Should Bryan's next WWE title win be kept til Wrestlemania?

[Wald]

And if so how do you accomplish that without him losing momentum?

Was thinking about this because as much as I liked the ending of Summerslam for future storylines I still felt like Bryan deserves one moment to bask in the spotlight of getting to the top of the mountain in the WWE. An Eddie & Benoit at WM 20 feel good moment even.

I think it would be a bit of a letdown if this comes at a PPV like Battleground or even the Survivor Series. So what I'm asking is if you agree that Bryan's next big moment should be left til Wrestlemania how exactly do you get him there without making him suffer a string of PPV losses that hurts his drawing power? There are seven PPVs to get through to make this happen, though two could be discounted as the obvious answer would be to have Bryan win the Royal Rumble to earn his shot, after that he can have a throwaway match at Elimination Chamber to prepare him for the title match at Wrestlemania.

 

[Wald]

Going to put my own answer in here mods, thought it was too long winded to put in the OP since I'm asking a question of others and don't want to be off putting. If you think posts should be joined though please do so.

So with Royal Rumble & Elimination Chamber out of the way that leaves Night of Champions, Battleground, Hell In A Cell, Survivor Series and TLC to get through. That Orton is now involved in what seems like a new Corporation stable could offer the key to the problem. It seems like the Shield have been enlisted as the enforcers of the group by Vince and Triple H so they could be the placeholder feud for Bryan to get his shot at Orton.

The biggest hurdle might even be the first hurdle, as the obvious match for Night of Champions is Bryan getting his rematch against Orton. How do you get around this without giving a lame DQ finish that could hurt both guys or have Orton go over Bryan which would cool the retribution angle as Orton would now have a legitimate win over Bryan in a title match. The best way around it for me would be to deny Bryan's rematch and tell him that he is being placed back in the midcard where a B+ guy like him belongs. Hell that just gave me an idea based off an old Lance Storm angle.

At Night of Champions have Bryan face Curtis Axel for the IC Title, have the Shield interfere but have Punk come out and help Bryan defeat the odds and win the belt. It plugs the Punk & Bryan feuds together for the next few PPVs and eliminates the problem of what to do with Punk now Brock is gone for a while.

This leads us to Battleground where Bryan could still be denied his title shot and instead has to team with Punk to take on the Shield in a 3v2 handicap match. Win or lose screwy doesn't really matter here, just needs to build heat for Survivor Series but then the next big hurdle comes along with Hell In A Cell as it is usually a feud ender traditionally. So this is where I'm stuck as to how to get around this match to the safe haven of a traditional Survivor Series match pitting Orton's team against Bryan's team.

If you use the Lance Storm angle you could have Bryan getting denied again but have Punk & Bryan team up against the Shield in a HiaC match for the tag titles, with Punk & Bryan winning the belts and marching on as a team to Survivor Series to enlist two guys to help them take on Orton's team. (Cesaro & Ohno for a RoH dream team perhaps? Could feed into this idea of the indy guys taking on the Corporation).

TLC is next and in between, if using the Storm angle, you could have Bryan defeat Ambrose for the US Title so he holds all the mid level titles to prove he belongs in the main event. Not having an Orton vs Bryan match thus for would allow for a screwjob finish to be able to occur here to keep the belt on Orton and make Bryan look strong heading into the Rumble for his shot at Wrestlemania. If you really want to anoint him as top babyface you could set up on more major roadblock on his path and that would be a match against Triple H at Elimination Chamber with his title shot on the line.

So that's an idea on how to get Bryan there, but I genuinely have no clue how to get Orton through Night of Champions, Battleground and Hell In A Cell. He can't just be sidelined whilst he waits for Survivor Series. A throwaway feud with Ziggler could work but Ziggler needs wins as a babyface at the moment and ideally you'd pair Orton up with a guy that in some way relates to Bryan. Kane would have been good but the Wyatt Family took care of him at Summerslam.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It's hard to say. Fans are anxious to see Bryan get the title, that's been quite obvious since it was announced he'd face Cena at SummerSlam. Initially, it looked as though there was going to be some sort of power struggle between Vince & Triple H but now, it looks as though the angle is going in a direction with the story being the corporate powers gong up against Daniel Bryan with Randy Orton as the "corporate champion".

It's still more than half a year until WrestleMania. With Cena gone for almost certainly the rest of this year and the return of Monday Night Football being not too far off, WWE needs to keep interest on Daniel Bryan up. That means they're going to have to put a ton of focus on him and keep him looking very strong.

