When was the last time someone was THIS over?

[HBK89Bill]

There is a difference between being red-hot over and being so massively over that literally anything that you do gets a ridiculous reaction. The kind of over that Daniel Bryan is right now is the kind of over where it doesn't even matter if he loses matches. Legendary/Hall of Fame wrestlers at their absolute peak were never as hot of Daniel Bryan is right now. Jericho, Orton, Cena, Edge, Mick Foley, etc haven't been THIS over. Punk was on fire in 2011 and he lost a few matches that dampened his fire. He was still dominantly over, but he didn't have the kind of reactions Bryan has had for this long.

This isn't a comparison to anyone specifically, but Bryan has literally been the hottest superstar in the industry since last June. It's really been building since the creation of Yes. My question is when was the last time someone was THIS over? I can feel it and so can you. This is way different than it has been for several years. Daniel Bryan is in a different kind of over. When was the last time someone was this hot?

 

[Da Solo]

Rock coming back in 2011 and Punk at MiTB 2011. Those are the last 2 pops of that magnitude that I can remember; one was a surprise return and the other was a hometown PPV. For Bryan to get this consistently on everyday RAW's is ridiculous (in a good way), and I honestly hope it's DB vs. Lesnar for the title at WMXXX

 

[Wrestlemanwwe]

Daniel Bryan isn't as big as Yes!

And what i mean by that is Give anyone a chant and give anyone a chance to get over and every wwe superstar will get over, The Big Show chanted Yes! during the time of feuding with randy orton for the wwe championship, and the crowd was on fire,

The Fan's just wanna have a good time, chanting Yes! is whats cool these days.

Ryback was over with Feed Me More!

Fandangoing is bigger than fandango's whole career.

So let's face the truth! The Chants are bigger than the superstars.
Give Kofi Kingston a huge chant and by next year everyone will say he's the best wrestler in the world.

 

[CultOfPersonality]

Daniel Bryan isn't as big as Yes!

And what i mean by that is Give anyone a chant and give anyone a chance to get over and every wwe superstar will get over, The Big Show chanted Yes! during the time of feuding with randy orton for the wwe championship, and the crowd was on fire,

The Fan's just wanna have a good time, chanting Yes! is whats cool these days.

Ryback was over with Feed Me More!

Fandangoing is bigger than fandango's whole career.

So let's face the truth! The Chants are bigger than the superstars.
Give Kofi Kingston a huge chant and by next year everyone will say he's the best wrestler in the world.

I've seen this argument a lot over the past couple of days but the crowd was going nuts when Bryan shrugged off Sister Abigail and when he tore off the jumpsuit so I think it's a bit harsh to say Bryan is just a stooge for his chant. Obviously a hot chant will get a guy over, but only so far, Bryan is so far past over right now that he doesn't even need to be in the arena and fans are chanting 'Daniel Bryan', not 'Yes', but actually chanting the guys name. There's your proof that he is the one that's over.

As to who was last this over, probably Punk in 2011 but not to this extent. As far as pops go, Ziggler cashing in is always a fond memory but that had the added boost of being a post-WM crowd.

 

[L@RISANO]

John Cena when he debuted on RAW during the Brand Extension on Jericho's Highlight Reel. He was actually really over around those couple of years. Originally he got over with the Crowd as a heel. Him moving to RAW in 2005 was the signal that he had become the new face of the company.lMO

 

[thebigbadfox]

I have to say that with Bryan (although I have been a fan of his going back to his early years) I currently feel the same way I did during the Austin 3:16 v Vince days....
I mean when the glass broke you went nuts and knew it was must see TV. I feel whenever I know Bryan is on TV I will not miss it for anything.....
and for all those saying he is being buried... He may be in the sense That Vince and CO. wont give him the belt but he has over the last year been wrestling sometimes 2-3 matches a night and w/ multiple segments so at the very least they know we want to see him and they are giving what we want!

