Why did the WWE sabotage DB's push?

[DietPepsiRocks]

Triple H looked legitimately bothered by the fact the crowd was chanting for DB last Monday night. So I doubt its because they want him to stay as over as possible and that's why they're booking him this way. What makes me feel good is that everyone still loves the guy and even old school wrestlers like Stone Cold and Foley are questioning the booking. Jim Ross has just given up and can't believe that it got this bad. Just makes Vince seem very out of touch and senile to allow this to happen. I hope they keep chanting DB's name to stick it to what they've done and make them regret everything. You can't edit out chants on Raw. Sweet revenge....Whatever they do to DB, he's unable to get buried, he's bury proof, its incredible....Don't know why you'd want to bury a hard working wrestler that does everything right but oh well, that's their decision..Even Brie has lost her push...

 

[George Steele's Barber]

So many fallacies in this thread it is ridiculous:

1. HHH and Steph did nothing but degrade DB with their words - they're actors playing a part. They're playing bad people with bad intentions. They're supposed to act and say things that make them seem out of touch. Do you really believe they believe Randy Orton is the face of the company?

2. We live in the 1970's - holding the belt doesn't mean what it used to. There is more to a guy's popularity than the paying audience's reaction. People can chant "Yes!" as much as they want but if they aren't buying toys, shirts, tuning in to Raw, and spending money on PPV's than a it doesn't matter what they chant.

3. DB's feud with Orton was his push - DB's push was over the moment he pinned Cena. His push came in the months prior. They were capped by him basically getting chosen by the biggest star in the industry as the most worthy opponent for the top title. It culminated with DB cleanly pinning the biggest star in the industry at the "second biggest" PPV of the year. How do you get pushed beyond that?

4. HHH and Vince moved DB away from the title out of ego - they did it because the SummerSlam numbers were not that good. That other numbers probably weren't that good either. I hate to say it because I wanted DB to succeed but Vince mostly cares about money and the money wasn't there. That being said I don't think DB is gone forever.

5. DB is terrible - you're being ridiculous ASKane.

 

[Mustang Sally]

The change in plans may have more to do with John Cena returning to action sooner than anyone thought. When he did, management's thinking might have favored an Orton-Cena confrontation over Orton-Bryan.

As for Daniel, it must be remembered that not being in the title picture is not the same as losing his push. He's just as visible as before, it's just that he's in a major program with the Wyatts rather than Randy Orton. Ask any mid-carder if they regard that as a demotion.

Personally, I see Daniel as being better utilized when chasing a championship than holding it. Still, if he stays hot, he'll be in the title chase again. I don't see recent developments as costing him his position in the company.

 

[DB-Fan]

4. HHH and Vince moved DB away from the title out of ego - they did it because the SummerSlam numbers were not that good. That other numbers probably weren't that good either. I hate to say it because I wanted DB to succeed but Vince mostly cares about money and the money wasn't there. That being said I don't think DB is gone forever.

I'm only responding to this because I was the one that made the "ego" argument. What I'm saying is that Vince was quicker to pull the trigger on de-pushing Bryan because of poor buy rates for SS than he would have been with other guys that might fit his view of a WWE Superstar better. After all, by all accounts DB merchandise has sold very well and we can all agree the live crowds have been with him in a huge way.

I guess my point is that we know how Vince/HHH think when it comes to the "bigger than life" guys that they grow and groom themselves. And it's no secret that Vince hasn't been big on Bryan in the past. I just don't believe we can completely dismiss the possibility that ego is a part of this de-push for Bryan. What HHH and Steph said on multiple occasions during the post SS angle with Bryan ("B+ player") wasn't too far afield from how we know Vince and HHH think in general. So I'm not convinced ego isn't a part of this. It may not be the primary reason, but I believe it's been an ingredient.

 

[DietPepsiRocks]

Now it looks like they're trying to turn him heel..During his match tonight, all JBL would talk about is DB joining the Wyatts...why would Vince constantly be yelling into his ear telling him to say that unless it ends up being the truth later on?
And the insults were creeping in during that match from JBL as well. They clearly just don't like him and he was in the first hour too. And he's in a handicap match at TLC against the Wyatts, let the heel turn commence. He's going into RTWM as a heel and a member of the Wyatts..He doesn't even talk anymore or do promos. Its disgraceful. And even Kane made fun of him tonight. All around, I don't care if he still gets TV time...they put Brodus Clay and Miz on after him on Raw, and the Prime Time Players as well....They hate Daniel Bryan! screw the WWE.