When you couple how anxious people are for Bryan to become champion with how long WrestleMania is off and how long they can keep interest in Bryan up as a top guy without giving him the title in the near future, I'm not sure they can wait that long. WWE needs a strong, very over babyface now that Cena is gone and while the idea of putting the title on Bryan at WM XXX definitely has an appeal to it, I don't think WWE can wait that long. Bryan has MASSIVE momentum right now and making Bryan wait all that time MIGHT give many fans the impression that WWE isn't serious in getting behind him. As a result, that momentum to dwindle and people could start tuning out.

WWE got its ass handed to it last fall in a way that was beyond devastating by Monday Night Football, so the idea of very over & very fresh Daniel Bryan going into the Fall television season as a strong WWE Champion might be the best decision and help keep those Raw numbers from dwindling as much as they did in the Fall of 2012. That's not to say that they can't keep interest in Bryan up. It's possible that they could keep booking him in a very strong manner while still keeping the title off him with him being "screwed" out of the title by the corporate machine. However, I'm not sure if they can get away with doing that while keeping interest in Bryan high all the way up until WrestleMania. Once the new year begins, it'll be much easier to do as it's really the start of WrestleMania, Monday Night Football goes on hiatus, they'll be building for the Royal Rumble, stars like The Undertaker and possibly The Rock will be popping back up, etc. and more casual viewers start tuning in for the first 4 months or so. But, as I alluded to, the Fall TV season is almost here and there's still nearly 4.5 months left in this year.

In my opinion, the safest bet might be to simply put the title back on Bryan before long and really book him as a strong champion that has to overcome adversity & massive challenges during the rest of this year. I can't stress enough that WWE needs to keep its top babyfaces, like Bryan & Punk, looking very strong as it heads up against the juggernaut of Monday Night Football. I think it might be the only real shot they have of keeping the numbers from being as bad as they were last Fall.

 

[pkrebel]

I agree, have the Corporation keep him down til Rumble until Bryan finally has his chance and wins the Royal Rumble Match, then have the Corporate try to sabotage Bryan everyway possible until 'Mania until Bryan knocks them all out at 'Mania and captures the gold off of who ever is the champion at the time

May seem like a long time but i think thats what wwe need at the moment, a long drawn out story which will lead to Bryan holding the wwe title high as Wretlemania closes.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

I like that idea, with the Lance Storm storyline and it's something that was never been done before. However I also agree with Jack-Hammer as not oly it is too risky, but who will Orton face during that long season? Cena's gone, Sheamus' gone, Y2J's gone. The only faces left for Orton to face are Big Show, Christian, RVD, Henry and Ziggler and the only one interesting of them is Ziggler, but it wouldn't be logical to have Ziggler suddenly take his focus away form regaining the World Heavyweight Championship.

Except one other choice. For Survivor Series they could built up Bryan vs Triple H and Punk vs Orton. That way, Orton and Punk could have something to do until Wrestlemania season. Bryan could go with the Lance Storm route and everything works out perfect.

Austin was super over after Wrestlemania 13 but the then WWF took the right decision and decided to built up Austin even more until Wrestlemania 14, where he would win the Big One. Amost the same thing happened with Cena in 2005.

But again, that's riskfull booking as one small mistake could result in Bryan losing momentum, like Punk in 2011. It depends on Bryan's abiity to keep the fans interested in him and also his ability to stay injury free.

 

[Wald]

That's then worry to my idea alright, that leaving it off til Wrestlemania runs the risk of his momentum being cooled.

It's a tough call I think, you could go back to Attitude Era booking and have the switch made on a Raw to get as many as viewers as possible. You could run an angle where Orton and the Corporation screw him in a title match at a PPV only to channel Mick Foley's title win and have Bryan lock a submission hold on Vince until Triple H agrees to give him his shot that night. With PPV being so important to the WWE right now I doubt they would go in a direction like that though.

I guess I'm worried that Bryan and Orton trading the title over a few PPVs will diminish Bryan as a champion somewhat

 

[Redemption-2012]

WrestleMania XXX is way too long. If he fails to win the WWE title until then, he becomes like Ryback where he has all of this momentum and then loses it instantly. I say have Orton hold on to the title until Hell in a Cell or so...then have Bryan win at Survivor Series or something ALA CM Punk in 2011. This then separates Bryan from the McMahon saga, leading to CM Punk winning the Rumble match and challenging Daniel Bryan for the WWE title. A match that I would love to see on that card for WrestleMania XXX. I would like to that the WWE will once again build WrestleMania XXX around top three matches:

John Cena vs The Undertaker
The Rock vs Brock Lesnar
Daniel Bryan (c) vs CM Punk for the WWE championship
The McMahon family match...Triple H v....?