 

[faltemer]

I've seen this argument a lot over the past couple of days but the crowd was going nuts when Bryan shrugged off Sister Abigail and when he tore off the jumpsuit so I think it's a bit harsh to say Bryan is just a stooge for his chant. Obviously a hot chant will get a guy over, but only so far, Bryan is so far past over right now that he doesn't even need to be in the arena and fans are chanting 'Daniel Bryan', not 'Yes', but actually chanting the guys name. There's your proof that he is the one that's over.

As to who was last this over, probably Punk in 2011 but not to this extent. As far as pops go, Ziggler cashing in is always a fond memory but that had the added boost of being a post-WM crowd.

To be fair though, the Daniel Bryan chants are far less then the yes chants. And obviously yes will continue on long after Bryan is gone (I'm assuming), but people won't chant his name. (unless they are doing randy savageesque stuff)

I haven't heard Daniel Bryan's name chanted when he wasn't in the ring unless someone references except for a select few occasions. And I went live to the raw the other week where Daniel Bryan joined the Wyatt's and he was over, but not them chanting his name randomly while other people were wrestling/etc.

It's clear Daniel is over, and it's clear WWE is pushing the hell out of him regardless of what people say. He has been in 1-2 segments each raw since like August of last year, and has been allowed I think it was an average of 12 minutes a match, the second most only behind Cena, who wrestles a lot less. Which means he is getting I would wager the most screen time of any superstar since August by a good bit.

Beating Randy at Mania would be a good moment, but I feel they have had too many matches to make it extraordinary. Him and Lesner could probably put together a great match, but it doesn't give Bryan a win over the Authority so that doesn't work also it would have to be a special match, ie no dq/etc. Batista joining the Authority would be interesting and if he somehow won the belt, he and Bryan might be able to go, but from where I sit it looks like Randy is gonna be the guy to give him the "big" win.

 

[darbare]

To say that Yes is bigger than him is pure b.s. Ive never seen John Cena this over...Ive seen Cena get some amazing pops, Punk too..but I havent seen someone this over since Rock, Austin. The way he can control a crowd is amazing..you give anyone the yes chant and it wont stick like it has with Bryan (case in point Big Show and Del Rio). Daniel is the one that started the damn chant for goodness sake..its not like hes cheating to get over, hes gotten over..the same way the Rock used his many catchphrases as well as Austin did to get over...same shit. You could say wooooo and what are bigger than Flair and Austin but theyre not..because years later people still respect them and want them around..get over it, Daniel is special...the fans didnt have to chant yes in the first place..they wanted to

 

[rbv13]

The Bryan fan boys will never admit this but Bryan’s current level of success is all thanks to how he has been booked since Summer Slam. Week after week he was screwed and seemingly “buried” all the while bring the fans closer to him. It was all a tactic to drive the fans passion and personal interest in the character. The turn and joining the Wyatt Family has a few people on suicide watch. Now look at how it has peaked. The guy is so over it is beyond believe. Classic booking 101.

It will be interesting to see how fast fans turn on him if he is given a lengthy title run.

 

[Raptor93]

The Bryan fan boys will never admit this but Bryan’s current level of success is all thanks to how he has been booked since Summer Slam

Of course you must be a mark to think bryans talented , everyones so paranoid if they say something good about bryan or punk they must be an iwc mark. Theres always a chance someone will flop when the story changes true, but if your gonna try and make a new star are you going to ignore how hot bryan is right? no one other then guys like cena and orton who have years upon years of established mainevent status can even touch his level of popularity.

 

[L@RISANO]

The Bryan fan boys will never admit this but Bryan’s current level of success is all thanks to how he has been booked since Summer Slam. Week after week he was screwed and seemingly “buried” all the while bring the fans closer to him. It was all a tactic to drive the fans passion and personal interest in the character. The turn and joining the Wyatt Family has a few people on suicide watch. Now look at how it has peaked. The guy is so over it is beyond believe. Classic booking 101.

