The Bryan situation. Is this a Masterstroke by WWE?

[avi01]

The more I think about it, how versatile is Bryan's character, coming from a creative stand point.

If I were apart of the WWE creative team, this is what I would be weighing up in my mind when it comes to Daniel Bryan.
- Can Bryan play a cool heel?
- His mic/promo skills are mediocre at best.
- How much longevity does Bryan have being the WWE champion?
- You can only chant YES YES YES so long before it gets old and stale. YES YES YES is not edgy, it aint cool, it's flavor of the month (6 months).

If Bryan were to become champion, I'd give it a few months before the WWE universe quickly turned on him.

What?

Can Bryan play a cool heel?
His rise to popularity was as a heel. He did a good job as the heel world champ along with AJ. It is when he started the yes chants. The fans made their opinion on him clear when WWE put a stop to his title reign in 18 seconds at wrestlemania. Sheamus lost a lot out of feuding with Bryan due to the latter's popularity despite being a heel.

His mic/promo skills are mediocre at bes
A matter of opinion. He had some good promos as a heel and also as a face (check the promo with Cena before Summerslam). He is not the best at the mic but he can be very good. Plus he was part of some memorable, funny segments in recent years. For what his character is , I think he is good enough on the mic. I would choose this over the stale , bored tones of Orton or Batista.

How much longevity does Bryan have being the WWE champion?
I don't know. We will never know unless they try it. Meanwhile, it is just speculative. Every new champion is a risk to take. When you see the reaction of the fans towards the current champion and your proposed next champion, that risk is well worth taking imho.

You can only chant YES YES YES so long before it gets old and stale. YES YES YES is not edgy, it aint cool, it's flavor of the month (6 months).
Are you kidding me? This argument has been been for a while now. People (myself included) said that the night after Wrestlemania 28. Nearly 2 years (2 damn years) later, this thing is getting bigger and bigger. So this is no flavor of the month, the Yes chant is bigger than it was a little less than 2 years.

I am sorry, but with such reasoning, you would do great as part of the creative team.

 

[The Yes Guy]

They should open RAW with Triple H and Stephanie forcing Bryan to plead with the Universe to accept Batista for his Rumble win and spot in the title match at WrestleMania. This could possible cause an actual riot.

What could ACTUALLY cause riots is if WWE doesn't show Bryan at all on RAW tonight and give no reason at all.

 

[Kidpolean]

I really hope it's part of the story. I mean, if WWE wanted to honestly bury the guy and move on, they're doing a terrible job of it. Why would the keep teasing the crowd with him? The carrot is totally being dangled.

the WWE isn't teasing the crowd. The crowd is just making something out of nothing everytime they see db. They had him lose the belt the same night he won it, lose to Orton in a feud, turn heel than turn back face, lose clean in the opening match of RR, than not compete in the RR match. Where the hell is the tease? They are not running with him and its clear as day but everybody thinks that this is some master plan. The WWE would not purposely make the crowd shit on an entire ppv just to carry a storyline. I doubt they would even do anything that crazy with Austin or Rock. DB is simply never going to be "the man." This is summer of punk all over again. When will you people learn??

 

[jrharris02]

I do however, find it disrespectful of most people's reaction to this thing. Just because one guy was not in the title match or the Rumble, they crapped all over the matches. That spit in the face of 32 guys that were simply trying to do their jobs. For most of those guys, it's not their fault that Bryan was not there. They were just doing what they are told to do in the ring. There was no need for that type of reaction tonight, and unfortunately it will now continue every single show. I mean, what do people expect, Bryan to be in every single match on the card?

How do you find it disrespectful of people who paid THEIR money to see whoever they wanted, which was Daniel Bryan? People all over the world who paid for the ppv also were probably upset because they bought the ppv to see Bryan. It wasn't a spit in the other guy faces, especially if they know how over Bryan is. The way he ended RAW a few weeks ago was proof to the other superstars that ppl came to see him!

 

[rbv13]

What happened at the Rumble is exactly what the wrestling world needs. It has been years since fans, on either side of the fence, have been this passionate about the product. What equals successful is an environment in which the fans become role players. I think back to the crazy stories of the kayfab days when wrestlers barely escaped unruly mods and would be run out of town for the evil actions. I know those days are long gone but what we are seeing today is an evolution if those situations. Ultimately what brings in new fans or old fans back are the current fans spreading the word. They/we will only do that if we feel there is something to be passionate about.

 

[yourdamnluck]

well they did bury rvd jerico ziggler val venis mankind ryback and many more never got a title reign most fans would have wanted them to have because there were too many guys during there times that vince thought were better options but i think bryan has become too huge to be buried now may be he wins mitb then the belt at wm only time will tell...........
now that the titles are unified and again too many legit main eventers with new people getting their push may be bryan gets buried following his loss to bray
if that happens i think its worst kind of buisness

 

[GeneralKarim]

No dude its not some super duper mega storyline. Its WWE trying to break the fans to then gloat that they were right all along, like that makes any fucking sense.

