Does Bryan have to be the "face of WWE" to satisfy people?

[BayleyTiffyCodyCenaJudyHopps]

I'm looking at the threads here and reading the usual arguments about "status quo" and whatnot, and there's a major flaw in that assesment.

WWE, throughout its history, has never fully conformed to the status quo, if only because new people have risen up the card alongside Cena. It could be due to injuries, or retirements, crowd responses, contracts being up, whatever, but if you want to be literal about it, the only way they could truly maintain status quo is if they managed to clone Sammartino and kept pushing him as champion. Progress can't be stopped, and WWE hasn't tried to hinder it as much as fans assume.

And Cena being on top isn't because WWE said so, it's because the fanbase said so. The problem I have with the idea that Cena's still main eventing because Vince is stubborn and insists on it is that it hardly accounts for the vast, vast majority of fans that- surprise, surprise- aren't bored with him! Which also includes the kids cheering him as well as the men who want to see him get his ass whipped.

Which leads me to Bryan. Fans always say that WWE "needs new stars, they haven't had new stars since 2005, make more stars, starships were meant to fly, hands up and touch the sky".

Punk. Bryan. Sheamus. The Nexus as a whole, for their short time on top. Edge, when he was active. I could go on, but really, they've had plenty of new stars over the past eight years. What they haven't had is someone that has more or less "replaced" Cena as the top star, or someone that's spearheaded wrestling becoming the next big trend a la Attitude.

(I don't think it was gonna be Punk. The mainstream attention he got during MITB 2011 was nothing compared to the stuff Cena did this year alone, including Good Morning America, SportsNation, Today and Kelly & Michael. Which is quite impressive given that WWE's in such a "down period".)

But getting back to Talking Farm Animal: yes, he's over. He's one of the best talents they have. He deserves to be in main events, he deserves to win world titles. But let's imagine he mostly goes back to the midcard from here on out, and carves out a nice niche for himself, with him making sporadic main event appearances. That combined with what he's done now, haven't they already "pulled the trigger" on him? Why, exactly, does he have to be above Cena to instill confidence in his fans? Is John stinking up the joint that badly? Is his body in Hogan-like condition already where he's one bump from paralyzation?

I consider myself a fan of Bryan's, but if I were a die hard that had followed him from the beginning, i'd be very, very happy with everything WWE's done with him as of now, especially since he seems to be having the time of his life out there. It's one thing to feel that the Authority angle is too muddled and unfocused right now, but if you truly think that Bryan will come out worse if he doesn't win the title (for a while) or becomes the new company face, then all I can say is that I would LOVE for WWE to "screw me up" if that's the standard we're going by.

[The Tank]

...what does making this thread every month do for you?

Honestly.

People here are wrestling fans.

Most of them here don't like John Cena.

They like Daniel Bryan.

They know he's worked his ass off for years and years to get where he is today, and want to see him get rewarded with what they believe he deserves, a run as the top guy as opposed to two title reigns that combined last less than a day.

John Cena, on the other hand, has unflinchingly been the top guy since 2005. It's been eight years of an act that he by and large hasn't changed up. And yes, WWE's casual audience may not be bored with it, but a vocal audience here is bored with it, therefore it comes up quite a bit that we'd like to see a change.

It's not complicated.

[Spearmint*]

When the WWE title match and main event of Survivor Series is littered with chants for an active Wrestler not in the match, i.e Daniel Bryan,WWE has something wrong.

I don't know about "Face of WWE" but I know that he very much deserves to still be in the main event and in the "Authority angle" mix, at least until he got a final resolution out of it. He didn't deserve, nor did it make sense or satisfy the fans, how he was just being brushed away as an after-thought because WWE needlessly decided to fill three PPVs in a row with the same Orton v.s Bryan main event whilst going nowhere.

[Old Jack Burton]

Nov 26, 2013 18:05:43 GMT -5 The Tank said:

People here are wrestling fans.

Most of them here don't like John Cena.

Without going into everything else you've posted, I don't think this part is true. Maybe half of FAN are a bit burnt out on him, but that doesn't mean they don't like the man, they just wish someone else would get a shot for a while. The other half are pretty content with what he is doing these days. I think you will have a hard time finding someone who just outright hates or doesn't like Cena the wrestler.

[Deleted]

In a word? Yes.

Bryan should be "THE" guy for one simple reason: why not?