 

[MMK]

If they wanted to do it right, and if his popularity holds up, then Wrestlemania is the only time to do it. Anytime this fall is WAY too soon. If you're going to spoil Bryan's moment at Summerslam by giving the belt to Orton, then don't give it back to Bryan a month or two later. If they're going to do that, they might as well have just kept the thing on Bryan at Summerslam. Then you're just playing hot potato with the title. Which never works out for anyone involved. Best to keep it off Bryan until Wresetlemania. It all depends on if Bryan's popularity can hold up that long. Knowing WWE he'll probably win it back at Survivor Series. Which is too soon.

While most fans LOVED the Summerslam finish. I HATED it. It was like Wrestlemania 9 all over again. Summerslam should have ended with Bryan getting the big win. And I'd be saying the same thing no matter who it was. If you want to have HHH/Orton screw Bryan over to set up this current storyline then save it for Survivor Series. A wrestlers first big title win is an important step in the development of that performer. It should not be sacrificed for the sake of a swerve or storyline, no matter how popular it may be. It's very WCWish. Swerves and angles are a dime a dozen. Save the swerves for a champion's first title defense or second go around as champion. Not his first time. It's a shame when those moments are sacrificed for the sake of storylines and angles that no one will remember in a few years.

Look at every legend or Hall of Famer from WWE. Aside from Edge, all of them won their first major championship via a clean finish at a major event. That's how legends start. It's what separates them from the rest of the pack. Legends are made when you get clean, decisive finishes at major events with a clear winner and no screwy aftermath stuff. Bret def Perfect @ Summerslam 91. Bulldog def Bret @ Summerslam 92. Shawn def Bret @ WM12. Savage winning the WWF Title at WM4. Cena def JBL. Orton def Benoit. Etc. No screwy aftermath stuff. Just a moment that marked a transition in each of their careers.

Whereas today, Bryan and Ziggler are both 2 or 3 time World/WWE champions, yet in reality do any of those wins matter? They all have an asterisk beside them. Bryan's World title win was just him cashing in a silly briefcase, as was Dolph's. And Bryan's WWE title win was overshadowed by Orton cashing in the same silly briefcase. I guess I'm not a fan of that briefcase. It was cool the first time with Edge, but now it's a curse. Swagger, Miz, Del Rio, Ziggler; their first big title wins were via the briefcase and their careers have suffered ever since. Every wrestler now wins or loses his first major championship as a result of that damn briefcase.

I don't mind that Orton's 7th reign is just him being handed the championship, because he already has that 1st moment where he beat Benoit to become the youngest champion in history. That's one of the reasons Orton and Cena have remained so strong for so long. Because they got off to such good clean starts. You need that if you're going to be a legend. But for a lot of today's top new WWE stars, including Bryan, they will never have that. There first time at the top already came and went and you can't go back and fix it.

 

[Blade]

I'm going to fantasy book a little bit of what I'd like to see happen, so bear with me. You want to keep both Bryan and the angle hot? This is what I would do between now and Wrestlemania:

Bryan gets a rematch at Night of Champions, but gets screwed again because of the Shield, who become lackeys for the Corporation. He's told he's never going to get another WWE title shot again. On a Raw after NoC, he holds Vince McMahon hostage until Triple H agrees to wrestle Bryan at Over the Limit. Bryan overcomes the odds defeats Triple H cleanly. Orton, meanwhile is feuding with Punk or someone.

Vince is furious with Triple H for losing, and makes Triple H challenge Bryan to a rematch inside Hell in a Cell. Bryan manipulates the Corporation, saying he'll only agree to the match if, when he wins, he gets a WWE title match. The pride and ego of the heels cause them to agree to this stipulation. Bryan overcomes the odds once again, defeats Triple H inside the Cell, and becomes Number 1 contenders.

After HiaC, Triple H and Vince say that it doesn't matter that Bryan won, they are going to guarantee he doesn't win the title again, and the match will be No DQ or something similar. The stage is set for Survivor Series, Orton vs. Bryan. As it looks like Bryan is going to win, Vince, Triple H and the Shield run out. It looks like the Shield is about to attack Bryan, but they turn on the Corporation and take out Triple H and Orton, turning face. Bryan makes Orton tap out, he becomes the WWE champion.

The Shield explain they were sick of being lackeys for the Corporation, and they remembered that they used to be dangerous rebels, not yes men. The Corporation say that it doesn't mater that The Shield turned on them, because they've already been replaced, and we'll meet those replacements at TLC. So, at TLC, Bryan vs. Orton in a TLC match. While the Shield is keeping an eye out for their supposed replacements, the lights go out and the Wyatt Family along with Triple H attack the Shield. Orton climbs the ladder and takes the belt.