If they wanted to push him,they would actually push him.Look what they did with Del Rio or Sheamus when it came to pushes.Those are freaking pushes, not this bs.

And I am not saying, throw titles the guy, but you can CLEARLY see a difference when it comes to WWE either supporting a guy or not.

 

[fenderjapan]

It blows my mind anyone has any doubt that this is a work. Blows. My. Mind. They READ the dirtsheets. They HEAR the reactions. They want MORE of exactly what you are giving them so that Bryan gets more and more over. A billion marks all pissed off that Vince and HHH made Batista win the rumble is EXACTLY WHAT THE STORY NEEDS to move forward and make D-Bry the ultimate underdog.

 

[MCMG]

The idea that Bryan is being buried is crazy. He isn't.

Summerslam: Bryan vs John Cena for the WWE Title. Bryan wins CLEAN
Battleground, NoC, Hell in a Cell: Bryan vs Orton for the WWE Title

Bryan involved in segments with Triple H and HBK - two legends of the business.

Then, wait for it, he puts over younger talent at TLC and the Royal Rumble. Crazy, I know. It's almost as if he is ALREADY a main-event talent. Nah, that can't be right. He is definitely being buried.

I have faith in the WWE. I think they know what they are doing with Bryan and we will see this come to fruition. Just before Summerslam, with Orton's MITB in the background, I thought Bryan winning the Rumble and the title at WM30 made perfect sense. The underdog finally reaching the top in the most dramatic fashion; on the biggest stage.

They haven't gone this way. I could argue that Bryan winning the Rumble would have been a masterstroke. They didn't put him in the Rumble and the crowd love him even more. They keep putting him down and people love him more and more. That could well be the plan because the notion that they can't see Bryan's popularity and talent in the ring is moronic.

There are loads of options for the WWE. Maybe he wins the belt at Elimination Chamber. Maybe he teams with Cena at Wrestlemania. Maybe he gets the belt during the awkward period during the Summer. There are loads of options that will prove the WWE right.

Bryan winning the belt at Mania would have been awesome but it doesn't need to happen. The WWE will keep going and they have other options to compensate.

 

[cherrickb]

WWE hav poll on facebook asking fans if they enjoyed RR or not and judging by results so far the votes r very close. This not in line with wat I reading elsewhere

WWE has their ways of manufacturing poll results to be what they want. They do it all the time with matches on Raw/SD broadcasts. This is no different. It's also totally possible that they are correct. But the mass populace was/is unhappy with it. But not all of them are necessarily gonna vote on it.

On another note, I want to order Mania just to see how big the crowd s**** on the main even if DB isn't in it. Cause the RR wasn't nothing compared to 90,000 people screaming it.

People say DB isn't really known outside of wrestling. You got football teams using the yes chant in their game, and it's being reported on ESPN, so they know who he is. The Yes chant isn't something some team developed out of thin air after a big bowl win.

 

[The Eighties]

I'm sure if we come out of Mania and Bryan is still in this position then the "It's all a work" theory will continue for some. I've never seen anything quite like the situation with Bryan, the crowd was nervy all the way through the Rumble like they just wanted confirmation Bryan was in it, when #30 hit and it wasn't him the arena turned to a flood of boos that never ceased for about 7 or 8 minutes bar a brief Roman Reigns chant.

It's hard to believe WWE actually wanted what happened at the Rumble to send it's live audience and PPV audience home disappointed, weird stuff. I guess we'll see what WWE do on Raw tonight, they are running out of time to set the pay-off for this supposed masterstroke into effect.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

The idea that Bryan is being buried is crazy. He isn't.

Summerslam: Bryan vs John Cena for the WWE Title. Bryan wins CLEAN
Battleground, NoC, Hell in a Cell: Bryan vs Orton for the WWE Title

Bryan involved in segments with Triple H and HBK - two legends of the business.

Then, wait for it, he puts over younger talent at TLC and the Royal Rumble. Crazy, I know. It's almost as if he is ALREADY a main-event talent. Nah, that can't be right. He is definitely being buried.

I have faith in the WWE. I think they know what they are doing with Bryan and we will see this come to fruition. Just before Summerslam, with Orton's MITB in the background, I thought Bryan winning the Rumble and the title at WM30 made perfect sense. The underdog finally reaching the top in the most dramatic fashion; on the biggest stage.

They haven't gone this way. I could argue that Bryan winning the Rumble would have been a masterstroke. They didn't put him in the Rumble and the crowd love him even more. They keep putting him down and people love him more and more. That could well be the plan because the notion that they can't see Bryan's popularity and talent in the ring is moronic.

There are loads of options for the WWE. Maybe he wins the belt at Elimination Chamber. Maybe he teams with Cena at Wrestlemania. Maybe he gets the belt during the awkward period during the Summer. There are loads of options that will prove the WWE right.

Bryan winning the belt at Mania would have been awesome but it doesn't need to happen. The WWE will keep going and they have other options to compensate.