It's not like Cena's doing anything with the ratings that Bryan didn't do. It's not like Cena's selling PPVs much (if at all) better than Bryan. It's not as if reducing Cena's position on the card is going to kill his merchandising power. He's a fresh face who satisfies the live TV crowds, the PPV audiences and the internet at the same time. Nobody does that like he does. Not even CM Punk. He delivers the good stuff when he wrestles, and his lack of actual feuds means there's no shortage of talents that can challenge him and help build the prestige of his title reign. Also, because of his size and his time in the mid-card, any random schlep will look at least semi-credible against him. When some random person faces Cena, it's easy to write off because we've been taught to know that no one stops Cena. Bryan? Not so. There's a lot more to it.

[BayleyTiffyCodyCenaJudyHopps]

Nov 26, 2013 18:05:43 GMT -5 The Tank said:

...what does making this thread every month do for you?

Honestly.

People here are wrestling fans.

Most of them here don't like John Cena.

They like Daniel Bryan.

They know he's worked his ass off for years and years to get where he is today, and want to see him get rewarded with what they believe he deserves, a run as the top guy as opposed to two title reigns that combined last less than a day.

John Cena, on the other hand, has unflinchingly been the top guy since 2005. It's been eight years of an act that he by and large hasn't changed up. And yes, WWE's casual audience may not be bored with it, but a vocal audience here is bored with it, therefore it comes up quite a bit that we'd like to see a change.

It's not complicated.

Given that a chunk of Bryan's fans essentially want to see one of the best wrestlers on the planet move into the slot of.....another one of the best wrestlers on the planet, whose hatedom is encouraged and stoked by the company itself, I don't think it's an absolute must we take the Cena horse out behind the barn immediantly when we can have one great horse compliment another.

[rnrk supports BLM]

The only way people will stop complaining that Bryan is being buried and held down by management is if he gets so pushed and protected that they can start complaining that Bryan's being shoved down their throats and holding down the real talented young guys.

[Bub (BLM)]

People wanted Bryan to be the face of WWE because he'd gotten over enough to justify it and he was a breath of fresh air. I've talked to plenty of older fans who say that they had the same problem in the late 80's when the WWF wouldn't hitch their wagon to Randy Savage because they were still insisting on pushing Hogan as THE guy. And honestly, I think the only reason this didn't happen with The Rock in 1999/2000 is because Austin had to get neck surgery.

[The Tank]

Nov 26, 2013 18:12:01 GMT -5 BayleyTiffyCodyCenaJudyHopps said:

Nov 26, 2013 18:05:43 GMT -5 The Tank said:

...what does making this thread every month do for you?

Honestly.

People here are wrestling fans.

Most of them here don't like John Cena.

They like Daniel Bryan.

They know he's worked his ass off for years and years to get where he is today, and want to see him get rewarded with what they believe he deserves, a run as the top guy as opposed to two title reigns that combined last less than a day.

John Cena, on the other hand, has unflinchingly been the top guy since 2005. It's been eight years of an act that he by and large hasn't changed up. And yes, WWE's casual audience may not be bored with it, but a vocal audience here is bored with it, therefore it comes up quite a bit that we'd like to see a change.

It's not complicated.

Given that a chunk of Bryan's fans essentially want to see one of the best wrestlers on the planet move into the slot of.....another one of the best wrestlers on the planet, whose hatedom is encouraged and stoked by the company itself, I don't think it's an absolute must we take the Cena horse out behind the barn immediantly when we can have one great horse compliment another.

Look, you're not wrong.

No one's saying that John Cena has to disappear off the face of the earth. I'm not, at least.

But is it really, REALLY asking that much for even just a few months of a Daniel Bryan WWE Title reign that in the meantime, John Cena feuds with a fresh heel for a few months? And whether that ends with him doing the job or going over to the casual fan's delight, DOESN'T overshadow what's supposed to be the most important thing in the company, the guy holding the WWE Championship?

[EyeofTyr]

I like John Cena.

I like his ring work. I even like his character for the most part outside of a few rare blunders that could happen to anyone. I'm glad that he's had time at the top.

But I feel the same about Daniel Bryan. And, like Cena, I'm fully aware that the fanbase is just as vocal for him as they are Cena, albeit in a much more unified fashion than they are for Cena. He's arguably getting to the point where he's as big of a merch mover as Punk and Cena too.

So, I wouldn't mind Cena getting some time off from being the face of the company. And, I mean really get some time off from it. Keep him as a focal point, sure, but don't do to Bryan what they did to Punk. Where no matter what Punk was doing as champion, the shadow of Cena loomed over him and devalued the WWE title in the process by making Cena seem more important than the title itself.