It will be interesting to see how fast fans turn on him if he is given a lengthy title run.

Well, to get this over, the Superstar still has to be booked in the right way, doesn't he? I am sure if, for instance, the likes of Ryback(Feed Me More) and Ziggler(Post-Cash-in) were booked properly, it is arguable they would also be enjoying great popularity, Ziggler especially, who seems to have a great backing despite being put in the dumps by WWE Booking in the past few months.
Daniel Bryan has been protected and booked very strongly which is an obvious
sign, and contrary to some weird conspiracy theory, that he is highly thought of by the WWE top brass.The Pop this Monday night was a direct result of everything built up by the was he was booked. No question that he is the most popular guy at this time in WWE.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

I'd say the last time someone was this over was Jeff Hardy when he won the WWE championship. Everyone in the live crowd was ecstatic to see him. Those who were "in the know" and knew about his constant addiction woes, the women who were hot for him, and the kids who were in awe of how he'd throw his body around in matches just to entertain. He was over and most of it was on his own steam. No catchphrases, no real character, no memorable mic work. All he had was a cool look, matching entrance, and daredevil in-ring work. Just about everyone was legitimately happy to see a new face emerge in the company other than Cena at the time.

I'd say that was the last time a full-timer was as over with majority of the crowd as Daniel Bryan appears to be. My 300th post, yay me!

 

[Kidpolean]

I would say that Punk in 2011 was more over than DB is now. DB has the yes chant which helps him out alot. He is getting massive reactions but he's just not as popular as some people think. Watch some stuff from 2011. Punk was getting just as big of pops and everyone in the crowd had a punk shirt. His name was chanted during matches he wasn't even in. DB doesn't have everyone in the crowd wearing his shirts, he doesn't get the random name chants during raw and ppv's. DB is over but to say he is as over as Punk and Cena were at their highest points is just silly. And comparing how over DB is to Austin or Rock should be against the law.

 

[Aquaman6686]

As others have said, Bryan isn't nearly as over as a lot of people think he is. Almost every top star in WWE has been at that level or higher. Bryan's popularity now doesn't even hold a candle to Austin and The Rock in the Attitude Era, John Cena in early 2005, Edge, Christian, and CM Punk in 2011, etc. The "YES" chants are FAR more over than Bryan himself. Bryan is a top star, but he isn't a long-term main eventer. Bryan is a Kane or Jericho-type, where he'll be in the main event occasionally when needed, but he isn't going to be consistently at the top of the card.

 

[#1druid]

I would say that Punk in 2011 was more over than DB is now. DB has the yes chant which helps him out alot. He is getting massive reactions but he's just not as popular as some people think. Watch some stuff from 2011. Punk was getting just as big of pops and everyone in the crowd had a punk shirt. His name was chanted during matches he wasn't even in. DB doesn't have everyone in the crowd wearing his shirts, he doesn't get the random name chants during raw and ppv's. DB is over but to say he is as over as Punk and Cena were at their highest points is just silly. And comparing how over DB is to Austin or Rock should be against the law.

I wear his shirt as do plenty of people and he gets cheers during matches he's not even in all the time he gets cheers during shows he's not even on. Look at Seattle look at most Raws since june. We get news reports about people being upset that Bryan wasn't at a house show, and it's been this way for a while look at Raw after wrestlemania 28.

For those of you saying it's the "Yes" chant don't get it. I was there in Rhode Island and it was amazing. Bryan is "YES" the first thing that comes to mind from yes is daniel bryan. It's like flair and "woo" you can't have one without the other, or are you saying knife edged chops make people think "woo" for some reason? Not to mention people chant his name just as loud as yes it's just yes is easy, and can be said to the beat of his kicks. Yes,yes,yes, ooooooo yes! if it was just yes people wouldn't oooooo before the last kick. Just look at his first yes after turning on wyatt the crowd literally followed his pace he had what only a true star has, complete control of the crowd. I guess Bryan's becoming too mainstream for some of your pallets so you have to turn on him to be different but the fact is he is as over as one can be.