At the Royal Rumble, Bray Wyatt takes the U.S. title from Ambrose and the Family take the tag titles. But Daniel Bryan wins the Royal Rumble match, much to the annoyance of the Corporation. On a match on Raw, the night after the Royal Rumble, Bryan defeats Orton, possibly in some kind of tag match. The Corporation say they're getting sick of Orton being unable to beat Bryan by himself, so they're giving him a chance to prove he's worthy against a mystery opponent at Elimination Chamber. The mystery opponent is either a heel-turning Punk or a returning heel-turning John Cena, who takes the belt from Orton after the Corporation completely turn on Orton.

So, at Wrestlemania, we have the Wyatts against the Shield with the all titles on the line, and we have Daniel Bryan vs. heel Punk or heel Cena. The Shield can either win their titles back or lose and then break up, but either way, Bryan wins at Wrestlemania XXX.

Boom, nearly 8 months of story that would keep me interested right there. I'll be expecting my pay cheque in the mail, WWE.

TL;DR: Bryan has one title reign between now a Mania, gets screwed again, wins the Rumble and then the title.

 

[OutsiderDX]

I think a good way to keep draw out the storyline without overexposing it would be for this new "corporation" to keep denying Bryan his right chance at the belt.

When naming a number one contender for Night of Champion, the world knows it should be Daniel Byran. Of course the corporation will name someone else, maybe someone super undeserving. This allows the fans to see the unjustice, keep the crowd hot for his rise.

Battleground - Make it a point the Corporation does not see a spot on the PPV card for him. More injustice.

Hell in the Cell - They will give him a match, unfortunately it is in the Cell against all three members of the Shield. More injustice. A win for Bryan would be off the charts.

Survivor Series - writes it cell, Corp team vs Bryan team

I still want CM Punk vs Bryan at WrestleMania. So this Orton vs Bryan would have to end sooner than later.

 

[pkrebel]

I'm going to fantasy book a little bit of what I'd like to see happen, so bear with me. You want to keep both Bryan and the angle hot? This is what I would do between now and Wrestlemania:

Bryan gets a rematch at Night of Champions, but gets screwed again because of the Shield, who become lackeys for the Corporation. He's told he's never going to get another WWE title shot again. On a Raw after NoC, he holds Vince McMahon hostage until Triple H agrees to wrestle Bryan at Over the Limit. Bryan overcomes the odds defeats Triple H cleanly. Orton, meanwhile is feuding with Punk or someone.

Vince is furious with Triple H for losing, and makes Triple H challenge Bryan to a rematch inside Hell in a Cell. Bryan manipulates the Corporation, saying he'll only agree to the match if, when he wins, he gets a WWE title match. The pride and ego of the heels cause them to agree to this stipulation. Bryan overcomes the odds once again, defeats Triple H inside the Cell, and becomes Number 1 contenders.

After HiaC, Triple H and Vince say that it doesn't matter that Bryan won, they are going to guarantee he doesn't win the title again, and the match will be No DQ or something similar. The stage is set for Survivor Series, Orton vs. Bryan. As it looks like Bryan is going to win, Vince, Triple H and the Shield run out. It looks like the Shield is about to attack Bryan, but they turn on the Corporation and take out Triple H and Orton, turning face. Bryan makes Orton tap out, he becomes the WWE champion.

The Shield explain they were sick of being lackeys for the Corporation, and they remembered that they used to be dangerous rebels, not yes men. The Corporation say that it doesn't mater that The Shield turned on them, because they've already been replaced, and we'll meet those replacements at TLC. So, at TLC, Bryan vs. Orton in a TLC match. While the Shield is keeping an eye out for their supposed replacements, the lights go out and the Wyatt Family along with Triple H attack the Shield. Orton climbs the ladder and takes the belt.

At the Royal Rumble, Bray Wyatt takes the U.S. title from Ambrose and the Family take the tag titles. But Daniel Bryan wins the Royal Rumble match, much to the annoyance of the Corporation. On a match on Raw, the night after the Royal Rumble, Bryan defeats Orton, possibly in some kind of tag match. The Corporation say they're getting sick of Orton being unable to beat Bryan by himself, so they're giving him a chance to prove he's worthy against a mystery opponent at Elimination Chamber. The mystery opponent is either a heel-turning Punk or a returning heel-turning John Cena, who takes the belt from Orton after the Corporation completely turn on Orton.

So, at Wrestlemania, we have the Wyatts against the Shield with the all titles on the line, and we have Daniel Bryan vs. heel Punk or heel Cena. The Shield can either win their titles back or lose and then break up, but either way, Bryan wins at Wrestlemania XXX.

Boom, nearly 8 months of story that would keep me interested right there. I'll be expecting my pay cheque in the mail, WWE.

TL;DR: Bryan has one title reign between now a Mania, gets screwed again, wins the Rumble and then the title.

Nice idea and I know its only fantasy but Cena will not return heel, I'd doubt he'll ever go heel again (while being relevant at least).

