Why I'm Worried About Daniel Bryan

[Jackie Hon]

Note to mods: While this pertains in parts to his mitb briefcase, I feel it shouldn’t be merged. It’s about bryan’s career on a whole.

So as the title states, I am very worried about Daniel Bryan. By now we all know his story. He was the indy darling for around a decade and it was amazing news to his followers when he first signed his WWE developmental contract. After an interestingly booked run on NXT and his subsequent release from the company, following the nexus attack that went awry, it looked like the dream of many fans was laid to waste. After everyone had cooled down over the choking incident, he returned. He took the final spot on team WWE at summerslam against the Nexus.


Fast-forward almost on year and Bryan has had 1 united states title run and has been drafted to smackdown. I, along with many others, liked the move to SD as it’s the show geared more towards in-ring action. Now once on SD he entered a mini feud with Ted and Cody and came up on the winning side a few times. Then, out of nowhere, DB won the SD MITB last month.


But ya see, there is one major problem with him. He can’t get a reaction to save his life. He has “Shelton Benjamin ’05” syndrome. He is getting every chance to be on tv weekly, in big matches, with ample time, and he can’t get the crowd behind him. If you can’t tell what canned noise is then you may not see this. He gets the same added pop weekly on SD. Watch the crowd if you wanna argue this. Take SS for example as anyone that ordered it could hear the pop or lack thereof that he received. It was, sadly enough, unbelievably dead.


Now occasionally he does get a nice pop and you can tell when it’s not canned. He also usually gets one, albeit weak, “Daniel Bryan” chant each match he is in.


My main point is that the WWE Universe, as a whole, is not responding well to DB and I’m not sure what else they can do to fix it. Obviously, I am a big fan of the guy and want nothing more than for him to succeed. I’m just worried that if he doesn’t get more of a reaction soon than he may not get another shot and he may even lose the case (or title match), his support in the back, and maybe even his spot in the WWE in time.

So what are your thoughts?

Are you worried about Daniel Bryan and his current spot and/or future?

Do you feel the same about the reaction from the crowd?

And if so, why do you feel the common fan isn’t getting behind him?

 

[keehlnate]

No need to worry. Although DB won MITB, he hasn't proved anything yet. He hasn't been in a feud with a major WWE superstar. He hasn't received that big push. WWE seems to let him cooldown a bit with his current losing streak, but he will be back.

He will be a star believe me. I believe WWE is creating a new Chris Benoit out of him.

 

[The_Don]

i thinks it's because of his weak music...all the music he has been given sucks! WWE needs to give him a music theme that pumps people!

at least in his matches people react to the attacks when they say "oooh"...DB needs a feud with a main eventer, even if he goes on the losing end...he has fought against Y2J, Edge, Batista, etc. The only relevant feud was with Miz and Miz wasn't a WWE champ yet...

if DB is really cashing in at WM, i hope he stays healthy 'cause that's the only thing i'm worried about!

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

He doesn't get a reaction, but go to a live show. Pay attention to the crowd during his matches. They are GLUED to the match. Listen to the crowd during the climax of his matches, they bite for every falsie. They are into his matches, they just aren't always loud. If you watch old Bret Hart, it's the same way. He's billed as a technician, it's how mainstream audiences respond to technicians.

 

[The Death Rattle]

There isn't any reason to worry about Daniel Bryan right now. Prior to winning Money in the Bank, I could understand his fans worrying about where he would be long term. However, those concerns should have left with the victory. Bryan was an undersized guy lacking in microphone ability, but supremely talented between the ropes. Now he is holding a golden ticket to a world championship.

Keep in mind that Wrestlemania is still a long ways away. Bryan isn't over enough right now, but there is so much time to correct that issue. He is putting on some of the best matches on either show. He has recently been put into matches with Del Rio and Christian, two guys who are/were world champions and over as heels. Bryan has looked very good against both and booked to be very competitive in those matches. Plus you have Michael Cole berating him on commentary, which will only help in building up the sympathy factor for him. WWE is clearly invested in him. The booking is that of a slow build. Remember that Bryan was very much in the midcard before Money in the Bank. You can't just present him as a main eventer right away and expect him to be accepted at that level. It takes time to build credibility, which I think WWE is working to establish.

Daniel Bryan is holding up his end in the ring, which is paramount for him to continue toward his title match at Wrestlemania. That is what makes him somewhat unique, and helps him compensate for other areas he is lacking in. WWE is putting him in position to showcase those abilities against some of their talented and more over wrestlers. Essentially Bryan is getting the rub by that association. Patience is a virtue. We are entering a lull in WWE's calender year. By the start of 2012 we will see the full effect of Bryan's push and see him elevated higher to sell him as a challenger for the world title. There is no need to fret, just be patient.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I wouldn't be too concerned at this point. As others have pointed out and as I've said in several posts before, there's a ton of time for the WWE to build Daniel Bryan up into someone that can be viewed as a legit contender for the WHC.

