WWE: The Daniel Bryan conundrum

Daniel Bryan

There are instances in the professional wrestling industry when the fans get to choose who should be in the main event scene.

In WWE, that sometimes mounts to nothing, as Vince McMahon and the WWE management prefer making their own stars, rather than pushing an established superstar.

You have the examples of Ric Flair, Bill Goldberg and the likes who weren’t given their due in the WWE, but were kept on the side burner, after being the franchise players for different organizations. Also, WWE has always been skeptical about pushing smaller guys, those who weren’t big and muscular. And when you put those two together, it is almost impossible to make it big in the WWE.

When CM Punk broke those shackles two years ago, there was hope of a change in the WWE. Although for a brief period, it did look like WWE would change its mindset about such performers, they went back to pushing guys who met their idea of a WWE superstar. So when Daniel Bryan stepped up after WrestleMania, the possibility of him making it to the top was a distant dream.

Fast forward to July, he is the new number one contender for the WWE title at SummerSlam, and is the hottest star in the company. Now, the real question remains: Can Bryan dethrone John Cena and become the face of the company?

The answer to that question is anything but easy. Two years ago, the WWE Universe witnessed a similar situation with a certain CM Punk. After Punk delivered the earth shattering ‘Pipe bomb’ promo, his stake in the WWE sky rocketed, and he soon won the WWE title and cemented himself as a main eventer.

He went on to hold the title for 434 days, the longest reign in over 25 years! But was Punk able to change the mindset of the organization? The answer is yes and no.

Punk did change the way the WWE management looks at a superstar, but he was unable to change who they consider to be their franchise player. In a way, Punk was able to transform the notion of a superstar in the minds of fans and WWE management, but wasn’t able to change the John Cena effect in the WWE.

The proof of that was WWE taking the title off him at Royal Rumble and use The Rock as a way to put Cena over. WWE didn’t hesitate for a second to put Cena over at the expense of ending Punk’s record breaking run.

What purpose did it solve in the long run? Nothing except Cena being the new WWE champion.

Daniel Bryan’s hot run in the WWE is nothing short of impressive. Bryan has always been an outstanding performer, and being a former World champion, he has all the credentials to become the face of the company.

With the fans getting behind Daniel Bryan, and giving him the kind of support Punk received after the ‘Pipe bomb’ promo, Bryan has all the cards in his hands of becoming the next biggest sensation in the WWE.

Although Bryan has all the tools, the trigger for Bryan-mania still lies in the hands of the WWE management. With every arena chanting his name and ‘Yes’ ringing through the ears of the WWE Universe every week, Bryan is just one step away from breaking the proverbial glass ceiling.

Will WWE give Bryan the ball to run with? As much as WWE would like us to imagine that can happen, the reality is otherwise.

As history has shown us, WWE will not hesitate to pull the plug on major plans, just to remind the WWE Universe that John Cena is the flag bearer of the organization. When it looked like the WWE Universe would witness the rise of a young superstar, someone who would be the contemporary of John Cena in the organization, the WWE management always found a way to prioritize Cena over them.

Whether it was the Nexus or CM Punk, WWE management went back to John Cena, undoing all the good work. So even though the WWE creative builds a superstar(s) to make him/them look like a credible threat, they always find a way to spoil the plans and put Cena over.

One cannot, however, deny the journey of Daniel Bryan to main event status in the WWE.

From spitting on John Cena during the Nexus attack, which led to his firing from the company, to coming back and winning the United States and later the World Heavyweight championship, to becoming the hottest star in the biggest entertainment organization in the world, Daniel Bryan has come a long way.

One can only hope that the WWE management invests in Daniel Bryan, which can only lead to bigger and better things in the company. Although that is a possibility, it will be nothing short of a miracle.