 

[L@RISANO]

Dont know if he is getting sabotaged as such.
He is being used as a tool in a pretty interesting storyline so as to bring out the Wyatts. Loving the story so far. Interesting to see how the Handicap Match will end. Also Punk's match will also be of great intrigue.

 

[BestWrestlingOpinions]

Thank you a million thanks.

EVERYONE NEEDS TO STOP CRYING BECAUSE YOUR FAVORITE WRESTLER IS NOT WHERE YOU THINK THEY SHOULD BE.

Daniel's push wasn't sabotaged. His feud ended with Orton and Triple H and he was attacked by the Wyatts. What's so hard to understand??

One story was finished so they started a new one.

I like Daniel Bryan just as much as the next guy, i love the yes bit, i loved the no bit, I love his moveset, I love his enthusiasm, I love his work ethic. but for fuck sake, stop crying every fucking time he isn't shoved into a main event.

He's been at the top for quite some time and now he is helping the Wyatts get there, just like many helped Bryan get to his spot.

Stop crying, watch the show and let it play before you bitch about it

Also, this should be moved to the WWE General Complaints board. SMH every week someone gotta make a "DB getting screwed" topic

Wait a second, I think you just uttered a shitload of crap here. How did his feud with HHH and Orton end? The had a screwy finish inside HiaC which should result in another match for a clear winner. Because of that finish, we didn't get to see who is the better man, who is on top of the other etc. So yes, that storyline wasn't finished.
Another storyline that wasn't finished and it could just potentially be the sequel to the HHH and Orton feud is the feud with HBK. HBK screwed Bryan in HiaC, so the next night, Bryan and HBK have a heated conversation, ending up with Bryan putting Shawn in the YES Lock. Afterwards, while this thing could have gotten HUGE, and I mean Wrestlemania show-stealer HUGE, they just never mentioned it, but instead the made a scenario where the Wyatts took him out.
I understand to some extent the real-life scenario of something interrupting what we do out of the blue and making us unable to continue what we were doing (in this case, Bryan wanted to go after Orton/HHH and Wyatts interrupted him), but this in the WWE doesn't make much sense. I know that the Wyatts' targets are selected from a mystique place, but apart from that, the attack storyline was just so random and seemed like a reason to not give a suitable ending to the storyline with Orton. Is this because they now have unfinished business, so this thing can all be re-opened at one point so that Bryan can chase again? Probably, time will tell. For the moment though, he was run out of the main event title picture, without some sort of ending and inserted in another interesting BUT mid-card feud to try and get certain other Superstars over.
To OP's question, I don't think they are so idiotic to not see money where money is at. Does Vince have an obsession with big guys? Absolutely. Was he offended/teased off to the idea of Bryan being the champion? Absolutely. Will we see him get the big moment and a decent run? Probably. Was his run sabotaged? I don't know yet. The angle they made is probably something that will be reopened during WM season. If it doesn't happen, then yes, he was semi-buried and his run was sabotaged. If he gets the title at WM, then it was all part of the plan.

 

[L@RISANO]

I think everything in the current Punk and Bryan storylines will link up when The "DEVIL" is revealed who was behind it all. If there is a Devil at all( the WWE creative probly forgot)

 

[DietPepsiRocks]

hes not getting the title at WM...he's not even in the WM plans yet..nobody is talking about him. Vince wants all the part timers to make an appearance, DB isn't even mentioned. What a waste! I can't think of any other occurrence in the WWE where they fucked up this badly...I mean they really messed up royally. He's in the midcard? really? And they put him on Raw before Clay and the Miz....do they value them more than him now? I just dont get it...

 

[L@RISANO]

Probably put him a bit early to even up the TV time for the main guys, perhaps. Keep things interesting for the fans who are watching, rather than have all the filler matches and segments bore many fans and then have all the Main Guys one after the other.

 

[thebowtiekiller]

i doubt it was some plan to sabotage him i think it was just another case of wwe not thinking through there storylines and making them up as they go along if cena was out longer i reckon bryan would have got a decent title run but he returned so they basically ended bryan and ortons fued quickly and replaced him with cena.im sure bryan will be back in the main event picture at some point but as long as cenas around and good to go hes always gonna be first choice imo.

