Daniel Bryan must defeat Triple H at WrestleMania 30

Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H – WrestleMania XXX

Since the beginnings of Triple H and Bryan’s feud, the COO has used The Shield, Big Show and Randy Orton to hand out the beatings before. On last Monday night he himself doled out a severe thrashing to the goat faced yes movement leader. He topped every mauling his men had ever delivered.

The good must beat the bad at WrestleMania XXX as Daniel Bryan makes Triple H pay for all the pain he’s endured since SummerSlam. All of Bryan’s suffering has to lead to a victory at the upcoming pay-per-view, the grandest stage of them all, the WrestleMania. The arc of the story and the fans’ expectations justifiably point to that conclusion.

Seeing Bryan roll around the mat in pain has been the most prevalent image of the narrative and several of Monday’s Raw have created that image again and again. It’s fine to have the hero fall this hard and this often, if he eventually triumphs. The audience expects a happy ending at some point. Years of watching movies and reading books have conditioned us that way.

The fans have waded for too long through the heart-sinking elements of this story. It’s time for a celebratory moment to end it, a decisive victory to make up for all the times Triple H has left Bryan flat on his back.

It felt as if with Triple H’s attack on Bryan, WWE was trying to pop every balloon of hope that had emerged as of late. It served as a reminder of why Bryan wants to fight and defeat Triple H so badly. Later in the night it will be about a championship opportunity, but in that bout against “The Game”, it will be about revenge.

WWE did well to restock the hatred tank on Monday’s Raw. The viciousness of the attack helped fans forget its scripted nature, begging viewers to shout at the screen. Injustice on stage done as well as that evokes a deep response from the audience.

That response is most often to hunger to see the hero take vengeance against the villain. If that doesn’t happen, the story will have a hole in it. The journey would have just been meandering, not the path to the climax that it should be. The result of Triple H’s smackdown in the short term was that fans and columnists alike want to see Triple H vs. Bryan more than they did before Mondays’s show began.

Anticipation for the payback is how WWE has created that hype. Seeing the unfeeling villain get his comeuppance doesn’t happen enough in real life. That’s a big part of the appeal of WWE as it does deliver that satisfying moment. Last Monday’s Raw provided a highlight for the Bryan and Triple H story. It can only end one way, though—Bryan riding a wave of rage to victory. Triple H summed It up nicely by saying that Bryan is still standing despite every barrier that the Authority set up against him, and he did deserve all the respect for that. Will that respected wrestler get his reward or will it be a story which is incomplete.

Prior to a couple of weeks, the story of Daniel Bryan and the Authority had not yet captured the imagination of the crowd. With the stipulation changing to Bryan’s possible entrance in the main event, Bryan was seen as the favorite of beating the Game and marching onto the main event. What has definitely added a lot of intrigue, is the decision of Triple H to compete in the main event if he does win.

Seeing the title on Triple H would be lead to a lot of emotions from the fans, albeit of a different kind as compared to if Bryan wins the title. What is for certain though, is the fact that the storyline between Authority and Daniel Bryan has touched new levels and Daniel Bryan is all set for more prominent targets and titles in the future. It would be only a fitting conclusion if wins at WrestleMania to start that journey.