WWE signs Brian Danielson

[The_Monarch8123]

All I know is they need to get him on Smackdown! ASAP to do programs with Punk and Jericho.

That would be epic but I dont live in imagination land, only through the South Park Saga on my dvd I absolutely do wish Dragon the best if this is what his heart wants. I just thought he would go to Japan before ever signing with WWE "was just a strong gut feeling" I wouldn't of been half as stunned if it was say Nigel McGuinness because I could envision him in WWE, then again I thought Colt Cabana was tailor made for WWE

 

[Afro-Ameri-Spawn]

Big Whoop. I'm sure Bryan used his last set of knee pads to get down and blow Shawn Michaels to help him get into WWE finally. And while I am sure alot of you Ring of Homeless people fans will get all worked up from me even insinuating that Daniels would have to do such, as you think that he is the greatest thing next to God almighty himself, let me just say that I am pretty sure that I am right and that you people shoudl boo him for doing this.

You see, the thing is that after years of beating the crap out of himself in ROH and worldwide for pennies a say, he is now pretty banged up and injury prone. And that means that he is no longer able to take on per show pay for performing. He has to sell his soul for a guaranteed paycheck, which he can get regardless of if he can go or not.

Another reason why this is pretty lame is because Danielson is now past his prime. And don't fucking bring up his age you dolts, as his body shows the wear and tear of someone damned near twice his age, after spending years fucking it up for food stamps and bounced checks. And the sad sad ad truly pathetic part about this is that all of you Danielson fans will believe that his slower work ethic will have something to do with the WWE demanding that he water down his style or some other ******ed assed excuse like that. But in the end, all of you will be fooled into not placing the blame for this where is truly belongs, in Bryan Danielson.

So go ahead, shoot you loads worldwide as your hero has now sold his soul so that he can work lighter and have a 401K. And to be honest, who in the fuck can blame him. After all girlscouts, this is, first and foremost, just business.

 

[JDavis328]

I honestly dont see him being a scotty goldman guy honestly. Look at all the things danielson has on his side

-HBK,Regal,Punk,Ross,Ace and im gonna bet anyone who has worked for ROH ever(which is honestly rising amount in the wwe) or seen his work on his side.

-He is not only a huge indy star but unlike the colt cabana,brian kendrick,or paul london and all the others,he has been a huge sucess in the indys and japan. Yes those three i mentioned are great but if you look at the sucess wise,its mid card indy status if that.

-The can out wrestle alot of the roster there. WWE has been big on new styles being let in like look at Bourne. Before Evan came on did any of us think vince would let anyone do some of that stuff like the Shooting star press or those diving knees and all that stuff? I honestly think while yes he may not have a few moves,he will have most of his arsenal. Because well Matt Hardy and CM Punk have been seen using some of the classic elbows and Regal and a few others wrestle a similar tech style as danielson.

I think he will do fine. Of course thats not saying he will for sure because anything could happen. Harris would of been great if he wouldnt of let him self go but i dont see danielson going that route. His style,size,and status all could fit in easily. Plus you got Low-Ki or Kaval now apart of FCW,hes out with a injury currently but i would be if he wasnt injured he would of already made it to tv by now. So you got so many awesome styles comming to wwe,I like what I see. Diversity in wrestling is always a good thing.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

Big Whoop. I'm sure Bryan used his last set of knee pads to get down and blow Shawn Michaels to help him get into WWE finally. And while I am sure alot of you Ring of Homeless people fans will get all worked up from me even insinuating that Daniels would have to do such, as you think that he is the greatest thing next to God almighty himself, let me just say that I am pretty sure that I am right and that you people shoudl boo him for doing this.

You see, the thing is that after years of beating the crap out of himself in ROH and worldwide for pennies a say, he is now pretty banged up and injury prone. And that means that he is no longer able to take on per show pay for performing. He has to sell his soul for a guaranteed paycheck, which he can get regardless of if he can go or not.

Another reason why this is pretty lame is because Danielson is now past his prime. And don't fucking bring up his age you dolts, as his body shows the wear and tear of someone damned near twice his age, after spending years fucking it up for food stamps and bounced checks. And the sad sad ad truly pathetic part about this is that all of you Danielson fans will believe that his slower work ethic will have something to do with the WWE demanding that he water down his style or some other ******ed assed excuse like that. But in the end, all of you will be fooled into not placing the blame for this where is truly belongs, in Bryan Danielson.

So go ahead, shoot you loads worldwide as your hero has now sold his soul so that he can work lighter and have a 401K. And to be honest, who in the fuck can blame him. After all girlscouts, this is, first and foremost, just business.

Your post cracked me the Fuck up, as it's so true. "Ring of Homeless People fans" LOL.

However, look on the bright side. You know all the ROH bots are going to be going bat-shit crazy over Danielson once he debuts. If they keep acting like a bunch of kids off their Ritalin once he debuts, this could lead to a potential backlash amongst the WWE fanbase who don't think he is anything special, at all.

You'll have only a small handful of fans screaming like a bunch of girls over him, while the rest of the arena sits in absolute silence and gives him no reaction at all. Then, once WWE sees that it is only a vocal handfull of fans cheering him on, then they can go ahead and job him out to the Mike Knox's and Paul Burchill's.

 

[MisterMondayNight]

This is a Win-Win situation for bother parties involved.

Danielson gets recognition on a national stage as one of the best technical wrestlers out there. He can now hone his amazing skills by facing some of the best in the world after exhausting the resources ROH has provided. He accomplished all that could be accomplished there, and is now moving to greener pastures. He'll be able to face his mentors Regal and HBK and possibly have a great feud with CM Punk.

The WWE can now fill in the void of true technical wrestling since Benoit with this signing. They can also bank on the fact that they have a new, fairly well-known, great young star to push along with Morrison, Ziggler, Kingston, MVP, and Swagger. They can also book great matches with Punk, and possibly Low Ki a bit further down the line when he is called up from FCW. This move will also attract fans of the sport of professional wrestling. Danielson, what he lacks in mic skills, has always managed to have a great fan base, and many "smarks" and fans of pure wrestling will be attracted to the WWE more so now that they have the Dragon.

There are no glass ceilings that can't be broken for both sides with this move. Vince said he needs new stars, which pretty much assures that Danielson will at least have a decent WWE career. He needs a new star, and Danielson brings a lot to the table for the WWE. This move couldn;t have come at a better time for the WWE and Danielson.