 

[yourdamnluck]

that's what wwe does they did it with foley they did it with jerico hell they have almost entirely killed ziggler(so much that i want him be gone)..and now they are doing it with brayan simply because those guys can make others look good all of them including bryan has been and will be used to put guys over and make others look good...
get over it.....
bryan will have some more filler title runs and one genuine run but thats it..
no more..

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

^^^^ Jericho I agree with the similarities. To be honest I would rather Daniel Bryan not get his "push" at Summerslam if they were just going to marginalize him. A similar fate fell on Jericho after he became Undisputed Champion. Before that he was one of the most over guys in the company and was about to break the glass ceiling but somewhere along his Title Run the creative decided to make him look like a cowardly heel who couldn't even beat Rikishi clean. His title run was also marred by the taking the focus away from him and towards Steph/HHH.

His main event Championship run was handled so poorly it made Jericho look like a midcarder. It would take Jericho 6 years to recover from this after he lost the Undisputed Title.

While I hope Bryan's fate wont have the same downfall after Jericho. Much like it would have been better off if Jericho never won the undisputed title and stayed strong in the mid card level until WWE was committed to his main event run. Same way I feel about Bryan, he probably should not have gone over Cena. Maybe a hard fought 30 min loss at Summerslam with Cena respecting Bryan at the end of the match would have helped Bryan more. Fans would be more sympathetic and maybe it would prep him for his actual chase for the title maybe by WMXXX (just like Benoit post RR2003 -> WM20).

3. DB's feud with Orton was his push - DB's push was over the moment he pinned Cena. His push came in the months prior. They were capped by him basically getting chosen by the biggest star in the industry as the most worthy opponent for the top title. It culminated with DB cleanly pinning the biggest star in the industry at the "second biggest" PPV of the year. How do you get pushed beyond that?

4. HHH and Vince moved DB away from the title out of ego - they did it because the SummerSlam numbers were not that good. That other numbers probably weren't that good either. I hate to say it because I wanted DB to succeed but Vince mostly cares about money and the money wasn't there. That being said I don't think DB is gone forever.

Not sure if you read that WZ article of a former WWE creative guy in Smackdown during Mysterio's run at early 2005. Despite his big Royal Rumble win and winning the WHC Wrestlemania apparently Vince McMahon just didn't know what to do with him. The guy that was interviewed said when Mysterio was Champion Smackdown! ratings did start getting a boost (while RAW's was actually dropping a bit at that time). But the massacre of Mysterio against Henry and Khali (in Mysterio's home town) pretty much killed his credibility. I remember the backstage story at the time and the creative backstage was telling Vince McMahon that Khali squashing Mysterio would just kill Smackdown in the ratings afterwards, hurt Mysterio especially since it was in his home town, and would hurt the Latino demographic. Vince didn't listen and went on with those squash match. And the warnings they gave to Vince did come true and Mysterio never recovered.

Point is there was Money to be made with Mysterio as Champion but Vince was pretty stubborn not to get it. He didn't know how to handle Mysterio's push or understand how to make it work even if the writing was right there.

I can't help but feel the same happened to Bryan, I think no one expected Bryan to single highhandedly carry the PPV Buyrates especially one relatively new to the main event picture. But it had potential in terms for ratings and merchandise but stuff like that takes time and a good program to support it. Problem with Vince is that it looks like him and creative heads handled the program poorly and made one mistake after another in Bryan's push (Orton vs. Bryan 3 PPV's in a row, Bryan getting beaten up each week, and a Summerslam that took away Bryan's moment).

 

[BaconBits]

I don't get this line of thinking that Daniel Bryan's push was sabotaged. Who cares if he wins the title? Titles are nothing but props.

He's still on TV in a very high profile storyline, right?

He still gets huge pops when he enters, right?

Lots of people are still wearing his shirts in the crowd, right?

If all of that means abotaged, then I don't think you really understand what sabotaged means. If you're still very over and in high profile feuds, you're still doing fine. Beyond fine, in fact.

Sabotaged means not being on TV at all, or being given a horrendous gimmmick that people just can't get into, or being given a storyline that's so bad it's unwatchable, or worst of all, future endeavored.

Sabotaged is somebody like Shad Gaspard.

Daniel Bryan is still gainfully employed, and still very much a focal point of the show.

Daniel Bryan fans seriously need to get a grip.

