babyfootball
Don Corleone
At least as good as Ron Garvin!
Posts: 1,320
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Post by babyfootball on Feb 8, 2012 16:55:53 GMT -5
Uber-face Daniel Bryan was too "Bob Backlund" in that he appeared too clean-cut and goody-goody to catch on with most of the crowd. Heel Daniel Bryan is more "Mr. Backlund" in that his heelish ways bring out more layers to his character and his facial expressions and in-ring intensity have really stood out more so than his face run. Hell....Daniel Bryan vs. Bob Backlund in his prime would've been a great match. I concur, I think Backlund is underrated (if it's possible to do so with somebody who was champion for as long as he was) in both eras. His crazy old man character was some really great, classic heel work, and he managed to play older than he really was, which allowed him to have some really good, underappreciated matches (mostly with Bret). Anyway, on to DB, I think he could have been an effective face, but it would have been too stereotypical. Little guy takes a beating then makes the unexpected comeback... isn't that why many of us dislike Rey Mysterio after all these years? I mean Rey's older and torn up by injuries and added bulk now but in his prime he was a spectacular wrestler... and 140 lbs. soaking wet. There are only so many ways one can book "Big Guy vs. Little Guy" before it gets old, no matter how good of a job the wrestlers do in performing it. DB's current direction is a much better use of his strengths. I'm hoping that as he evolves (it can be SLOW, it doesn't have to be tomorrow) he will start getting to show even more of his skills, and hopefully with the right opponents (there are plenty of strong workers on the roster today at all card levels, all they need is some time and freedom in the ring) he will get to have some great matches. With time, his ability alone might start to get him over with fans and turn him face. I said WITH TIME, I'm talking a couple of years down the road. There is nothing that can hurt a wrestler more than multiple face-heel alignment flip-flops in a short period of time while creative tries to figure out what to do with them. Bryan has just started to scratch the surface of his potential as a featured performer in WWE. I like his character and am interested in where he goes from here. Hopefully the road goes through Wrestlemania via a solid 20-25 minute match with a skilled, fresh opponent, likely Sheamus.
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Johnny B. Decent
Patti Mayonnaise
Had one once
Everybody's Favorite Arizonian.
Posts: 31,076
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Post by Johnny B. Decent on Feb 8, 2012 16:57:04 GMT -5
I normally hate how WWE turns it's heels into these guys who can barely win a match and has to cheat to escape as champion (cf: The Miz, Christian), but DB is a fantastic exception. He just plays the role of an obnoxious coward who really believes he's a good guy so well. Yeah, them's the rules, unless you are 6'7 275lbs, if you are a heel, you are a chickenshit, no questions asked, and as soon as you turn face again, bam suddenly back to being brave. Ugh.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 8, 2012 18:34:07 GMT -5
Gimmick-wise, now he's a poor man's version of SES CM Punk. To me, he's a slightly wealthier man's version. I love Daniel Bryan doing this. I get the point of the thread and I do agree, he's an amazing wrestler as a babyface and he could've done well that way. However, I think he gets his chance after a couple of years, much like CM Punk. He's going to turn babyface eventually and now that the fans are invested in him, they will care a lot more about him as a face than did previously. I think he's being handled extremely well and is more than holding up his end. I'm impressed that he can look legit in there with Show because of how strong his work is. And again, the promos are awesome. It is very fun to me to see Daniel Bryan, Mr. "no charisma", cut a great promo every week.
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The OP
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
changed his name
Posts: 15,785
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Post by The OP on Feb 8, 2012 22:07:25 GMT -5
Yeah, I don't get people criticizing a unique angle and saying things we've seen 1000 times would be better. I'm just glad they're not doing the booking. As far as it not leading anywhere, I think Natalya is ripe for conversion to veganism. I actually think Daniel Bryan is better on the mic than CM Punk. Punk is great but sometimes annoying, like when he did the fake puking thing for like 10 minutes. Bryan never does anything like that, he's gold from start to finish. Mr. "no charisma" is getting tons of heat and since he quit saying "ok" so much he might be the best talker in the business.
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CH Punk
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
Advice: Noted
Stuck in the Retro Zone
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Post by CH Punk on Feb 8, 2012 22:12:22 GMT -5
The thing with his character is that he isn't really a chickens*** heel; he's never outright denied someone's request for a match (see Punk and Kingston) nor has he blatantly tried to escape during a match.