 

[TellMeWhy]

I don't understand you people applauding this decision. This is nothing but ROH being punished by WWE for moving to Monday Nights. WWE will attempt to sign away more ROH talent. The only reason they've finally signed Danielson is to simply take him away from ROH. This is nothing but history repeating itself. WWE did the same thing to ECW and took away their big name talents like The Dudleyz/3D and took Taz the same way that the WWE has now taken the face of ROH simply to hurt a potential rival. WWE has no real plans for Danielson. The guy is 5'9, 185 pounds, has no gimmick, where's no mask, and is bland. You people honestly feel he'll get pushed to the moon? Stop jumping around in joy and be serious for a second!

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

I don't understand you people applauding this decision. This is nothing but ROH being punished by WWE for moving to Monday Nights. WWE will attempt to sign away more ROH talent. The only reason they've finally signed Danielson is to simply take him away from ROH. This is nothing but history repeating itself. WWE did the same thing to ECW and took away their big name talents like The Dudleyz/3D and took Taz the same way that the WWE has now taken the face of ROH simply to hurt a potential rival. WWE has no real plans for Danielson. The guy is 5'9, 185 pounds, has no gimmick, where's no mask, and is bland. You people honestly feel he'll get pushed to the moon? Stop jumping around in joy and be serious for a second!

Now, now. We have to give the ROH fans some hope, now don't we?

Let them think the reason he was signed was because of his wrestling skills, and that it had nothing to do with WWE taking their top stars away because of the TV deal. He doesn't have a gimmick now, and he won't when he gets to WWE, since a majority of their talent doesn't have gimmicks either. So, he'll blend in nicely.

But we have to give the technical wrestling fans some hope in their wet dream that WWE will finally one day, fully become a replicate of Ring of Honor. That way, the top organization in the country will represent a product to their liking across each of its television shows.

And you are right. WWE will sign more ROH talent and undoubtedly punish ROH for this move in moving to Monday nights. I'm sure TNA is taking notice as well, of what happens when you move in on WWE's night of the week for wrestling. But we can sit back and enjoy the show to see what WWE actually does with these guys, if anything.

 

[X]

Oh for the love of Christ put away the fucking ROH bot argument and stop being such an elitist. Didn't we just have this conversation?

What the fuck is wrong with being an ROH fan? Seriously? Is there something wrong with liking a wrestling promotion now? ROH doesn't have any talent whatsoever then? Do you realize how outlandish it is to assume that the third largest wrestling promotion in the United States has no talent, and they're all just bland hacks that these "ROH bots" cheer on?

I remember hearing this SAME EXACT shit when CM Punk was signed. Everyone said he'd be buried. He just won the main event of Summerslam tonight. Look how right they turned out. Now I'm not comparing Punk to Danielson, because frankly I think Punk is way, way above Danielson both in the ring and on the mic, but to just assume the WWE will instantly bury this guy for being in ROH is ridiculous. You must realize that the majority of WWE fans probably don't even know what ROH is? When WCW and WWF signed away that talent from ECW like you said, were they not pushed? The Dudleys and Taz both received pushes upon entering the WWE.

I'm not going to pretend to know what they're going to do with Danielson, but I find it hilarious that you guys can seemingly predict the future and know he's going to be buried. Can we just wait and see what happens first before you shit all over this guy?

I love Brian Danielson, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. ROH as well. Guess that makes me a hopeless sheep though, right?

 

[Harthan]

So how about we be less self important pricks and try to look at the positives this situation might yield, eh?

How is Danielson any worse than the current midcard talent? Shit on the mic? How many Danielson promos have you seen? He's perfectly fine on the mic. He's no god, but he's got all the skills there a WWE midcarder would need. He can cut a promo as well as any midcarder in the WWE today with the exception of a select hand full destined for the main event.

Furthermore, he can work a match better than damn near anyone else in the country. This isn't going to make him a main eventer in the WWE, but when two of their shows, ECW and SmackDown, are making a concentrated toward the in ring product more than promos. Again - not making him a main event, but giving him good prospects. He also has the advantage of a friend and former opponent CM Punk being in the main event, which may get him some form of interaction with Punk, who at this point, has the ability to rub midcarders.

Furthermore, he's got Regal and Shawn Michaels as allies, he's already gone over in a dark match, defeating Lance Cade at a time when Cade was being considered as a main event prospect, and was pretty over in his match. It seems to indicate to me the company likes him enough to push him well.

So really, Sidious, how about getting off that high horse of yours, and instead of trashing ROH fans for blind love of Danielson, stop putting out flimsy arguments that are rooted in nothing but your blind hate of ROH.

Go ahead and reply about how I've misunderstood you, and how really, everything you say is dripped in honey and sugar and will make all wrestling better. Please.

 

[Lee]

Now, now. We have to give the ROH fans some hope, now don't we?

Let them think the reason he was signed was because of his wrestling skills, and that it had nothing to do with WWE taking their top stars away because of the TV deal. He doesn't have a gimmick now, and he won't when he gets to WWE, since a majority of their talent doesn't have gimmicks either. So, he'll blend in nicely.

But we have to give the technical wrestling fans some hope in their wet dream that WWE will finally one day, fully become a replicate of Ring of Honor. That way, the top organization in the country will represent a product to their liking across each of its television shows.

And you are right. WWE will sign more ROH talent and undoubtedly punish ROH for this move in moving to Monday nights. I'm sure TNA is taking notice as well, of what happens when you move in on WWE's night of the week for wrestling. But we can sit back and enjoy the show to see what WWE actually does with these guys, if anything.

What they should do is just copy your sig and that way the WWE would be fixed, FOREVER!!!

Who's to say how WWE are going to use Danielson? They could easily put him in FCW for a little while to adapt to the WWE way, but damn those ROH stars damn Punk, damn Bourne damn them both! There is no way to tell how anyone will turn out, but for a guy in his mid 20s who does as well as he does, I for one say that he does have a future, he should be given a chance.

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

How is Danielson any worse than the current midcard talent? Shit on the mic? How many Danielson promos have you seen? He's perfectly fine on the mic.

I never called him "shit on the mic". Thanks for putting words in my mouth, though. But I can do my own talking just fine, thank you.

Furthermore, he can work a match better than damn near anyone else in the country.

Believe me, I know. The ROH fans have already pronounced him God of the IWC, and it is even written in our own IWC Bible on here.