 

[Chococat]

Wait a second, I think you just uttered a shitload of crap here. How did his feud with HHH and Orton end? The had a screwy finish inside HiaC which should result in another match for a clear winner. Because of that finish, we didn't get to see who is the better man, who is on top of the other etc. So yes, that storyline wasn't finished.
Another storyline that wasn't finished and it could just potentially be the sequel to the HHH and Orton feud is the feud with HBK. HBK screwed Bryan in HiaC, so the next night, Bryan and HBK have a heated conversation, ending up with Bryan putting Shawn in the YES Lock. Afterwards, while this thing could have gotten HUGE, and I mean Wrestlemania show-stealer HUGE, they just never mentioned it, but instead the made a scenario where the Wyatts took him out.
I understand to some extent the real-life scenario of something interrupting what we do out of the blue and making us unable to continue what we were doing (in this case, Bryan wanted to go after Orton/HHH and Wyatts interrupted him), but this in the WWE doesn't make much sense. I know that the Wyatts' targets are selected from a mystique place, but apart from that, the attack storyline was just so random and seemed like a reason to not give a suitable ending to the storyline with Orton. Is this because they now have unfinished business, so this thing can all be re-opened at one point so that Bryan can chase again? Probably, time will tell. For the moment though, he was run out of the main event title picture, without some sort of ending and inserted in another interesting BUT mid-card feud to try and get certain other Superstars over.
To OP's question, I don't think they are so idiotic to not see money where money is at. Does Vince have an obsession with big guys? Absolutely. Was he offended/teased off to the idea of Bryan being the champion? Absolutely. Will we see him get the big moment and a decent run? Probably. Was his run sabotaged? I don't know yet. The angle they made is probably something that will be reopened during WM season. If it doesn't happen, then yes, he was semi-buried and his run was sabotaged. If he gets the title at WM, then it was all part of the plan.

The feud was ended. Just not in the way everyone thought which is Bryan going over. Screwy finishes? You must be a new wrestling fan.

This is called a heel tactic. People who are bad will use one of these many heel tactics to secure the win. It's been going on since the beginning of pro wrestling.

Examples of heel tactics: holding the ropes, playing possum, avoiding the opponent by exiting the ring and the classic turnbuckle removal. All great classic cheats.

I'm glad I could educate you on this.

This is a problem with fans of wrestling. They don't understand that not everyone can win and lose fairly.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Why is everyone so quick to complain before we see how everything plays out? How do we know they're not doing this unification angle now so that Daniel Bryan can win the Royal Rumble and then win the unified title at WM?

I think until we see what they do with Daniel Bryan for Wrestlemania, it's unfair to complain about his reign being "sabotaged."

I harp on this a lot and I'll bring it up again here because it's relevant. WWE has made billions and billions of dollars in the pro wrestling industry. They are looking at things from a business angle, we are looking at it from a fans angle. So, while sometimes we think a guy is getting screwed over, there's a business reason for it.

 

[DetectiveZelix]

What amazes me is when Cena or Batista won the title they were treated like main event and the franchise. That's how Champions should be treated. Hell that's the whole point of the climb to get to the top of the mountain is stay there and make your mark. Cena. Hogan. Rock. Austin. Batista, hell even HHH got to have that but Bryan did not..that's what frustrates me. People want to bring up Austin passing out to Hart or Orton getting squashed by HHH after winning the title making it seem like those were what put them on the next level and somehow compare that with what's going on with Bryan. I call bullshit and agree with the OP

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

They didn't...he's a smaller underdog type, if he wins the strap, that kind of kills the reason he's appealing. He can't chase forever. He's still over. He's simmering until closer to mania season and they'll turn it back up. I wouldn't be surprised if he won the rumble.

 

[RicSpade]

I think people have missed the big picture when it has come to Daniel Bryan, is Bryan relegated to minor appearances in NXT and Main event? No. Is he involved in an on air feud right now? Yes! Did he have short reigns as champion? Somewhat, but in all seriousness think about this for one moment if you will, how was Punks first reign as champion? I remember him losing multiple matches one on one matches mind you only to come out ahead at a PPV. Now he is quite frankly top 5 in the company. I think people believe because you become in a tag team or something your immediately being de-pushed and this is a fallacy.

Bryan started as a member of Nexus, released, returned, won a singles title, did nothing, won the money in the bank, was world heavyweight champion, lost it at WM, did nothing, had a tag team championship with Kane, fought John Cena and won the title, fought Randy Orton and won the title, lost the title now in a feud with the authority, sums it up right?