Still like the idea and love how you booked the Sheild vs Wyatt family, would make since.

 

[HillBillyJim]

I'm going to fantasy book a little bit of what I'd like to see happen, so bear with me. You want to keep both Bryan and the angle hot? This is what I would do between now and Wrestlemania:

Bryan gets a rematch at Night of Champions, but gets screwed again because of the Shield, who become lackeys for the Corporation. He's told he's never going to get another WWE title shot again. On a Raw after NoC, he holds Vince McMahon hostage until Triple H agrees to wrestle Bryan at Over the Limit. Bryan overcomes the odds defeats Triple H cleanly. Orton, meanwhile is feuding with Punk or someone.

Vince is furious with Triple H for losing, and makes Triple H challenge Bryan to a rematch inside Hell in a Cell. Bryan manipulates the Corporation, saying he'll only agree to the match if, when he wins, he gets a WWE title match. The pride and ego of the heels cause them to agree to this stipulation. Bryan overcomes the odds once again, defeats Triple H inside the Cell, and becomes Number 1 contenders.

After HiaC, Triple H and Vince say that it doesn't matter that Bryan won, they are going to guarantee he doesn't win the title again, and the match will be No DQ or something similar. The stage is set for Survivor Series, Orton vs. Bryan. As it looks like Bryan is going to win, Vince, Triple H and the Shield run out. It looks like the Shield is about to attack Bryan, but they turn on the Corporation and take out Triple H and Orton, turning face. Bryan makes Orton tap out, he becomes the WWE champion.

The Shield explain they were sick of being lackeys for the Corporation, and they remembered that they used to be dangerous rebels, not yes men. The Corporation say that it doesn't mater that The Shield turned on them, because they've already been replaced, and we'll meet those replacements at TLC. So, at TLC, Bryan vs. Orton in a TLC match. While the Shield is keeping an eye out for their supposed replacements, the lights go out and the Wyatt Family along with Triple H attack the Shield. Orton climbs the ladder and takes the belt.

At the Royal Rumble, Bray Wyatt takes the U.S. title from Ambrose and the Family take the tag titles. But Daniel Bryan wins the Royal Rumble match, much to the annoyance of the Corporation. On a match on Raw, the night after the Royal Rumble, Bryan defeats Orton, possibly in some kind of tag match. The Corporation say they're getting sick of Orton being unable to beat Bryan by himself, so they're giving him a chance to prove he's worthy against a mystery opponent at Elimination Chamber. The mystery opponent is either a heel-turning Punk or a returning heel-turning John Cena, who takes the belt from Orton after the Corporation completely turn on Orton.

So, at Wrestlemania, we have the Wyatts against the Shield with the all titles on the line, and we have Daniel Bryan vs. heel Punk or heel Cena. The Shield can either win their titles back or lose and then break up, but either way, Bryan wins at Wrestlemania XXX.

Boom, nearly 8 months of story that would keep me interested right there. I'll be expecting my pay cheque in the mail, WWE.

TL;DR: Bryan has one title reign between now a Mania, gets screwed again, wins the Rumble and then the title.

I like it. the only things I sorta kinda cant see happening are Heel cena and the Wyatts working for someone. the shield has that hitman kind of look to them and if you recall they did work for CMPunk/Heyman way back in December. The Wyatts I don't think should work for someone. otherwise, great idea.

 

[Cash Carson]

WWE won't wait that long for him to get the title back. I get the feeling Orton's current title run won't be that long. He won the belt mainly for the current story line and to turn him heel. He will probably retain the belt at NoC in some shady way, but eventually drop it back to Bryan, probably at Hell in a Cell after DB beats the hell out of him.

After Bryan gets the belt back, it becomes him trying to fend of a vengeful HHH to keep his title. Weather Vince is still on the same page at this point is still unknown, but HHH and his corporation trying to hunt down Daniel Bryan will be great tv, maybe even leading to a match between the two. At this point, I expect HBK to enter the mix, as it is him I believe HHH will be facing at Wrestlemania.

One interesting thing I have seen though is the development with CM Punk. A few times, they are setting up how Punk is "desperate" to be in the main event at Mania. This is what could facilitate Punk's inevitable heel turn. HHH or Vince promises Punk the main event at Mania, in return for taking Daniel Bryan out. Maybe they end up helping Punk win the Rumble. Either way, it would hopefully led to the Punk vs Bryan match at Wrestlemania a lot of people want to see. The Best vs The Best

Any way the story plays out, I expect to see Bryan with the title ending 2013. The reason why is this is around the time we can expect to see Cena returning, or getting close to. If Bryan still hasn't gotten the belt back, then some of the fans will beg Cena to do the job he has failed to. This would really kill his momentum. DB really needs the belt by the time Cena is coming back.