This isn't going to make him a main eventer in the WWE, but when two of their shows, ECW and SmackDown, are making a concentrated toward the in ring product more than promos.

Not sure if you have actually been watching what has been going on in ECW the past few months, but if anything, they are moving away from the show being a technically-oriented show, and are going back to Entertainment. That move seems to have been made with the introduction of Zack Ryder, an actual storyline with The Hurricane (we sure don't see many storylines or gimmicks anymore) and with the Abraham Washington show becoming a weekly segment. A couple of months ago, and I would have agreed.

However, Smackdown, and of course Superstars, are the wrestling-oriented programs and as I said, Danielson will have a good home on Smackdown. However, he isn't going to be over a lick, which I know is going to drive the ROH fans absolutely crazy, since the WWE fans aren't embracing their vision for wrestling. So, we can be prepared for endless bitching on the Internet because of this, coming up.

Furthermore, he's got Regal and Shawn Michaels as allies, he's already gone over in a dark match, defeating Lance Cade at a time when Cade was being considered as a main event prospect, and was pretty over in his match. It seems to indicate to me the company likes him enough to push him well.

Lance Cade was allies with Shawn Michaels, too, and look what happened to him. Plus, I don't know if being chummy with Regal will necessarily help all that much or not. It won't hurt him, but I just don't know if it will help him, since WWE hasn't been very big on Regal at all ... until surprisingly just recently when they started pushing him in a program for the title ... on the least important brand.

So really, Sidious, how about getting off that high horse of yours, and instead of trashing ROH fans for blind love of Danielson, stop putting out flimsy arguments that are rooted in nothing but your blind hate of ROH.

When the WWE went PG, I saw a lot of people jumping down the throat of WWE because they felt that the show was becoming a kiddie product. And that is where their focus was. In time, however, I actually saw something different happening. Instead of WWE becoming a Kiddie Product, I instead saw them transforming wrestling into a very technically-based product, while taking pages of ROH, Japan, and some very small elements of MMA and incorporating it into their show, instead. In other words, what I saw transpiring before my eyes was American pro wrestling dying, and seeing a product ushered in that was more so reflective of those elements (ROH, Japan, etc.).

That is the real threat that WWE is under. Not the PG rating and them necessarily producing a "Kiddie product". And when I saw this transpiring and realized what Vince was doing, I voiced my concerns over it. And what I got back in return was essentially my tastes in wrestling bashed by these fans, told that I wasn't a "real wrestling fan" (despite the fact I've been watching for going on 20 years), and other various insults, while they promoted their own wrestling.

I suggested a hybrid of wrestling products for all wrestling fans, and they still essentially told me to "Go to Hell". So, that is why I despise these fans with a passion.

With the signing of Bryan Danielson, who is undoubtedly an icon to these fans, I can definitely see this debate coming to a head between the fans of sports entertainment, and the technical wrestling fans who would rather see wrestling presented as a sport, more so than an action/drama entertainment program like myself.

With that being said, it's late and I am done for the night. Off to bed.

 

[Harthan]

I never called him "shit on the mic". Thanks for putting words in my mouth, though. But I can do my own talking just fine, thank you.

Don't play this particular bullshit with me, you know what your implications were.

Believe me, I know. The ROH fans have already pronounced him God of the IWC, and it is even written in our own IWC Bible on here.

So what? Because the IWC that you so fucking love to criticize thinks one thing, it's not true? Danielson is among the best in the US in working matches, and not because he does dozens of moves, but because he understands the art and entertains better than damn near anyone else.

Not sure if you have actually been watching what has been going on in ECW the past few months, but if anything, they are moving away from the show being a technically-oriented show, and are going back to Entertainment. That move seems to have been made with the introduction of Zack Ryder, an actual storyline with The Hurricane (we sure don't see many storylines or gimmicks anymore) and with the Abraham Washington show becoming a weekly segment. A couple of months ago, and I would have agreed.

I watch a show that has about four wrestling matches a night and actually pays a lot of attention to them. I specified earlier that SmackDown was more towards the wrestling side than ECW, but ECW pays it a damn lot of attention as well.

However, he isn't going to be over a lick,

The fuck do you know? Go watch Danielson in PWG sometime, and you'll find out he can be a funny, amusing character, yeah, character, the word you love so much, and then drive home a hard hitting wrestling contest. Also, if you read the reports of his dark match in WWE, you'd know he was quite over in that contest, and we have no fucking idea how over he's gonna be until he debuts, so, yeah, how about you stop trying to be Madame Sidious and read a god damned crystal ball over there.

which I know is going to drive the ROH fans absolutely crazy,

Why the fuck should it? Hell, if anything, it should make ROH fans HAPPY. If Danielson doesn't get over, he'll get released, and come back to ROH where he's at his best. If I wasn't a WWE fan also, I'd sure as hell be gunning for Danielson to fail. Same situation as Colt Cabana.

since the WWE fans aren't embracing their vision for wrestling.

Once again, Madame Sidious, maybe you should stuff a sock in it and wait until, I dunno, Danielson fucking debuts, and we can find out? If Danielson gets silence, then gratz, you were right, but imagine that we should fucking let the guy debut and figure it out.

So, we can be prepared for endless bitching on the Internet because of this, coming up.

Yeah, I bet you must hate people bitching on the internet...considering you do it every single day.

Lance Cade was allies with Shawn Michaels, too, and look what happened to him.

Yeah, he had a drug induced seizure on a plane, in public. Shawn can't save him from that shit.

Plus, I don't know if being chummy with Regal will necessarily help all that much or not. It won't hurt him, but I just don't know if it will help him, since WWE hasn't been very big on Regal at all ... until surprisingly just recently when they started pushing him in a program for the title ... on the least important brand.

Regal's been a vet with the company for a long time now. I would imagine he has pull.

When the WWE went PG, I saw a lot of people jumping down the throat of WWE because they felt that the show was becoming a kiddie product. And that is where their focus was. In time, however, I actually saw something different happening. Instead of WWE becoming a Kiddie Product, I instead saw them transforming wrestling into a very technically-based product, while taking pages of ROH, Japan, and some very small elements of MMA and incorporating it into their show, instead. In other words, what I saw transpiring before my eyes was American pro wrestling dying, and seeing a product ushered in that was more so reflective of those elements (ROH, Japan, etc.).

