At the End of the Day... (Bryan Appreciation)
Nov 23, 2013 23:45:48 GMT -5
EoE: Well There's Your Problem, Friday Night SmackOwn, and 2 more like this
Post by Society of the Spectacle on Nov 23, 2013 23:45:48 GMT -5
....I'm not really all that unhappy that Bryan is out of the title picture.
Don't get me wrong,that post-Hell No run up until the matches with Orton was a special time for me as a Bryan fan, (specifically being there in person at Summerslam to see him win the title) but through every single up and down I've been through as a Bryan fan, I can't help but think he is one of the top performers of this era. Even in the relatively short time he has been with WWE, he has given his fans and non-fans alike such memorable performances, that he really can't help but stand out.
The reason I created this thread was after reading a quote from an interview he did recently where he said:
"You’ll see me bring an energy and enthusiasm when I team with Punk against the Wyatts. It’s a very different style matchup. The Wyatts are just big wild brawlers, while we’re aerial, technical wrestlers. It’s a grudge match, and we’re not going to find out who the best wrestlers are. We’re going to find out who the best fighters are, because this is definitely going to be a fight."
It reminded me why I became such a fan of Bryan in the first place. In 2009, I still was just starting to dip my toe into indy wrestling. Living in LA was a godsend in this regard as PWG really started to even moreso earn its reputation as a monthly supercard. My first time seeing Bryan in person actually disappointed me as it was a comedy match with Kenny Omega (whom is also great.) It was a fun comedy match (arm wrestling, thumb wars, John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, etc.) but I wanted "Best Wrestler in the World" Bryan Danielson. However, I didn't have to wait long, as next month's DDT4 tournament run with Roderick Strong provided all I needed in this regard. The tournament final against the Young Bucks was such a thrilling brawl where Bryan and Roderick chopped, kicked and manhandled the Bucks across the whole Reseda venue. This WAS a fight. It was also a crash course in how intense Bryan's brawl style can be, and the crowd and myself loved every second of it.
So even though Bryan has now been ushered out of the main event, and into a "meaningless" midcard feud with the Wyatts, I don't feel at all let down. I like how this feud has been booked, and feel like this will likely be either one of or THE best match of the night.
So in preparation for tomorrow, I unintentionally went on a Bryan-watching marathon, from his last PWG matches, to his milestones in WWE, and just meditated on how Bryan has kind of quietly become a WWE Legend. Some might scoff at me saying that, but regardless of what you think of Bryan, his run in WWE has been more singular than just about anyone on the current roster in the same amount of time. Few of real significance have been booked as badly as he was (winless during the initial NXT, eighteen seconds, etc.) while also being allowed into such unique situations in the last couple years (tagging with the rarely on television Undertaker on a random RAW,being the surprise member of Team WWE against Nexus, defeating John Cena clean as a sheet, etc.) I mean the spectrum is literally all over the place. He has come out to silent crowds, he has come out to rabid, "YES'ing" crowds, he came in as "The American Dragon" and has now been promoted as a "goat", he's lead a diva dance-off, and participated in one of the most amazing gauntlet series' of recent memory (RAW against Swagger, Cesaro, and Ryback) and yet he has always remained, "Bryan Danielson" Daniel Bryan.
So this is an appreciation thread for Bryan fans who have stuck with him through thick and thin, and will love him whether he is in a midcard tag match or in the main event of a PPV, because they know he is going to give them a show like no other. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see him get an actual WWE title reign and have a string of defenses to see how many amazing title matches he can string together, but I will be fine as a fan either way. I have always said (and it can be verified here, haha) that I don't care what kinds of titles Bryan wins, as along as he is regularly given time and a reason to showcase his wonderful in-ring skills. His present over-ness somewhat guarantees that those things will be likely, and I find that very comforting going forward.
He will never be iconic as Hulk Hogan, The Rock, or Steve Austin, but at the end of the day, I am confident that Bryan will be seen as not only one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, but one of the greatest performers WWE has ever seen, and a future Hall of Famer.
Don't get me wrong,that post-Hell No run up until the matches with Orton was a special time for me as a Bryan fan, (specifically being there in person at Summerslam to see him win the title) but through every single up and down I've been through as a Bryan fan, I can't help but think he is one of the top performers of this era. Even in the relatively short time he has been with WWE, he has given his fans and non-fans alike such memorable performances, that he really can't help but stand out.
The reason I created this thread was after reading a quote from an interview he did recently where he said:
"You’ll see me bring an energy and enthusiasm when I team with Punk against the Wyatts. It’s a very different style matchup. The Wyatts are just big wild brawlers, while we’re aerial, technical wrestlers. It’s a grudge match, and we’re not going to find out who the best wrestlers are. We’re going to find out who the best fighters are, because this is definitely going to be a fight."
It reminded me why I became such a fan of Bryan in the first place. In 2009, I still was just starting to dip my toe into indy wrestling. Living in LA was a godsend in this regard as PWG really started to even moreso earn its reputation as a monthly supercard. My first time seeing Bryan in person actually disappointed me as it was a comedy match with Kenny Omega (whom is also great.) It was a fun comedy match (arm wrestling, thumb wars, John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, etc.) but I wanted "Best Wrestler in the World" Bryan Danielson. However, I didn't have to wait long, as next month's DDT4 tournament run with Roderick Strong provided all I needed in this regard. The tournament final against the Young Bucks was such a thrilling brawl where Bryan and Roderick chopped, kicked and manhandled the Bucks across the whole Reseda venue. This WAS a fight. It was also a crash course in how intense Bryan's brawl style can be, and the crowd and myself loved every second of it.
So even though Bryan has now been ushered out of the main event, and into a "meaningless" midcard feud with the Wyatts, I don't feel at all let down. I like how this feud has been booked, and feel like this will likely be either one of or THE best match of the night.
So in preparation for tomorrow, I unintentionally went on a Bryan-watching marathon, from his last PWG matches, to his milestones in WWE, and just meditated on how Bryan has kind of quietly become a WWE Legend. Some might scoff at me saying that, but regardless of what you think of Bryan, his run in WWE has been more singular than just about anyone on the current roster in the same amount of time. Few of real significance have been booked as badly as he was (winless during the initial NXT, eighteen seconds, etc.) while also being allowed into such unique situations in the last couple years (tagging with the rarely on television Undertaker on a random RAW,being the surprise member of Team WWE against Nexus, defeating John Cena clean as a sheet, etc.) I mean the spectrum is literally all over the place. He has come out to silent crowds, he has come out to rabid, "YES'ing" crowds, he came in as "The American Dragon" and has now been promoted as a "goat", he's lead a diva dance-off, and participated in one of the most amazing gauntlet series' of recent memory (RAW against Swagger, Cesaro, and Ryback) and yet he has always remained, "Bryan Danielson" Daniel Bryan.
So this is an appreciation thread for Bryan fans who have stuck with him through thick and thin, and will love him whether he is in a midcard tag match or in the main event of a PPV, because they know he is going to give them a show like no other. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see him get an actual WWE title reign and have a string of defenses to see how many amazing title matches he can string together, but I will be fine as a fan either way. I have always said (and it can be verified here, haha) that I don't care what kinds of titles Bryan wins, as along as he is regularly given time and a reason to showcase his wonderful in-ring skills. His present over-ness somewhat guarantees that those things will be likely, and I find that very comforting going forward.
He will never be iconic as Hulk Hogan, The Rock, or Steve Austin, but at the end of the day, I am confident that Bryan will be seen as not only one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, but one of the greatest performers WWE has ever seen, and a future Hall of Famer.
