers and would put on an EPIC match if paired together. It's not like this would be the first time you have a small man vs. a beast. Even if Bryan lost to Lesnar at Mania, it would still bring his story arc from last year full-circle.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I look at this in another way - possibly the greatest underdog story in wrestling history. I don't know how good it would actually be, but I suspect it it would be fantastic. Brock nearly kills DB while the whole time Bryan slowly chops down the tree. I see that being the story and I would love to see it.

I'm all for either main event, but believability in wrestling is a non-issue, more often than not, anyhow.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Bryan and Lesnar can make it look believable enough. Yes lock feels like a stretch but after a half hour of near falls I'll believe anything. Spears and Superman punches are more believable but it doesn't mean I would enjoy them more than kicks and flying knees.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I would've hoped these complaints would have gone away after the "Punk isn't a legitimate threat" stuff ended in a brilliant match, and after people got a basic grasp of the premise of pro wrestling, but come on:

Sorry about that, I was wrong about Punk and Lesnar.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

A flying knee out of nowhere seems more believable than the Superman punch, honestly.

 

[L@RISANO]

A flying knee out of nowhere seems more believable than the Superman punch, honestly.

I always thought that Roman Reigns' finisher was the Spear but...

 

[The Holy One]

Bryan vs Lesnar would be a perfectly acceptable match, but I do find it funny how accepting most people are to this match when Rey Mysterio used to get shit on regularly for defeating guys taller than him.

 

[berlinbrawler]

Bryan vs Lesnar would be a perfectly acceptable match, but I do find it funny how accepting most people are to this match when Rey Mysterio used to get shit on regularly for defeating guys taller than him.

I've shat on Rey Mysterio a lot, but never for that reason. (Others have, though, true, point taken.) Apples and oranges. Rey Mysterio and Bryan are both tiny, but that's where the similarities end. Rey's style was high flying lucha libre, whereas Bryan is mostly a mat technician, much more reminiscent of He-must-not-be-named. He also does the high flying stuff, but it's the grappling, holds and swift kicks that makes one believe he can hang with the bigger guys. Rey Mysterio had no such tools. Most of his offense looked ridiculous and/or weak. And God, I hated that 619...

 

[The Holy One]

I've shat on Rey Mysterio a lot, but never for that reason. (Others have, though, true, point taken.) Apples and oranges. Rey Mysterio and Bryan are both tiny, but that's where the similarities end. Rey's style was high flying lucha libre, whereas Bryan is mostly a mat technician, much more reminiscent of He-must-not-be-named. He also does the high flying stuff, but it's the grappling, holds and swift kicks that makes one believe he can hang with and wear down the bigger guys. Rey Mysterio had no such tools. Most of his offense looked ridiculous and/or weak. And God, I hated that 619...

But the grappling and the holds aren't what would make Bryan vs Lesnar work. It's the swift kicks and face paced moves that would tire Lesnar out that would be the key and that is pretty much what Rey Mysterio was all about. I would argue that Mysterio is a better in-ring worker than Bryan, but it's a shame most couldn't appreciate that when he was active.

 

[L@RISANO]

I would've hoped these complaints would have gone away after the "Punk isn't a legitimate threat" stuff ended in a brilliant match, and after people got a basic grasp of the premise of pro wrestling, but come on:

You do have a point, just remember that Goldberg gave Eddie a big hand in that win.


I think there are loads of ways that Brock vs Bryan could work out, my only problem is believing that Daniel Bryan could beat Brock cleanly like he did HHH, Batista and Orton last year.

At the Rumble, Brock survived Multiple AAs, Multiple Briefcase shots, a Curb Stomp, a broken rib sustained by way of a flying move which caused him to go through a table. And he also no-sold like crazy.


That said, this week on RAW, Reigns got beat by the same BIG Slow that got massacred by Brock last year at the Royal Rumble, so his legitimacy lies solely on size and being a BadAss now that he lost the booking aspect which made his "the Unstoppable Force" to Brock's "Immovable Object".


Either way, I'm just hoping that Fairy Tale Roman was given the boot and BadAss Reigns is back regardless of what happens at Fast Lane.

 

[A11oftheLights]

The actual realism of Bryan vs Lesnar is that Lesnar hits 22 german suplex and Bryan ends up with a broken fucking neck and can never walk again.

THAT IS WHY THIS MATCH WILL NOT HAPPEN WWE WILL NOT RISK THEIR MOST OVER BABYFACE WHO IS FRESH OFF A NECK INJURY AGAINST A GUY WHO HOSPITALISED HIS OPPONENT LAST YEAR AND HIS MOVESET FORCES HIS OPPONENT TO LAND ON HIS NECK. FFS

 

[BaconBits]

I would've hoped these complaints would have gone away after the "Punk isn't a legitimate threat" stuff ended in a brilliant match, and after people got a basic grasp of the premise of pro wrestling, but come on:

Bring up the CM Punk match vs Lesnar all you want.

Lesnar won that.

And the Eddie win wasn't anywhere near clean.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Yeah, Lesnar beat Punk after Heyman interfered multiple times, including breaking up a pinfall. But the amount of people calling it match of the year shows people's lack of investment in that.

I was going to list the heights and weights of people Daniel Bryan has wrestled - and beaten - e.g. Triple H, Kane, Batista. However, that's not the proper response to "But that man is much bigger than the other one - it's unrealistic!"

The proper response to that is "Oh, is this your first night watching professional wrestling? You're going to shit after you see your first Irish whip."