That is the real threat that WWE is under. Not the PG rating and them necessarily producing a "Kiddie product". And when I saw this transpiring and realized what Vince was doing, I voiced my concerns over it. And what I got back in return was essentially my tastes in wrestling bashed by these fans, told that I wasn't a "real wrestling fan" (despite the fact I've been watching for going on 20 years), and other various insults, while they promoted their own wrestling.

I suggested a hybrid of wrestling products for all wrestling fans, and they still essentially told me to "Go to Hell". So, that is why I despise these fans with a passion.

With the signing of Bryan Danielson, who is undoubtedly an icon to these fans, I can definitely see this debate coming to a head between the fans of sports entertainment, and the technical wrestling fans who would rather see wrestling presented as a sport, more so than an action/drama entertainment program like myself.

With that being said, it's late and I am done for the night. Off to bed.

Holy shazbot son, you are reading too much into this. The signing of Bryan Danielson isn't about fundamentally changing the product to some crazy psuedo MMA company. The ROH product is always going to appeal to nothing but a niche product, and you're loony if you think Vince wants to switch his show toward an ROH based product. There's a reason the WWE is a multi billion dollar global franchise and ROH holds shows in armories and high school gyms. I love ROH with a passion, because I love the product they offer. But I know it doesn't appeal to everyone, and Vince knows that too. Vince signed Danielson for one of two reasons: to steal from ROH, or to utilize Bryan's talent to improve the WWE. Not to turn it into an international ROH, but to use Bryan in a sports entertainment product. You're on some kind of conspiracy theory that honestly has me disturbed. Take a step back and understand that Vince signs all kinds of people, and he does it to improve sports entertainment.

 

[jmt225]

I have mixed feelings on this.

On one hand, I'm very happy to hear that Danielson is finally going to get that paycheck, and the thought of him actually doing well in the company and facing off against guys like HBK, Punk, Jeff Hardy (when he returns), Orton, etc. has me very excited. And let's face it... what else is there for him to do on the indy scene? Nothing, really. I was hoping for a RVD/Danielson match at the up coming Pro Wrestling Guerrilla show, but other than that... it's hard to get excited for a Danielson match in ROH or PWG anymore, because we've already seen it most likely. He's done literally everything there is to do. In fact, I bet that's why he signed. In 2006 he refused to sign with WWE because he hated the product he was watching every week. Today, it's the same product, but yet he signs. I think that's because he grew bored with the indies and knew there was nothing left for him to do. People just get to a point in their life where they need excitement, and I don't think Danielson was getting the butterflies today like he was in 2006. Plus, let's be honest, if it doesn't work out in WWE, the indy scene will still be there once he leaves. I know a lot of people are thinking this signing is the death of Ring of Honor, but those people could not be more wrong.

But the bolded part is why I'm having mixed feelings on this. What if Danielson doesn't do well? Man, that would suck. As far as I'm concerned, Bryan Danielson is without a doubt one of the most talented wrestlers on the planet, and WWE just has a habit of fucking guys like that up. Just look at CM Punk. Seriously, right now it's all well and good, but when he first signed.... he was held down in OVW for a fucking year. It was ridiculous. It took ECW resurrecting and Paul Heyman becoming a writer for WWE again for him to get brought up. Seriously, if ECW doesn't come back.... then right now CM Punk is either back on the indies, and maybe even still in OVW. They were wasting his talent, because WWE had no clue what they had with him until someone with an actual brain got the book again in Heyman. I'm so afraid that Danielson will end up like Cabana. Colt Cabana NEVER got a fair chance in WWE, like so many others, and if that happens with Danielson... it's going to suck. All the ******s on the 'net will then harp their bullshit about how he couldn't make it, and Danielson will be right back to where he was before signing with WWE: doing shit we've already seen done frpm him a thousand times over.

But anyway, here's hoping that WWE realizes just what a great talent they signed and actually gives him a chance. This could be a really great thing for both the company and the fans, or WWE could fuck it all up, and the ones who suffer the most will be us, because we'll then be missing out on all the great opportunities WWE had with a guy like the American Dragon.

 

[Freddy4190]

I honestly have never watched a Danielson match in my life. I've watched clips of his moves, and tribute videos of him and just through that I kind of thought he was bland. I understand ROH is just about wrestling. That's cool, I respect all that. I however enjoy a pinch of storytelling thrown in here and there. Apparently, Danielson is a god, and he might make it in the WWE. Who knows? Sydal is doing pretty well, not as good as he could be, but better then some have. I say let's just wait and see, can't hurt to try. I'm sure if his tenure in the WWE is fucked that Ring of Honor will be waiting for him with open arms.

 

[CH David]

I never called him "shit on the mic". Thanks for putting words in my mouth, though. But I can do my own talking just fine, thank you.

He never said you did. He said let us look at the positives that the signing of Danielson could bring. And he also said for you to stop being a self-important prick. He never once said you called him shit on the mic. He was just relaying some positives that could come from this signing.

Believe me, I know. The ROH fans have already pronounced him God of the IWC, and it is even written in our own IWC Bible on here.

Because he is one of the best technical wrestlers in the business, no matter the promotion. I don't see why that is a problem for any promotion.

Not sure if you have actually been watching what has been going on in ECW the past few months, but if anything, they are moving away from the show being a technically-oriented show, and are going back to Entertainment. That move seems to have been made with the introduction of Zack Ryder, an actual storyline with The Hurricane (we sure don't see many storylines or gimmicks anymore) and with the Abraham Washington show becoming a weekly segment. A couple of months ago, and I would have agreed.

I can't comment right now on ECW, I haven't been able to catch it lately. But I'll let you know my opinion when I see the tapings live in about 3 weeks.

However, Smackdown, and of course Superstars, are the wrestling-oriented programs and as I said, Danielson will have a good home on Smackdown. However, he isn't going to be over a lick, which I know is going to drive the ROH fans absolutely crazy, since the WWE fans aren't embracing their vision for wrestling. So, we can be prepared for endless bitching on the Internet because of this, coming up.

How are you going to say that Danielson won't get over at all? As we established, he is pretty much the Indy God of Wrestling. What is to say that they don't end up going to live shows to see him perform? If, and with the WWE it is a fairly big if, he is able to keep his own name, and his ability to perform, because he doesn't have a gimmick "Oh dear, he is doomed to fail without one". Smackdown would be perfect for him.