 

[Limitless]

Bryan was really HUGE on RAW with the crowd. I mean some could say that the YES chant is bigger than Daniel, but I don't see it that way. They were chanting Daniel Bryan's name during the match and were involved into his match before the yes chants got started.

Now to answer the question about who has been this over, goes to Austin, Rock or Hogan. Sure we can say Cena, Punk, Rock Return ect... but they were not consistent. Cena can never get the whole crowd over and I don't blame them, as I am one of the people who boooo him. Punk had his moments and really shined at Money in the Bank a couple years ago, but it has not been like that in a while. Rock returning was short lived... Although when Rock and Austin were full time it was hard not to watch the crowd so captivated in there presence... they were freaking over. Hogan - do I have to go there?

Daniel Bryan is very consistent and I for one am a little surprised, but he deserves it.

 

[No Count Pup]

Let's be really honest. There is only one wrestler--since the Titan Sports era--that has been as over as Daniel Bryan. That is the Ultimate Warrior.

Up until Daniel Bryan's "Yes" chants caught fire, nobody was in the Ultimate Warrior's league. The fans would erupt every time the Warrior ran to the ring. I had never seen anything like it, and I never thought I would again.

Hogan, Austin, Rock, and Cena have enjoyed more commercial success than their auspicious contemporaries (sold out gates, merchandise sales, ratings, pay-per-view buyrates). But if we are talking about live fan reactions, Warrior and Bryan are in a class by themselves.

Sure, there have been phases or matches that have whipped fans into frenzies:

The 1995-1996 HBK possessed off the charts charisma. Mankind's first world title win got a white hot crowd reaction. The SummerSlam audience went bonkers for Bulldog/Hart. The roars were thunderous when Piper seized the IC strap. Hogan's presumed 2002 swan song bore insanely raucous fare. Cena's arena chants are deafening, dichotomous, and unique.

What separates Daniel Bryan and the Ultimate Warrior from the pack? Their committable roars are loud and sustained, in all venues, whether in the opening scene or the closing act.

Bryan's got many years of ear-splitting reactions ahead. He is a once in a generation performer, wrestling at the right place at the right time.

 

[The Eighties]

Jeff Hardy would probably be the guy that comes to mind for me as far as capturing the entire spectrum of the fanbase, it took Punk longer to cultivate the other sections of the fanbase that he now has behind him, his merch sales must be great as he has more new shirts and hoodies than even Cena.

However as far as passionate vocal support goes, not since Austin has someone been as over as Bryan is.

 

[capnwillie]

You'd have to go back to at least 2001, really. I was just watching some old episodes of Raw from around '99 up until 2001 and it is just ridiculous how much louder and enthusiastic the crowds were then compared to now. Too Sweet and Rikishi getting pops louder than anything I've heard for Cena and many others over the last several years. When you consider that they were always midcard players for the most part, that says a lot.

It all comes down to Daniel Bryan being the most relatable WWE superstar in the history of the company. Nobody has ever come close. Mick Foley was relatable to an extent on a personal level, but that all went out the window when he did things like get dropped off of cells, onto piles of thumbtacks, or take a dozen or so hard-way chair shots from The Rock. Spike Dudley was relatable…. if you're a 5'4" daredevil with two violent "brothers. Dean Malenko was relatable… if you came from a wrestling family and entered the ring as an old-school shooter with ice running through your veins. They all had the size and/or the average-to-below-average looks but none of them really had the heart of Daniel Bryan. Well, maybe Foley…. but still.

People like Daniel Bryan for the same reasons they like movies like Napoleon Dynamite or Revenge of the Nerds, because they get to root for the little guy. His victories feel that much more like their victories. His defeats hurt just like their defeats. Basic crowd psychology.