 

[justinept]

WrestleMania XXX is way too long. If he fails to win the WWE title until then, he becomes like Ryback where he has all of this momentum and then loses it instantly.

Ryback's "fall" was more about consistently losing month after month than it was about his not winning the title. So long as Bryan doesn't consistently lose between now and 'Mania, then he should be just fine in terms of maintaining his momentum. There are plenty of ways to keep him winning - and to keep him invested in the Orton/TripleH story line - without having him actually wrestle Orton for the belt.

Realistically, this isn't a difficult task to accomplish since the people in charge have made it clear that they don't want Bryan near the title. That being the case, forget about the re-match at NOC. Booking Bryan in a re-match with Orton would put their stated goal from last night at risk - to preserve the integrity of the company by keeping the belt off Bryan. Besides, the furthering of this feud is less reliant on Bryan feuding with Orton as it is on Bryan feuding with the McMahon's.

So instead of a re-match with Orton, the McMahon's will put the B+ wrestler in a match for a B+ Championship - and have him go against one of his attackers from last night, Dean Ambrose, for the US Title.

Bryan would win the belt at NOC, and then go on to defend the belt against Ambrose at Battleground. During this program, he will continue to draw the ire of the McMahon family by belittling them. He will retain the title at Battleground despite Shield interference, but the McMahon's will make sure he doesn't retain at Hell in a Cell - by adding an unbeatable stipulation to the match.

This will lead into Survivor Series as Bryan will team with Big Show and Henry (possibly the Tag Team Champs at this point) and Dolph Ziggler (his punishment last night leads me to believe it could continue in the coming weeks/months) to take on Orton and The Shield in a traditional S.S. match. Bryan will be the lone survivor in this match and get the pin over Orton.

With the big win over Orton, Triple H will congratulate Bryan - telling him that he proved the doubters wrong, and that he earned his re-match ... for the US Title. He'll then book a Fatal 4-Way between Bryan and The Shield at TLC for the US Title, a match which Ambrose will win.

We are now at the Royal Rumble - and the WWE can go one of two ways with this ... They can either have Bryan win the Rumble, guaranteeing his spot against Orton at 'Mania ... or they can continue to screw Bryan and let him win his spot at the EC in February. Either way, they've booked Bryan vs Orton for WrestleMania.

On the other side of the coin, I'd book Big Show vs Orton at NOC. Big Show will not flinch to accept the spot, but realizing that Bryan deserves the spot, he'll promise him first crack at the belt when he wins it. This gesture will piss off the McMahon's, and they'll "enlist" the services of The Shield to help Orton retain the belt ---- that move will lead to The Shield defending the titles against Show and Henry in October ... Ziggler and Bryan will make the save to help Show fend off the 4-on-1 attack.

Ziggler will get the next crack at the belt during both September pay-per views due to his involvement in the main event at NOC. There will be a screwy finish to the first match at Battleground (eg. the ref will be distracted as Ziggler is pinning Orton. Ziggler will be defeated by outside interference.) Ziggler will goad Orton into a re-match three weeks later at HIAC, which he'll lose.

That will lead into Survivor Series, which will feature Bryan, Ziggler, Show and Henry vs Orton and The Shield.

Orton could distance himself from this large program at TLC and the Rumble with any number of opponents - Ziggler, RVD, Christian, etc... Though Orton's final stretch to WrestleMania season won't be anything to write home about, December and January have been filler in terms of the WWE/WHC Titles for the past 10 years (last year being an exception.)

 

[cherrickb]

I want him to win the title at WM30, but part of me thinks if DB isn't holding it by the time Supercena returns, that he won't.

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

Yes, I think we should wait until Mania for this to occur. I wish WWE would stretch things out a bit more like they used to back in the day. I know that sounds like a tall order since things are so much faster paced. But take for instance Bret Hart's situation when he lost the WWF Title to Yokozuna, it was from one Mania to the next where he had to wait to get the title back. My opinion is that they have Bryan run the gamut to get to Orton for Mania XXX. Have him go up against obstacle after obstacle. I mean after all, the Royal Rumble is only five months away. Let's be patient for once, and appreciate the build to this stuff instead of just jumping the gun and hot potatoing the title again. While I'm not the most religious WWE follower these days, I like what I see of Bryan and to avoid burning this character out, we need to see him go through hell especially with the way he got gipped at Summerslam.

 

[CleverName51]

Yes. 100%. The chase will make him a star that's 1000x bigger than him just beating Orton at NoC or Hell in a Cell. Here's how I'd do it.