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nate5054
Hank Scorpio
Lucky to be alive in the Chris Jericho Era
Posts: 7,013
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Post by nate5054 on Feb 8, 2012 22:15:06 GMT -5
I hate being one of "those" guys who dislikes, as I've noticed many people on these boards appreciate his heel turn. I will agree, this turn has let him show better mic skills. However, I think Bryan could've made a great face champion. I'm a fan of the underdog, and Bryan could've played this role so well. He could've been booked as a guy who pretty much gets his ass kicked during the whole match, but if he can somehow catch you with the Labelle Lock, it's over. He would have a lot of come from behind victories, and who doesn't like seeing that? I think WWE is missing out on making Big Show a "monster" heel one last time, building towards a WHC match with Bryan at WM. It could be booked as a modern day David vs Goliath. Thoughts? I'm open for friendly debate (if such a thing exists on the interwebs) Nothing against your position, but IMO he's been one of the best heels in ages. Finally WWE has a heel who believes his actions are justifiable but is absolutely wrong, unlike most of their heels who seem to have actual legit grievances.
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Post by Son of Abyss on Feb 8, 2012 22:23:13 GMT -5
This was a great move on WWEs part. Every major face only really caught fire after a strong heel run I.e. Rock, Austin, Hogan, Cena, Undetaker, Michaels, HHH, etc. The heels always seem to be given more ability to showcase personality than new faces. Once individuality is established then management seems to build the face persona around the guys personality instead of shoehorning a guy into what they think a face should be.
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Futureraven: Beelzebruv
Bill S. Preston, Esq.
The Ultimate Arbiter of Right And Wrong
Spent half my life here, God help me
Posts: 15,084
Member is Online
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Post by Futureraven: Beelzebruv on Feb 9, 2012 2:15:22 GMT -5
The thing with his character is that he isn't really a chickens*** heel; he's never outright denied someone's request for a match (see Punk and Kingston) nor has he blatantly tried to escape during a match. Also, he IS facing both the Big Show and Mark Henry, on their own or at the same time, is he supposed to be making them both tap out? He's just like Cena, facing impossible odds and coming out on top, he's just using his brain to do it.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2012 2:35:49 GMT -5
I think Bryan has been "protected" more as a heel in being made to look credible than we usually see.
They're passing him off a bit more like Edge who does what it takes to win, but can hold his own normally as well. Not quite to the degree they did with Edge but heading in that direction. The characters are different but the underlying protection is present.
Compare to Miz's title run. Miz actually held the belt for a fair amount of time but at no point was he really made to be a credible match in the ring for people high on the card. There was no interest in making Miz really look credible, he was meant to just be a snake that somehow managed to keep holding onto the belt.
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Post by Cela on Feb 9, 2012 16:12:55 GMT -5
The thing with his character is that he isn't really a chickens*** heel; he's never outright denied someone's request for a match (see Punk and Kingston) nor has he blatantly tried to escape during a match. Yes he has. He just finds ways to end the match, then walks out. The Henry Pushing, the Lumberjacking, running past AJ, so on so forth. Also he escaped from the cage, but that was the point.
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Marvelously Mediocre
Fry's dog Seymour
Beggin' for a little SWAGGAH!
Haha. What a story Mark.
Posts: 21,224
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Post by Marvelously Mediocre on Feb 9, 2012 17:14:11 GMT -5
I HATED face Bryan because he was a smug little twat. I love to hate heel Bryan for the same reasons. Keep him as is.
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mrjl
Fry's dog Seymour
Posts: 20,319
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Post by mrjl on Feb 9, 2012 21:25:43 GMT -5
his heel turn sucks
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Feb 9, 2012 22:56:15 GMT -5
I think Bryan has been "protected" more as a heel in being made to look credible than we usually see. They're passing him off a bit more like Edge who does what it takes to win, but can hold his own normally as well. Not quite to the degree they did with Edge but heading in that direction. The characters are different but the underlying protection is present. Compare to Miz's title run. Miz actually held the belt for a fair amount of time but at no point was he really made to be a credible match in the ring for people high on the card. There was no interest in making Miz really look credible, he was meant to just be a snake that somehow managed to keep holding onto the belt. Bryan holds his own with Show and Henry. Miz couldn't beat Jerry Lawler in a ladder match by himself. Big difference there.
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Post by Society of the Spectacle on Feb 10, 2012 3:31:34 GMT -5
I was really not in favor of a Bryan heel turn at the outset, but I really can't argue with results. He's been killing it on the mic, which is the only place he could have used some polishing. He looks like he's having fun doing it too.
This is not to say that he had a terrible face run, or that he can't be a convincing face, but I think in the long run, this heel run will be a massively good thing for Bryan's career. He's the complete package right now, and if WWE stays behind him and gives him stuff to do, the crowd reaction will keep coming.
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