And it's all Bryan. The YES chants may live on well after he retires, but they are never louder than when he's leading the crowd. If he doesn't get the big rub at WM 30 I'll be surprised, especially after they seemingly pulled the plug on his program with the Wyatts. It's almost like someone in creative finally woke up and said, "Are we really doing this with less than 4 months to Wrestlemania and no other feasible storyline for the main event title picture? Will someone please get him out of those coveralls? Yes? Thanks."

Good move. I hope it leads in the right direction.

 

[laodaron]

Man, the Bryan Smarks just love moving the goal posts.

Daniel Bryan, the character, is moderately over. Sometimes, there's even a Daniel Bryan chant. However, any gimmick could have created "Yes!" and be as over an Bryan.

I've said it before, the only things about Daniel Bryan that are white hot are the "Yes!" chants and the brilliant booking by WWE Creative. Both Daniel Bryan the gimmick and Bryan Danielson the wrestler are in a midcard range, and possibly could have been main event on TNA or something without WWE Creative knowing exactly what to do with him. If anyone wants to give credit, give it to where it's due, and that's booking.

Edit, to answer the original post, Daniel Bryan isn't that over, so really, just about any major player in the last few years will fill that gap. Now, when was the last time someone/thing was as over as the "Yes!" chants? I'd have to say probably the Rock's first return in 2011/2012.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I think it's more "When was the last person this over so organically?" rather than being for a catchphrase or moment.

Austin 3:16 was a moment, it worked and Austin exploded but had Pillman not had his crash he'd have done something similar (or probably more extreme) instead... it would have worked equally well because the fans were ready for that. Same for Punk's pipebomb or even Hogan's win over Sheiky Baby...

Shawn was forced into the position over time, as were guys like Kurt, Eddie, Rey, even Cena...

The guys I can think of who organically got over in spite of the E's wishes are:-

Jeff Hardy - This was happening as early as his win over Trips a few years ago, the fans wanted him but Vince didn't want to give him it... Over time he continued to build that momentum until Vince HAD to give it to him.

Bret Hart - Bret was able to parlay his skills into getting over. He was never intended to be "the guy" but during the 80's Bret was often the most popular guy other than your Hogan/Warrior/Savage. He had a big assist from Gorilla Monsoon with the "Excellence Of Execution" line but when he finally got the big belt in those bizarre circumstances it didn't feel like "Flair refusing to job on TV and only to a good worker" more that Bret had done the impossible and he never looked back. He was revered genuinely all over the world for a time...sadly once he started believing his own hype it was the beginning of the end but for those early - late 90's he was "the people's champ."

Christian - For a time he was getting insane reactions, and it's easy to put it down to Edge's retirement. But it goes further back, Christian was always able to get a strong crowd reaction but Vince HATED it. Why we will probably never know, but when he finally won that title it wasn't cos he'd been pushed to it, it was similar to Hardy because the fans had "made it happen".

The winner though is:-

Mick Foley - There is never a guy who has been built as organically as Mick was nor will be again. Forget the Cell, that was just the icing on the cake. He'd already taken a potentially career killing character (Manson the Mutilator?) and made the fans care enough about him that they were chanting for him during that Cell match and many wanted him to win. Even once the bumps were out of the way and the dust cleared people still were buying into Mick Foley and not cos he got hurt a lot... it was cos he was clearly a special talent. That he could be in the Rumble as 3 different characters helped him, that he could make something as goofy as jabbing his legs with a pencil or a sock a high spot... or that people just "fell in love" with Mick Foley the guy. Not literally but as their "favourite", not just the underdog but the closest they have to an avatar for themselves. Why was Tony S's "Butt's on seats" line so crucial, because to so many watch Foley was their favourite WWE guy... They were watching Nitro cos they didn't buy Rock or Austin but they all GOT Foley and seeing him win the title was their moment where they could say "We did it..."