First: HHH announces that since Cena has a rematch clause, Bryan can't have a title shot until AFTER Cena returns. Big Show and Henry and Bryan then have a 6 man tag against the Shield at NoC with all the titles on the line to the winners, Shield win after HHH interferes.

Orton can defend against Christian and Ryback in a triple threat and win clean over Christian after Ryback "takes a bribe" to basically beat the shit out of Christian and make sure Orton stays champ.

Battle Ground: The Shield gets Bryan in a 3 on 1 tornado handicap match. Bryan takes a beating, but wins with a quick rollup after Reigns accidentally spears Rollins. Orton vs Christian 2 or Orton vs Miz in a throwaway match, have Orton basically brag that he's only facing mid-card faces but dominating them

At Hell in a Cell: Henry and Show stay after the tag titles and we get Ryback vs Bryan one on one, Bryan taps out Ryback. Orton takes on Christian inside Hell in a Cell

Survivor Series: we get Team Corporate: Orton, Ryback, Shield vs Show, Henry, Bryan, Christian, Punk. No title match at this PPV.

Bryan taps out everyone except Orton, Orton punts Bryan after a 5-1 beat down after the match ends in DQ. Bryan wins but can't wrestle.

At TLC: Bryan faces Swagger-Cesaro in a Tables match; if Bryan wins, he gets "one shot to prove himself at the Rumble", if Swagger and Cesaro win, they get a tag title match against Show-Henry (who take the tag titles on a raw before the TLC PPV or on the preshow)

Bryan wins; but then HHH reveals "that one shot to prove himself" isn't a title match, but rather, he's only in the Royal Rumble. HHH then puts a "hit" on Bryan, if he gets eliminated from the rumble, whoever eliminates him gets a cash prize.

Royal Rumble: CM Punk has enough of this; he faces Orton and loses clean. Bryan wins the Rumble despite The Shield and other heels only trying to eliminate him. Bryan challenges Orton. Sheamus returns as part of the WHC picture.

Elimination Chamber: HHH says "that's it" and faces Bryan in a match, if HHH wins, Bryan is out of WWE, if Bryan wins, then Orton can't have anyone at ring side during the Mania match.

Bryan taps out HHH after CM Punk, the Rock (or Undertaker if Dwayne won't do it) and John Cena return to run off Orton, the Shield and Brock Lesnar

From this: we get Orton vs Bryan, Undertaker, Cena, Lesnar, HHH pair off for matches. You can do Taker vs Cena/Rock/Brock. Or Cena vs HHH or Rock vs HHH depending on who is available.

At Mania; Orton taps out to Bryan to make Bryan champ to close the night, John Cena either loses to Taker OR Cena beats Rock or HHH. Basically, keep the streak, have the faces run off the heels.

With that run, Bryan's a mega-star and the Mania card is solid too

 

[Aquaman6686]

Here's how I would do it:

Have the Corporation continually screw Bryan out of title shots, while Orton retains the title against a multitude of contenders (Christian at Night of Champions, The Miz at BattleGround, Kane at Hell in a Cell, etc.). At the Royal Rumble, HHH enters himself into the Rumble to stop Bryan from winning. The final four come down to HHH, Bryan, CM Punk, and Christian. Bryan eliminates HHH, who then illegally returns and eliminates Bryan, followed by Punk eliminating Christian to win the Royal Rumble, and the next week on RAW or SmackDown, chooses to face Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Championship. At Elimination Chamber, Bryan defeats HHH to gain entry into the Elimination Chamber Match to determine the #1 Contender for the WWE Championship. Bryan then faces Christian and a number of heels "bought off" by the Corporation with the promise of a title shot against Orton (off the top of my head, it could be Jack Swagger, Antonio Cesaro, Wade Barrett, and Damien Sandow). Bryan wins the match to get his WrestleMania title shot.

At WrestleMania 30, Punk defeats Del Rio to win the World Heavyweight Championship, and Bryan defeats Orton to win the WWE Championship, and the show ends with them celebrating together in the ring, in homage to WrestleMania 20.

 

[MCMG]

I think they will wait for WM30 to have Bryan win the belt. They can definitely drag out this feud until then. The only problem that I foresee is that others (Punk, Lesnar, Cena, Taker, The Rock) may be seen as better options as time passes and they drop Bryan as champ.

Personally, I would have Bryan/Orton at NoC and maybe Battleground. Orton would obviously retain in a dubious manner through interference from HHH, Vince and other members of the faction.

The route I go for Bryan is after NoC and Battleground is for him to have a match with HHH - that has to happen. Bryan has to get some revenge just so the storyline doesn't become boring and repetitive. 6 months of Bryan getting beaten down will be awful.