Half of the Smackdown locker room doesn't have a tried and true gimmick, more just little tweaks to their own personas, or more emphasis on their lifestyle. And yet, they are still over with the crowd. Punk is Straight Edge, Jeff Hardy is a dare devil. Both are how they live life. Sure Jeff may be gone soon, but Punk is the Champion, also from the indies. Gee he didn't get anywhere did he?

Hell, even on Raw people are over without a gimmick. Cena hasn't had a gimmick since he was a rapper. Don't try and feed the Marine as a gimmick either. That was to promote his movie. Batista? I see a big guy who beats the crap out of people when he isn't injured. Nothing really there either. I'd say both of them are over as well.

Lance Cade was allies with Shawn Michaels, too, and look what happened to him. Plus, I don't know if being chummy with Regal will necessarily help all that much or not. It won't hurt him, but I just don't know if it will help him, since WWE hasn't been very big on Regal at all ... until surprisingly just recently when they started pushing him in a program for the title ... on the least important brand.

Lance Cade wasn't as well known as Bryan Danielson is now was he? I don't just mean throughout the WWE Universe, because obviously that is the only one that matters to you, but I mean throughout indies as well. But again that is already established. Shawn can help get his feet wet, and if he does go to Smackdown, Punk would probably help him get adjusted as well.

When the WWE went PG, I saw a lot of people jumping down the throat of WWE because they felt that the show was becoming a kiddie product. And that is where their focus was. In time, however, I actually saw something different happening. Instead of WWE becoming a Kiddie Product, I instead saw them transforming wrestling into a very technically-based product, while taking pages of ROH, Japan, and some very small elements of MMA and incorporating it into their show, instead. In other words, what I saw transpiring before my eyes was American pro wrestling dying, and seeing a product ushered in that was more so reflective of those elements (ROH, Japan, etc.).

If this is going down, where they are taking pages from those promotions, let me ask, what is so wrong with being technical? It is wrestling at its finest, and I say wrestling, not entertainment. There are people that prefer the wrestling, and others that love the entertainment. I love both, is that so hard to accomplish both aspects? By the way, while I have your time, if they are becoming a technically based product, whose fault is that? I know sure as shit it is not the fans fault. Everything that has to do with the WWE has to go through Vince. So if they are moving to a more technical product, blame Vince, and not the fans for wanting it. Vince does not give a flying fuck what any of us have to say, he just wants his product to make money.

That is the real threat that WWE is under. Not the PG rating and them necessarily producing a "Kiddie product". And when I saw this transpiring and realized what Vince was doing, I voiced my concerns over it. And what I got back in return was essentially my tastes in wrestling bashed by these fans, told that I wasn't a "real wrestling fan" (despite the fact I've been watching for going on 20 years), and other various insults, while they promoted their own wrestling.

Ahh, now I see that you address that Vince as the "culprit" behind the new technical-based product. I won't bash your feeling towards wrestling. Everyone has different tastes. It is just that you are saying the older ways of wrestling are the greatest thing to ever grace wrestling. I wasn't around to enjoy the Golden Era, but I was here for the Attitude Era. And I will continue to say it was the time I was most entertained. But I am still entertained by the product of today, with some parts being stale, but it happens. You take too much stock in storylines, like they are the end all be all of making wrestling exciting. A storyline can be awesome, but the in-ring product could suck ass, or a storyline can completely suck, but the wrestlers going at it in the ring could make it look like a million bucks.

I suggested a hybrid of wrestling products for all wrestling fans, and they still essentially told me to "Go to Hell". So, that is why I despise these fans with a passion.

People don't like their wrestling getting messed with. You don't like that storyline and gimmicks aren't the key to the program anymore. Other people didn't like when ECW on TNN wasn't as extreme as on Hardcore TV. There will always be a backlash because people may not like what they are being presented with, whether it is how it is presented, or maybe who presents it.

With the signing of Bryan Danielson, who is undoubtedly an icon to these fans, I can definitely see this debate coming to a head between the fans of sports entertainment, and the technical wrestling fans who would rather see wrestling presented as a sport, more so than an action/drama entertainment program like myself.

Of course it will come to a head when people can't get passed their hatred of a product or the praise of a wrestler. You hate ROH because people love the product, and they show their love for it and shot your ideas down. Not everyone loves the dramatic storylines. There are tons of people that love wrestling for what it is, wrestling. "Shock, horror, pro wrestling being treated as a sport and not drama, oh say it ain't so." I'm not trying to shit on your ideas but you are going the wrong way with them. Trying to tell people that the current product would be so much better following your plan, when there are a ton of people, casual fans of course, that love the current product. I don't see why you have to shit on their thoughts just because it isn't to your liking.

Now, having said all that. I am not too familiar with Bryan Danielson, I have seen clips of him, but I don't get ROH so I can't watch him regularly. He has a good flow in the ring, and would definitely excel on Smackdown. Hopefully Vince lets him keep his name, because he would be more recognizable as Bryan Danielson, and not as some stupid ass name. He has done a lot of stuff in his career from what I know of, so I would say he has earned the right to sign with the company. The only ways I see him not succeeding in the WWE, is two reasons. Vince doesn't allow him to be the wrestler he is, and just keeps him on the lower card or as a jobber. This would be a slap in the face of every indy fan, so obviously Sidious would get a kick out of it. Or if he pulls a Kennedy and gets injured all the time. I don't see the lack of a gimmick being the cause of his demise. He can wrestle with the best of them, and if luck goes his way, he will be a very good, and probably popular upper mid-card mainstay.

 

[Tastycles]

People are getting way, way ahead of themselves here. When WWE signed Harris and Killings, they were off TV for somewhere in the vicinity of 6 months. Expect that here. Danielson is most certainly not the finished product, and any contract he has will be developmental, just like everyone else who has ever gone from ROH to WWE.

Danielson will be in FCW for about 6 months and then he will be on ECW's talent initiative. Or you better hope he had be, because otherwise he'll be Scotty Goldmaning his way out of the company.

So anyway, he'll probably debut on FCW shortly after WrestleMania, and if he takes off, then his career will follow the trajectory of the likes of Swagger and Evan Bourne. If it doesn't, then it will follow the trajectory of Gavin Spears. If you expect him to be feuding with John Morrison next week, you're going to be disappointed.