I disagree...while he is certainly main event level talent, there's a difference between allowed to shine on the big stage and being thrown a bone. Let's put it this way: RVD, JBL, Kane, Mark Henry, Christian, Booker T, Jack Swagger...all guys who were given a World title during that awkward period you describe. Giving a guy a title in the WWE is not really a vote of confidence that it once was. Letting him have their moment, particularly WrestleMania, is. You see these options as equal, but in fact, they are not. So far, this is a botched opportunity by the WWE.

It's also not about the "face of the WWE" question either: Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio - All guys who had their moment at the top of the heap, but no one was thinking...this is the new top dog in the WWE. The issue is that today's WrestleMania really doesn't have a place for these guys because the new business model is to make WrestleMania a place for part timers to come back and give a little bit of a rub back to the business.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

Eventually the WWE will have to cave in and give the fans what they want. And then the apologists will come on here and say "see, this is what they were planning all along". Which will be total nonsense.

 

[Loveless]

Time will tell whether this is a masterstroke or not.

Either
The WWE are playing everyone and it's worked brilliantly
or
They really don't care about their fans.

Would the WWE intentionally sink their own PPV for Bryan? No
Would Batista come back for the benefit of anyone but himself? No
Has there been any sign of this being a Trojan Horse and Bryan quietly being positioned for a push? No
Is the WWE that smart? Fuck no

I think back to The Summer of Punk, how everything was setup for Punk (who was clearly a megastar) to lead the WWE out of Summerslam. Then I remember how monumentally the WWE fucked it up with the HHH/Nash/Del Rio shambles. I can't say I have any faith that the WWE know what they're doing this time either. I hope they surprise me, but I'm not expecting it at all.

This next few months really will be era-defining. If Bryan doesn't walk out of Wrestlemania with the title, that will tell the fans exactly where they stand.

 

[MoRtAnDaD]

I dont believe this is a masterstroke by WWE. But i believe that they can capitalize this to their advantage.

Its not too late, this is wrestling, theres nothing set in stone even if the rumors or reports says so.

They have two good months ahead to put their shit together and change the course of the (for now) Titanic.

 

[robertrko]

Daniel Bryan wins MITB, cashes it in same night at Wrestlemania, leaves Champion
Everyone happy

 

[ALIE]

Yes it is and it's terrifying that people are so stupid they don't get it.
Fact is if Brian had been Champion since winning over Cena, NO WAY HE WOULD BE THIS HOT STILL.. plus they used him too make Brey, he wouldn't have been more then a midcard out his Brian fued.

 

[ALIE]

"Tak161 said
I think it's a big storyline. I'm not sure where they go with it as far as getting Bryan's revenge on the Authority, but I think WWE knows what they are doing. As was mentioned, there is no way they didn't know this type of reaction would happen, yet they still didn't get him involved. That tells me that they have some sort of plan.

I do however, find it disrespectful of most people's reaction to this thing. Just because one guy was not in the title match or the Rumble, they crapped all over the matches. That spit in the face of 32 guys that were simply trying to do their jobs. For most of those guys, it's not their fault that Bryan was not there. They were just doing what they are told to do in the ring. There was no need for that type of reaction tonight, and unfortunately it will now continue every single show. I mean, what do people expect, Bryan to be in every single match on the card?"

Yes my words exactly.

 

[The Brooklyn Baller]

While the WWE will try to make it appear they knew what they were doing all along, if anyone deserves credit for this master stroke it is the fans.

Even to a casual viewer, which I have been the past couple years, it's clear that Daniel Bryan has been held back. The fans have simply had enough, and the guy is more over than anyone in recent memory. Faces are being booed for not being Daniel Bryan. Matches, even GOOD ones, are being interrupted because he is not in them.

Long gone are the days when individuals or feuds were pushed for up to or even more than a year. While the WWE can lay claim to having something in store for him over the past couple months, don't try to tell me it's been a master plan over a year, even two, in the making.

Bryan's push has been organic. Like him or not it's amazing to see, and the fans are the ones who deserve the credit. Now hopefully the WWE will take full notice, go with the flow, and show us they have a master stroke of their own up their sleeve. I'm sure they do, even though those master strokes seem to be few and far between as of late, this is one ball they can't afford to drop.

 

[Logisticalbooker86]

Absolutely not. WWE wanted fans to slurp Ortista flavored Kool Aid like it is 2005. Undoubtedly, World Wrestling Entertainment paid a good chunk of change to bring big Dave back. All of those promos of fans chanting BATISTA and jumping out of their seats for Batista bombs? The WWE wanted to position Batista as the conquering hero going into New Orleans.

For the most part, we don't want to cheer Batista. We want to see Daniel Bryan triumph.

If an audible is not called, and Bryan is not in the main event there will be no funeral for Daniel Bryan the next day. But an audible should be called.

If Orton and Batista go one on one for the title, the crowd is going to crap all over it. Deservedly so.