Even though Bryan lost to Christian & Del Rio, there's more than one way to get a rub from someone. You don't have to win a match to come across looking like a star. Bryan's performances against both Christian & Del Rio were great and it's not as if Bryan is out there jobbing to Tyson Kidd or Trent Barreta. Christian has been in the main event picture all summer feuding with Randy Orton over the World Heavyweight Championship. Orton & Christian have produced some of the best matches in any company in 2011. The WWE is well aware of that and that's why they booked them for one more match on the live SD! special this Tuesday. They're a money match so it made all the sense in the world that Christian get some momentum by going over a tough guy that's been consistently putting out great efforts. Bryan got an especially good rub during his match with Del Rio. Del Rio is the reigning WWE Champion and he's been booked and built consistently over the year he's been on WWE television as a strong competitor and threat. Bryan had a helluva match with him last week and gave him all he wanted. At the same time, Bryan was the second in a string of, so far, 3 very entertaining and competitive matches Del Rio has had since being champ. He made Bryan look good and Bryan made him look good.

If Bryan hasn't progressed any further by around the TLC ppv, then it might be time to start growing concerned.

 

[Mustang Sally]

My main point is that the WWE Universe, as a whole, is not responding well to DB and I’m not sure what else they can do to fix it.

We have to realize that the vast majority of the people in the audience at wrestling shows aren't fans of the sport, at least not like we folks who talk about it on Internet forums. The others are there for the spectacle. They like the flashy costumes, music and pageantry. They also like outrageous behavior on the part of the performers, which is why heels get stronger reactions than faces (explaining why so many wrestlers want to be heels).

Daniel Bryan's "gimmick" is great technical wrestling. True fans can appreciate it, but it's a tough sell for general audiences. They can recognize an exciting move, and Daniel has plenty of those, but it's not the kind of thing that evokes a strong crowd reaction.

Heaven knows, the company has tried to get the guy over. Upon his return from being fired, they had him turn on Nexus for no good reason (after all, Wade Barrett didn't fire Daniel, did he?) and they had Bryan leading a female aerobics group in a dance routine. It's amusing, but not the kind of thing that's going to morph him into an exciting personality.

Daniel has the same problem as Lance Storm; he's technically proficient but personally uninspiring. We saw what happened to Storm after all the "BOR-ING!" chants. Hopefully, Creative can think of enough ways to keep Daniel relevant, because he really is great to watch in the ring. But he's never gonna be Punk or Cena on the mic, so they'll have to keep finding gimmicks for him to run with.

 

[Jackie Hon]

We have to realize that the vast majority of the people in the audience at wrestling shows aren't fans of the sport, at least not like we folks who talk about it on Internet forums. The others are there for the spectacle. They like the flashy costumes, music and pageantry. They also like outrageous behavior on the part of the performers, which is why heels get stronger reactions than faces (explaining why so many wrestlers want to be heels).

Daniel Bryan's "gimmick" is great technical wrestling. True fans can appreciate it, but it's a tough sell for general audiences. They can recognize an exciting move, and Daniel has plenty of those, but it's not the kind of thing that evokes a strong crowd reaction.

Heaven knows, the company has tried to get the guy over. Upon his return from being fired, they had him turn on Nexus for no good reason (after all, Wade Barrett didn't fire Daniel, did he?) and they had Bryan leading a female aerobics group in a dance routine. It's amusing, but not the kind of thing that's going to morph him into an exciting personality.

Daniel has the same problem as Lance Storm; he's technically proficient but personally uninspiring. We saw what happened to Storm after all the "BOR-ING!" chants. Hopefully, Creative can think of enough ways to keep Daniel relevant, because he really is great to watch in the ring. But he's never gonna be Punk or Cena on the mic, so they'll have to keep finding gimmicks for him to run with.

A thousand times, this.

Exactly what i was alluding to. Daniel is breathtaking to people that enjoy great technical wrestling coupled with striking and submissions. The general audience though is not into this as a majority and his push is suffering.

Some people would even argue that his true push hasn't begun yet simply because he hasn't really won any matches recently. This is insanely false. He is getting pushed hard. He is having very competitive matches with the WWE champion and a former champion in christian. His results may not be good, but he is looking damn good in the process.

The only real problem i have with his booking recently is having him lose to Barrett at SS. If they had planned on Barrett challenging Orton at NOC then i understand it but they didn't do that at all. Barrett seems to even be without a program right now and that seems to make his win over Bryan pointless.

I know it's very early in his run but i'm scared for what's to come. I've been a religious watcher for 12 years now and i can see when someone is struggling to get over. It's hard to watch sometimes when the guy is as immensly talented as bryan and i hope he catches fire.