 

[Cowboyfromhell]

As an ROH fan I am saddened that I will no longer see Dragon as he is ROH. For appearing incredibly bland, he's not. He is usually the highlight of any show I have ever been to. He put on great matches and some of you fellas seem to like to bash him but I am not afraid to admit that I am a Dragon fan.
And anyone that thinks that WWE signed him because they are mad that ROH has moved to Monday nights, you guys just lack intelligence. ROH is not trying to steal WWE fans, they just figure Monday night is the biggest wrestling night of the week, maybe people will watch ROH before the number one wrestling company on the planet starts. It's called a lead in, geniuses. ROH hasn't declared war on Monday nights. And WWE isn't scared or worried about them in the least. Half of the WWE fans have no idea what ROH is and will have no clue who Dragon is when he steps in the ring the first time.
This is good for Dragon as he can always go back to ROH if need be.
His success in WWE purely depends on the creative team. There have been terrible wrestlers that have made it purely because they are character driven, which is fine, it's entertainment. But no one can doubt or question Dragon's in ring ability. So it is up to creative.
And he won't be buried as he is close to Shawn Michaels who is close to HHH and that's all you need to be close to in WWE politics. Plus they had Dragon win a dark match before a TV taping, a few months back. So while I will miss him I wish him well and look forward to seeing him on tv sometime next year.

 

[Wainy]

Personally, I'm over the moon WWE have signed him. He is without a doubt, one of the best wrestlers of the last 5-10 years & he's more talented than say, ooooh, 99.9999999999999% of the current WWE roster. I'll take ROH over WWe any day because I do prefer the matches only format, but I still love it when someone of his calibre (& size!) signs for WWE because it shows that Vince is slooooooowly heading in the right direction. However. There's always the possibility that Vince will go with a name change, something like Race Townsend or Ripper Jackson or Chase Watson! They'll change his look, tone down his style completely & job him out to Carlito. It's a sad but very possible possibility!

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The most likely thing here is that he will be working with Shawn again behind the scenes to get him "gimmick savvy"... Danielson IS HBK's protege, so that will likely be his gimmick... HBK will bring him in, Trips will get jealous etc... WWE hasn't had a good student v teacher feud since Zybysko and Sammartino... so that will no doubt be the plan... for Shawn to retire to Danielson...

The fact that Danielson started with Shawn in the TWA will count for a lot with Vince, as well as the fact that up to now, that connection has not been exploited much, yet Danielson is considered the best non WWE worker by the majority of fans and those in the business... If they can't create a star from that blueprint then WWE deserves to fold... simple as that...

 

[D-Man]

Now, now. We have to give the ROH fans some hope, now don't we?

Let them think the reason he was signed was because of his wrestling skills, and that it had nothing to do with WWE taking their top stars away because of the TV deal. He doesn't have a gimmick now, and he won't when he gets to WWE, since a majority of their talent doesn't have gimmicks either. So, he'll blend in nicely.

But we have to give the technical wrestling fans some hope in their wet dream that WWE will finally one day, fully become a replicate of Ring of Honor. That way, the top organization in the country will represent a product to their liking across each of its television shows.

And you are right. WWE will sign more ROH talent and undoubtedly punish ROH for this move in moving to Monday nights. I'm sure TNA is taking notice as well, of what happens when you move in on WWE's night of the week for wrestling. But we can sit back and enjoy the show to see what WWE actually does with these guys, if anything.

…I don't feel Ring of Honor in its current form could ever become a serious threat to WWE ... unless WWE simply decides to adopt their style from within, which has transpired to a degree this past year.

You'll have only a small handful of fans screaming like a bunch of girls over him, while the rest of the arena sits in absolute silence and gives him no reaction at all. Then, once WWE sees that it is only a vocal handfull of fans cheering him on, then they can go ahead and job him out to the Mike Knox's and Paul Burchill's.

Define “pompous” – LOOK ABOVE.

Are you fucking kidding me?? I’ll be honest… I’ve never seen a Bryan Danielson match or a ROH show in my entire life. However, I HAVE seen Samoa Joe, CM Punk, Evan Bourne, and other products of ROH come into top tier promotions such as TNA and WWE and tear it up. Stars like them have completely convinced me that the mold of the quintessential pro-wrestler has changed over the years…drastically. And I have been pleasantly surprised at what has become of these new stars. At the same time, I’ve seen others like Colt Cabana flop, flounder, and fucking fail. So what does this tell me? NO ONE KNOWS WHAT IS GOING TO COME OF BRYAN DANIELSON.

Seriously, I am so sick and tired of everyone thinking they KNOW what will happen with Danielson. I'm sick of people preaching their wrestling know-it-all, their "vision" of the how the product is, where it's going, and what it should be, and I'm just sick and tired of stupid smark terminology like "ROH-bots." I think that you people should take your arrogance and go to another forum with it, while checking yourself in the process.

Normally, I just give my opinions in professional wrestling and prelude my statements with “I think…”. However, for this occurrence, I stand by a statement that I know you will all agree with. The signing of Bryan Danielson is a roll of the dice, just as has been with every wrestler that the WWE has ever developed on their roster. The WWE has proven time and time again that a product of success in one promotion does not dictate their success in another, whether it has been WWE, TNA, WCW, NWA, or ROH.

The WWE has a collection of some of the greatest professional wrestlers in the world. They are the top promotion with an arsenal of tools and weapons that keep them at the top with no one even trailing in their dust. They have a blend of every flavor of professional wrestler that you could think of… physically chiseled specimens such as Cena and Batista, charismatic microphone masters such as Chris Jericho and Edge, in-ring technicians such as CM Punk and HBK, successful gimmicked stars such as the Undertaker and Kane, lucha libre and high-flying wrestlers like Mysterio and Bourne, and giants like Big Show and the Great Khali. I am not going to be like some pompous and arrogant fans by saying that I’m sure that Bryan Danielson will fit into one of those specific categories. Honestly, I don’t have a fucking clue… and I LOVE that. I can’t wait to see Danielson go through the ringer in FCW, learn the WWE’s style of the art of pro-wrestling, and find his place on the roster, whether it be on ECW, Raw, or Smackdown. His reputation precedes him, and I hope he lives up to it, along with the hype that you are all producing in the IWC.