This is what Bryan taps into so well, he looks like one of us, is goofy, a bit of a "dork" even but regardless of chanting Yes or No he is able to make the fans love him in a way few have done for just being himself out there...

Vince knows it, Trips knows it... I am sure they'd rather it was someone else... but it isn't and we're gonna start getting the payoff to the Bryan story soon. If anyone is gonna encourage more mainstream attention it's Bryan winning the title and being the face... cos he is the "anti-sports entertainer" who does it better than anyone else... If anyone can convince casual or non fans to give it another try it's the most "non typical wrestler"...

 

[laodaron]

You're using organically wrong. There hasn't been a superstar crammed into our faces this much since Randy Boreton. Daniel Bryan is the singly most pushed superstar in the WWE. He has the most television time, he filled in for Cena, and he is involved with several feuds at once. You can't get away from him in the WWE. Organically was like Stone Cold cutting the 3:16 promo on Jake. Organically was DX basically telling every old fart in the business to eff off. Those things happened by chance. Daniel Bryan's push has been going on for years now.

 

[#1druid]

And for the people who keep saying it's yes, do you remember fatal 4 way 2010? You know after Bryan had been released? After he had been in nexus 1 day? Before Yes? Before the beard? Because I recall the crowd chanting his name.

 

[laodaron]

And for the people who keep saying it's yes, do you remember fatal 4 way 2010? You know after Bryan had been released? After he had been in nexus 1 day? Before Yes? Before the beard? Because I recall the crowd chanting his name.

Crowds often chant names. It doesn't mean anything. WWE Superstars frequently get their names chanted. But he doesn't get his name chanted when he's not in the ring, which means that he isn't really that over.

 

[zomigosh]

You're using organically wrong. There hasn't been a superstar crammed into our faces this much since Randy Boreton. Daniel Bryan is the singly most pushed superstar in the WWE. He has the most television time, he filled in for Cena, and he is involved with several feuds at once. You can't get away from him in the WWE. Organically was like Stone Cold cutting the 3:16 promo on Jake. Organically was DX basically telling every old fart in the business to eff off. Those things happened by chance. Daniel Bryan's push has been going on for years now.

Just because he's been crammed into our faces doesn't mean the support from fans he gets isn't organic, he gets crammed into our faces because the support from fans he gets is organic.

It works both ways. The WWE could push a wrestler and give them every major angle they possible can and the fans don't care. On the flip side, however, they could push a wrestler and the fans could care. Just because the push was planned in advanced doesn't make it any less organic, as long as the fans react to it in a positive light. This is the difference in my opinion from an Alberto Del Rio push and a Daniel Bryan push. Alberto Del Rio was given every opportunity imaginable and hasn't gotten anywhere with the crowd, he's now lost his opportunities and looks to be about to be put into a quick filler squash feud with Batista before he gets his Wrestlemania feud. Daniel Bryan got his opportunities and has arguably become the most popular wrestler in the WWE, he's continued to be pushed up the card and is continued to be given more and more opportunities and pushes. He gets this because they realize the fans want this. Daniel Bryan is the definition of organic, planned or otherwise.

And even so, you can't tell me that the WWE planned for the "Yes!" chants to happen with the post-WM28 Crowd taking over RAW with them. Regardless of where he is now, I think it should be fairly clear that he wasn't looked at as the commodity he is now from the start or even mid-way through the start of the "Yes!" phenomenom. You also can't tell me that Stone Cold and DX weren't planned by the WWF in some way and were completely created by chance. Hell, to say that Daniel Bryan has been pushed down our throats and that DX and Stone Cold weren't and then to argue this is why Daniel Bryan fan support isn't organic and that Stone Cold and DX are is actually pretty hilarious.

Either way, I realize I just responded to an obviously bias and potential trolling poster and am now self-pitying myself.