As long as your in the picture you're pushed, Bryan will have the belt but he won't be a mega star overnight, others would say other guys are getting de-pushed Ziggler for constantly losing, Ryback for doing Goldberg moves, Del Rio because he lost to Sin Cara. Its in the eye of the beholder, but I wouldn't make assumptions until we have the facts for legitimate answers.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Bryan was not sabotaged. He was simply NOT the right guy for that particular time. It can't all be by "fan reaction" or IWC demands. Rightly or wrongly Orton is a strong heel so it makes sense he is champion. It makes financial sense to make the most of Big Show while he is able as his time is starting to run out as an in-ring attraction. They are paying him a huge amount, too much to sit in the mid card when he can still sell a show. Cena is of course the cornerstone of the company. His merch sales dwarf everyone else and his profile is the highest more casual fans know who Cena is than Bryan is and that reality will keep Brian mid card.

The moment Bryan lost his shot was when Charlie Sheen didn't do the angle/match that was proposed. Again rightly or wrongly Sheen played a big part in Bryan's career, nicknaming him Goatface, which in turn got over with the fans and gave Bryan a reason to chant no. Had that gone to a match or further angle, everyone on the planet would have known who Daniel Bryan was win, lose or draw. Indeed it would have been the modern version of Lawler/Kaufman. But it didn't happen and as good as Bryan is, he does not have that connection to the mainstream crowd.

Even if Shawn DID come back to wrestle him it probably wouldn't work for him. The only way they can do it is to slowly build him back up, likely by winning the Rumble (I see he and Punk "co-winning" again this year - thus putting them both into some kind of World title situation ala WM 10. I can see Punk v Bryan headlining Mania XXX for the title but only after one of them beats Cena (screwjob of course). If that is Bryan - THEN the belittling pays off - if Vince or Trips is the one to help him win and heel Bryan rules, then was he still sabotaged?

 

[Mighty NorCal]

The people who didn't buy SummerSlam sabotaged DB's push.


the crowd can chant yes all they want, if they dont say "yes" when that little pre-order screen pops up for ppv, they have to move on to something else.

 

[DietPepsiRocks]

oh look here, the buyrate argument again! so when one of the up and comers like Reigns or Langston main events and does a crappy number and they still stay at the top of the card, are we still going to use the buyrate argument? Its getting old now and that's only what Bryan haters use! if anyone else has a bad buyrate number and stays at the top without being demoted down, then they're playing favorites which is what they're doing now.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

No one sabotaged his push. Stop being immature marks.

If Daniel Bryan had drawn big money, they would've stuck with him. Maybe he didn't.

Then again, maybe he did. Maybe they're dumbing down his push until Mania season. That's a definite possibility.

However, I wouldn't be shocked if it was a flat out case of Bryan drawing little money. Smarks love him, but I'm not sure the entire audience cares all that much. At least not enough to keep him on top.

Maybe he's just not that interesting. I don't believe he is, personally.

 

[DietPepsiRocks]

you dont even know the definition of what "drawing money" means if you don't think he draws money..He's their biggest draw other than Punk and Cena..it's those three and then there's everybody else...how come people can't see this?
Do you see the shirts in the audience? that's drawing money. The people that bring signs with his likeness on it, that's drawing money because they paid a ticket to see him. PPV's mean jack now because nobody is bringing the buyrates...Survivor Series was poorly recieved and Bryan didn't even headline that show, so nobody is bringing in the ppv numbers unless you're a part timer...so tell me, what is your definition of "drawing money"? if you tell me ppv buyrates then I just explained to you how that argument is invalid....They are even creating the WWE Network because people dont' buy ppv's anymore. You get most of the ppvs free after you pay a small monthly fee for the network....They're doing that because nobody buys their ppvs, and they need to make profit off of them somehow. The big ones like Royal Rumble, WM and Summerslam won't be free though. Those are full price.
Only Cena, Punk and Bryan draw money in that company right now. Nobody else is on that level, so when you keep arguing about Bryan's drawing ability you're lying to yourself. He does very well for that company. The shows aren't interesting without him, he has done a lot for that company and has made it exciting again. Nobody can even get legitimate heel heat unless they put their hands on him. Without him, nobody would get a reaction. When people save him the crowd goes wild.

 

[Alastor]

Seriously though, if they have Bryan out of the shows for a few weeks I won't notice his absence at all. Only personalities that I would notice missing for a long period of time are Cena and Michael Cole.