But, before all of this, he needs to learn that the WWE is different than any promotion that he has ever been through. It is not just a pro-wrestling promotion… it’s a television conglomerate. While other promotions produce “great matches”, the WWE produces television. They have finally found the route into the mainstream. WWE stars are slowly becoming mainstream stars and worldwide icons. Their goals are to become total packages consisting of athleticism, pleasing looks, and acting skills that appeal to people that love to be entertained by action and physicality. Ring of Honor FANS (not bots) have been following Danielson’s development into a few dimensions of this “total package.” The WWE will allow him to harness those existing skills and tap into skills that he probably thought he never had, and I’m sure that’s why he finally decided to sign with them. He wants to become that 100% well-rounded professional wrestler that only the WWE is capable of producing.

I’m never going to sit here and say that I know what direction he’s going in or where he’s headed, but I can’t wait to see it all unfold.

 

[Swolfsta22]

Lord siduos you are way to quick to judge my friend have you ever been to a ROH show i have i live around the corner from the ecw arena nd the fans at these shows do nothing but go wild for danielson the chant best in the world and arguebly he is no one can touch danielson when it comes to technical wrestling

You my friend need to waituntil he debuts and see wat happens cause ur like the typical wwe fan... Quick to bash another companys stars and dislike them before the get their chance

In al reality ur sort of disgrace to all around wrestling fans to be quite honest..

 

[The Roid Rage]

Aside from the pissing matches, theories, fantasies, and dreams of either side of the argument I thought I would weigh in on the topic as it is actually a pretty big deal.

From what I know of Ryan Danielson he is a pretty talented in ring performer. That's it, and that's all I know. I've never heard "He's good on the mic" "He cuts good promos" "He's a really marketable guy" "He's got the look" anything. Just that he is a good wrestler. While that may be enough in the "Ring of Honor" I don't see that as being enough on "The Grandest Stage Of Them All". No amount of "honor" gained elsewhere is going to get you anywhere in the WWE if you don't have it all. There is a reason that the WWE is the top of the mountain and it's not because they have the worst talent and so on, it's because they are the best in the world at what they do, Period! There is something for everyone in the WWE and I think the addition of Bryan Danielson is further proof.

Now the ROH marks have their champion going to the big show, to rule and conquer. We shall see. I don't know if that's going to be the case but if he does, good, so be it. It's never a bad thing for talent to go big no matter where they came from or who their fans are. If it's just going to fuel a rivalry over WWE vs ROH than so be it as well. The more heat for both companies the better, it turns out good for either of them as they both get more attention.

I like the addition of Bryan Danielson for one reason though. He is different. He is not from the FCW factory, and he doesn't need to really learn anything about how to wrestle, he already is pretty good at it from what I gather. He is a little less traditional than say John Cena, in the sense that he has worked a lot more of the indy circuit, stayed there, and developed there. What they do with him in WWE is going to make or break his career probably, so what he does and how they use him is going to be very important for both parties. Every guy is an investment, and you want the most out of it. I don't really think they would be bothering too much with him if they didn't think they could do something great with him, so have a little faith in the WWE on this one. It might not happen as fast as you want it, but have patience, and you just might see him go where you think he is capable of if he is as good as you say he is.



This is a little story for you to read that I thought I would add. This is for the argument inside the argument, and is a little real life proof of the truth.

I went to a movie theater where they always showed the WWE PPV's last year, I used to go there for all of them. Generally before every PPV there were two mc's from a local radio show who would run the event. There would be prize giveaways, PPV predictions and votes on who the crowd thought would win or wanted to win, Q&A with the fans on fantasy matches and favorites, and so on while everyone ordered tons of really good food and pitchers of beer. One night they decided to do something different. Instead of the usual pre PPV ceremonies, they decided to show everyone a ROH PPV that was on DVD, it must have been an experiment because at the time they were contemplating getting TNA PPV's as well upon request it seemed, and this must have been a test run to see if people would like ROH. Just to say the least, it was a dismal failure. They asked the crowd afterward what they thought of the ROH stuff and there was an overwhelming booooooooo. It put people to sleep including myself, and it made little to no sense. It was the most ridiculous thing I had ever seen, and one of the worst wrestling productions I have ever seen. this was old enough that Samoa Joe was still there, but I don't think that had anything to do with the quality or lack there of. All it was, was a bunch of people in some kind of hardcore match that lasted for an hour, beating each other with props, bladeing to make it all seem "Hardcore", and there was little to no actual wrestling. It was stunt double wrestling, and every now and then a random guy would come out and start in on the action, then another, and another, and it seemed to never end. It wasn't entertaining at all. All I saw was a bunch of cant-hack-it's competing in a meaningless match, beating each other like cavemen, and there was no purpose to any of it whatsoever. People just went at people at random, there were seemingly no real feuds just a bunch of people mutilating themselves, it wasn't good at all. The actual wrestling wasn't any better than anything I saw later on WWE's PPV either, it was mediocre at best. That was my impression of ROH, and if you don't agree with me, an entire theater of people did so, tough titty said the kitty, but my milk's still good.

 

['Classic' Ric]

I've never seen Bryan Danielson wrestle but my friend says he is good. I hear he wrestled in a little company where they let small men do flips and D'Lo Brown.

There is no point in trying to guess what the intelligent people at the WWE will have planned for him so if you're a fan of his just look forward to possibly seeing him in front of a large crowd and if you're not a fan of his lets just hope WWE rehires Tom Zenk!

Thank you

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

Lord siduos you are way to quick to judge my friend have you ever been to a ROH show i have i live around the corner from the ecw arena nd the fans at these shows do nothing but go wild for danielson the chant best in the world and arguebly he is no one can touch danielson when it comes to technical wrestling

You my friend need to waituntil he debuts and see wat happens cause ur like the typical wwe fan... Quick to bash another companys stars and dislike them before the get their chance

In al reality ur sort of disgrace to all around wrestling fans to be quite honest..

LOL!! That is so funny you said that. A few days ago, I posted these two decrees in the IWC Bible thread in the General Wrestling section:

47. And so it is written that ye Ring of Honor is thy best wrestling promotion.

As inscribed by the Prophet 48.7, there shalt not be any God placed before Bryan Danielson but also no promotion placed before Ring of Honor. Ye must understand and accept that even though WWE may be the largest promotion, Ring of Honor is the BEST promotion.

Thou shall work tirelessly in seeking that WWE fully replicate Ring of Honor. Only then, will the Prophecy be fulfilled and the Messiah may rise again.