Survivor Series could be a mutli-man match where he teams with Ziggler, Show, Henry, RVD vs The Shield, Barrett and HHH. Bryan has to be the star of this feud but remain the underdog if that makes sense. TLC can be a throw-away match against Barrett/Ryback even Ambrose: whoever is on Vince's side.

At the Royal Rumble, I expect Bryan to win before a match with Orton at at WM30 where he finally wins. This will be fantastic WM moment, 90,000 people screaming Yes! with pyros going of everywhere would be incredible. You mention Eddie/Benoit but I think this, if done correctly, will be more akin to Mysterio and HBK winning the World Title mixed in with Benoit/Eddie.

For the WWE title, after the initial Bryan/Orton feud I think Orton should go on to feud with Cody Rhodes and CM Punk. That will should take them up until WM30 and would be two feuds of immense quality.

 

[MayorMcCheese]

Here's how I would protect him and make this happen.

-Have him go against the Shield first, since we're likely to get Orton/Bryan at NOC, have Shield protect Orton and have him win.
-At SS have Team Bryan vs The Shield. Triple H screws Bryan again.
-December PPV, Bryan vs HHH......HHH needs to put Bryan over clean and TAP OUT! put some sort of stipulation at stake. In order for Bryan to face HHH he needs to put a future WWE title shot on the line. If he loses he cannot compete for it for 1 calendar year.
-Royal Rumble, after Bryan wins, HHH says Bryan will get his title shot if he wins RR. Bryan is the no.1 entrant. He wins.
-Feb PPV Corporation makes Bryan put no.1 contendership on the line inside the elimination chamber. Somehow he wins.
-WM30 Punk vs Bryan, main event.

At SS I have Punk defeat Orton, and establish a credible run w/the title before dropping it at Mania.

 

[CultOfPersonality123]

While a lot of people here see Bryan winning the Royal Rumble, I have two different ways on how this could go. Some where down the line at Hell in a Cell or Battleground Daniel Bryan will face Triple H. This leaves a spot open for an opponent for the WWE Title. I see Punk challenging and losing. Now he where it goes two ways:

1. Bryan gets another shot at the WWE title at the Royal Rumble and gets the win finally, while CM Punk enters the royal rumble and wins it to go on and face Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania for the title, setting up a dream match for most.

2. CM Punk gets the title shot a the Royal Rumble and wins it. A lot of people had said Bryan will get #1 in the Rumble thanks to the corporation, I agree with this decision. He overcomes the odds outlasting the other 29 superstars. He goes on to face Punk at Wrestlemania and is finally able to regain what his rightfully his.

 

[tvcolosi]

For Bryan, if they wait that long he will lose too much steam. Orton has to retain at NoC, likely a screwy finish. But HiaC or Survivor Series is that latest they can put it off in my book. Lead into a TLC match for the blow off.

I for one belive the HHH stuff is a put on and he secretly is still against Vince. Book to HHH vs Orton for control at Mania, and Punk over in the Rumble. Then we can get a clinic of a match between DB and Punk at Mania, maybe a stip 30 min Iron man maybe? DB and Punk both had 25 min matches Sunday to a 30 minute match wouldn't hog the show.

 

[HulmeTheLegend]

Hey guys im a new member on here.. i hope to god that this angle doesn't get destroyed by Cena when he comes back but it wouldn't surprise me at all!

Quick question do any of you guys see the Rock fitting into this storyline at all? Maybe the 'Corporation' dominate for months and constantly beat down Bryan until say Royal Rumble where the Rock could aid Bryan in some kind of way ?

Punk V Bryan would be massive for Mania next year though would love to see that!

 

[Wald]

I honestly think the Rock is done with the WWE until his Hall of Fame entry and quite possibly his last match was against Cena this year.

He's a full time actor now and apparently Hollywood thought he was an idiot for doing Wrestlemania three years in a row, particularly as he injured himself this year and delayed production on a movie (even a few days can costs hundreds of thousands)

Here's Michael Bay on Wrestlemania at the Pain & Gain premiere

Dwayne's hurt tonight," Bay told us on the red carpet. "He was pushing it too hard. [He] needs to grow up and stop wrestling 300 pound men.

Now later when TMZ etc picked up the comment as a smackdown of the Rock Bay's office said it was just a joke but there's clearly some truth to it from his side.

That's why I definitely don't think we'll see the Rock at Wrestlemania XXX and we might not see him wrestle again

 

[The Eighties]

This is a difficult one for WWE, I am sure someone with the oldschool mindset of Triple H would love to play it out that far, but in the modern day wrestling landscape I'm not sure it's possible.

My feeling is Bryan beats Triple H at HIAC to get another shot at Orton after failing at NOC, and then he'll win the title at Survivor Series with HBK in his corner.

I think the bigger question is does Bryan keep the belt until Mania and even beyond?