Sadly, i do feel the music has a little to do with it. Good music can work wonders for people. Hell, it even got the blandest of the bland over in Alex Riley. People react to hearing bad ass music. Daniel Bryan may have the single worst music in the company. I hate that they gave him this new theme a few weeks ago. I honestly feel like it's worse. Sure the first one was a little cheesy but this one has no "oomph" at all. It's weaker than the bella twin's theme.

 

[Hunted-RKO]

There is no reason to be worried,At The Moment,like others have stated above he hasn't been a Big fued with a top star in the company yet.As soon as he gets that Chance he will get a LOUD reaction.But Daniel Bryan does get a reaction for the crowd,every match since his been Mr MITB there have Been Daniel Bryan chants in the middle of the match and they are getting behind him.During SD! this week in Montreal the crowd were buzzing in the DB match.Plus some fans (kids mostly) don't appreciate the pure wrestling that some superstars do in the ring.

Someone also said this above but when i went to a live event they were glued aswell to the Daniel Bryan match,he is only going to get bigger & bigger in the WWE.They NEED to change his theme song once again before he becomes WHC.Dont blame WWE for picking Daniel Bryan's theme songs because i read an article and it says that Daniel Bryan choosed his theme songs himself but WWE didn't find it serious enough so they gave him a different one.But overall there is no need to be worried at the moment.

 

[Deoxyribonucleic A.C.I.D.]

Crowd reaction is a common problem for all the midcarders today in WWE. It's just the crowd only care about the Main Event and nothing else. Alex Riley's huge reactions gone after his feud with the Miz was over, Ziggler barely gets heat, Morrison is not as hot as he was before, R-Truth heat is gone after he was done with Cena, Henry still doesn't seem as a credible threat to the WH Champion because his reactions. Only a few exceptions stand out and these are Rhodes, Sheamus and Barrett. Bryan is the current holder of the MITB briefcase. He has the ball and he needs to run with it. If he cashes in before Wrestlemania it means that he has failed, if he cashes in at Wrestlemania, then get ready for something bigger to come.

 

[Syborgg]

Now that the Christian-Orton fued seems to be coming to an end, why not put him in a program with Captain Charisma? This would give D-Bryan a good "rub" as Christian has nicely established himself as a top heel on the show. The storyline almost writes itself, they could have Christian wanting D-Bryan to put up the case in a match so Christian can get back to the title picture. That right there would be the premise of the fued.

The thing about Bryan is that he's kinda like Sin Cara, where he has all that talent, but has yet to do anything that really stands out. His matches are always spot on, but until he's in a fued with real emotion, and not just a series of matches, the general audience won't give a crap about him. They need a top heel to cause him a pretty big injustice, and Christian could be that heel. Besides Christian could also carry D-Bryan in a few promos which would also help alot.

 

[The_Don]

The thing about Bryan is that he's kinda like Sin Cara, where he has all that talent, but has yet to do anything that really stands out.

i don't think DB and Cara are similar in ANY way...but that's ur opinion

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

What the fuck is all this shit about "true fans like him but those phoney mainstream fans just want looney tunes"?

Are you guys that self-involved? The 6 year old who has Cena's rap album and has all his shirts and has only been to WWE shows and only watches WWE shows is no less of a fan than me, a guy who has been to shows in a 600 mile radius of where I live spanning about 10 different companies.

"real fans" are anyone who enjoys pro wrestling. Pro wrestling is vast. Saying "real fans like Bryan Danielson" is like saying "real baseball fans like shutouts, not home runs". It's smug elitism bullshit. This is coming from a guy who has an autographed picture of Bryan Danielson from his last ROH match in Chicago and no merchandise from any WWE superstar.

Daniel Bryan is a solid midcarder right now. He's losing matches to guys who are or were recently in world title feuds and they're strong matches. His character is evolving and he's building up a fan base. There aren't "boring" chants during his matches, people aren't leaving during his matches, he's doing just fine.

 

[Syborgg]

i don't think DB and Cara are similar in ANY way...but that's ur opinion

Actually they are pretty similar in the fact that when they came into the company only the 10%ers on the interwebs knew anything about them. They are also similar in the fact that since they came in those same 10%ers have been waiting with baited breath for them to do something ground breaking, and besides a few top-notch matches by D-Bryan there really hasn't been anything remarkable. We are still waiting for both of them to have a big-time emotionally charged fued and we have yet to see it. Granted Bryan has been around for longer, but the point is still valid.

Look, I'm not taking anything away from D-Bryan, he is possibly the most technically sound guy on the active roster, but if they want to make him a believable ME champion he needs to break out a bit. Start cutting some good promos and showing some emotion to get the WWE Universe to care about him. My idea of a fued with Christian just might do that. I didn't watch any of Bryan's ROH stuff so I've only heard that he has mic skills through these forums. Who better to break them out with than one of the best talkers in the company(and THE best talker on SD)?