48. Blessed be those disciples of Ring of Honor, for thou art thy Lord, Bryan Danielson's Chosen People.

It is decreed that any disciple of Ring of Honor be a far superior wrestling fan to all others. Thou shalt be known as a "Real Wrestling Fan" and may mock, ridicule, and spit on other wrestling fans, for thou art superior. All other wrestling fans shall kneel down in thy presence and worship the ground ye walks on.

Since ye disciples of Ring of Honor are "Real Wrestling Fans" and know better than all others the type of wrestling "fans should be liking", ye may have the authority to stomp out the opinions of any who oppose, by any means necessary. This includes mocking the Attitude Era and others taste in wrestling, decreeing endlessly that "Thy Attitude Era is DEAD!", decreeing "Thy Attitude Era is NEVER COMING BACK", and insulting PG-14 programming, while pretending that ye are really looking out for thy best interests of children.

It is so true, and it never ceases to amaze me as this mentality is proven time and time again.

I'm a "disgrace" to wrestling fans because I apparently don't want WWE to turn into a Ring of Honor-type product, yet I have been a staunch supporter of WWE for going on 20 years ... and you have the nerve to call me a disgrace to wrestling fans? I'd tell you what you could do to yourself, however I will hold my tongue.

I am going to simply respond to you as the others before you have stated that same blah, blah, blah. "He was over in the Indys! He was over in ROH!" and all that stuff. You and the others are under the impression that all wrestling fans stand for the same thing and all have the same ideologies. They don't. What may be over in ROH in all likelihood will NOT be over in WWE, because we are talking about two different breed of fans. WWE fans are not like ROH fans. They have different ideologies and different expectations with what they expect out of their wrestling. And in WWE, the actual wrestling itself has very little to do with actually getting over and connecting with the audience. Which is exactly why if they don't do something else with Danielson, then his technical wrestling isn't going to get him over a lick with the WWE fanbase.

You need to get into the minds of casual fans. Casual fans are not like you.

When Casual fans go to an event, they want to see:

1) Entertaining characters and segments
2) A little bit of comedy
3) Some wrestling
4) Beautiful women
5) Talent that can make that connection with the audience

and they simply want to have a good time. They could care less about seeing 2 hours of nothing but 4 star matches. I challenge WWE and people like you to witness a Raw or Smackdown comprised of absolutely nothing but matches, and watch the crowd reaction very closely. And I guarantee you that they will sit in absolute silence, if they don't get any of the other stuff that goes along with it.

PPV's are where to put on the 4 star matches and the people expect that. Weekly TV should be for character/feud/storyline development to get the people to actually care about all of that heading into a PPV. Not just putting on the same matches you will see on the PPV the next week. That depletes interest in all of that.

So as far as Danielson goes, like D-Man said above, even though I disagree with his earlier comments in his post, the signing of Danielson is a roll of the dice, depending on what WWE's intentions are. I can guarantee you that Danielson won't be over a lick in his debut if they simply debut him as is, and don't let him speak on the mic.

Like I said, these are two uniquely different audiences we are talking about. One appreciates wrestling for solely the technical aspect of it and solely derives their entertainment from watching matches. The other derives their entertainment from the total package that wrestling presents ... and demands good storylines/feuds and interesting characters to actually get them into the matches. And having an interesting character is definitely a pre-requisite of getting over in matches for these fans. If not, they could care less about you.

So all I am saying is that in WWE, you better hope that WWE does something else with Danielson, as opposed to simply sending him out there with no character and not allowing him to talk on the mic. Because I guarantee you that he will NOT get over with the WWE crowd solely based on his wrestling. If that is what one thinks, then they don't know or understand the WWE audience very well.

 

[D-Man]

LOL!! That is so funny you said that. A few days ago, I posted these two decrees in the IWC Bible thread in the General Wrestling section:

Oh, I get it... so since you wrote those "commandments" then they must be gospel, right? Excuse me while I throw up in my mouth some more...

Like I said, these are two uniquely different audiences we are talking about. One appreciates wrestling for solely the technical aspect of it and solely derives their entertainment from watching matches. The other derives their entertainment from the total package that wrestling presents ... and demands good storylines/feuds and interesting characters to actually get them into the matches. And having an interesting character is definitely a pre-requisite of getting over in matches for these fans. If not, they could care less about you.

Who really gives two shits about what "types" of audiences there are out there??? The important thing to take out of this is the fact that whether they prefer actual matches, backstage drama, in-ring promos, or insider information, they're all FANS and they all WATCH. What is the point of breaking them all down and categorizing them?? I doubt that 100% of WWE's fans watch because of the drama and 100% ROH fans watch for the in-ring matches. The only thing that matters is that at the end of the day, they're all watching the programs and helping the product mature and grow.

So all I am saying is that in WWE, you better hope that WWE does something else with Danielson, as opposed to simply sending him out there with no character and not allowing him to talk on the mic. Because I guarantee you that he will NOT get over with the WWE crowd solely based on his wrestling.

I figured you'd agree with my point of view because I'm not a person who "guarantees" things like SOME people... I give a generalistic and realistic point of view with an open ending. People who sit in their computer chair day after day, barking out their "guarantees" and "spot-on predictions" are arrogant and pompous and need to check their unbelievable egos at the door. This is the different between a mark and a smark. I don't claim to know it all... I'm just a fan. How the hell can anyone possibly "guarantee" ANYTHING in the wrestling industry?!? I mean seriously... that is the most conceited and arrogant point of view that I have ever seen.

Pertaining to the subject at hand, I'll say it again... I've never seen one match that Danielson was involved in. However, now that he's been signed to the WWE, I actually give a shit enough to look him up on YouTube and check out what I'll be witnessing first hand sometime over (hopefully) the next year. I've heard that he's extremely talanted and exciting in the ring and if he's anything like AJ Styles or CM Punk, I could care less if his mic skills consist of cupping his hand and making armpit farts... this guy will be exciting to watch, in my book.

On a side note... For the record, I've never watched ROH because it's not available in my area. But, just because I don't watch ROH, that doesn't this make me a "WWE-bot," does it?? I'm not sitting here and knocking ROH or making bold and boisterous statements like "The WWE is adapting to the ROH's style." That's just garbage. No one is adapting to anything. They are apples and oranges... ROH is a professional wrestling promotion and the WWE is a television show. The only fair comparison would be TNA vs. WWE. Everyone should keep that in mind when sharing their smark-pertise.