[Deleted]

Nov 26, 2013 18:12:01 GMT -5 BayleyTiffyCodyCenaJudyHopps said:

Nov 26, 2013 18:05:43 GMT -5 The Tank said:

...what does making this thread every month do for you?

Honestly.

People here are wrestling fans.

Most of them here don't like John Cena.

They like Daniel Bryan.

They know he's worked his ass off for years and years to get where he is today, and want to see him get rewarded with what they believe he deserves, a run as the top guy as opposed to two title reigns that combined last less than a day.

John Cena, on the other hand, has unflinchingly been the top guy since 2005. It's been eight years of an act that he by and large hasn't changed up. And yes, WWE's casual audience may not be bored with it, but a vocal audience here is bored with it, therefore it comes up quite a bit that we'd like to see a change.

It's not complicated.

Given that a chunk of Bryan's fans essentially want to see one of the best wrestlers on the planet move into the slot of.....another one of the best wrestlers on the planet, whose hatedom is encouraged and stoked by the company itself, I don't think it's an absolute must we take the Cena horse out behind the barn immediantly when we can have one great horse compliment another.

It's not about taking him out behind the barn. It's about putting him out to pasture. Keep him around on the farm, maybe use him as an occasional draught animal, but don't send him out to race every week or his legs will explode. Cena is still an immensely valuable asset. Few are delusional enough to pretend that he's not. But he's not as big an asset as he was in the late 2000's and certainly is worse for wear. There's no point in overworking him when we can just move in someone else who's just as effective and much healthier. It would be much wiser to turn him into a Triple H or Rock who you can bring out on rainy days as opposed to a Rey Mysterio who is injured merely by existing.

[CATCH_US IS the Conversation]

They had their chance to make Bryan THE GUY while Cena was gone and when he initially won the WHC.' It's not Cena's fault that WWE squandered that with multiple screw job angles and giving his push to 40 something Big Show for no reason.

[wildojinx]

I wonder what would happen if they gave Bryan the ultimate super-push, not only never losing, but never taking any offensive move and no-selling any one that actually hits.

[BayleyTiffyCodyCenaJudyHopps]

Nov 26, 2013 18:13:51 GMT -5 Bub (BLM) said:

People wanted Bryan to be the face of WWE because he'd gotten over enough to justify it and he was a breath of fresh air. I've talked to plenty of older fans who say that they had the same problem in the late 80's when the WWF wouldn't hitch their wagon to Randy Savage because they were still insisting on pushing Hogan as THE guy. And honestly, I think the only reason this didn't happen with The Rock in 1999/2000 is because Austin had to get neck surgery.

I never got that way of thinking. Maybe I have a more lax way of looking at it, but WWF pretty much DID hitch their wagon to Savage in the late 80's, while it was attached to Hogan as well. Just in the same way WWE very much hitched their wagon to Punk, alongside Cena. Guys like Sheamus, Del Rio or even Yokozuna (who cheated and acted cowardly quite a bit) never got to look the equal of the absolute top face while champion, so that's pretty telling to me.

And I'm certainly not advocating Cena running himself into the ground (which I mostly blame him for more than WWE). He's an idiot if he thinks he can keep going at a breakneck pace 5-10 years from now. Where I object is the attitude of a lot of YouTube dumbasses and elsewhere that Bryan is somehow ruined or wasted if he doesn't become an A-Lister, gives Raw 5.0 numbers and rids us of the Evil Cena Beast. I probably should have clarified that I wasn't disputing the feelings of FAN so much as a lot of nonesense I've read around the net.

I'm not opposed to people wanting Baaah Boy to succeed as much as possible, but if he's somehow a prime example of WWE f***ing something up that could have been great, then if I decided to become a wrestler, the first thing I would tell Vince at the Performance Center is "Please make me look terrible. Build me up then fail to maximize my potential the way you ruined Daniel Bryan."

[Bo Rida]

Yes from a kayfabe perspective, it's just the type of storyline where the face needs to come out on top.

Away from kayfabe he should be given the chance to become the face of the WWE, in reality he's unlikely to take Cena's place but that doesn't mean he shouldn't be given the opportunity.
Just one proper run with the WWE title will do, chances are he'd do the same as the others you mentioned, he'll have his turn and do a great job but won't do enough to take over from Cena as the face of the company and that's fine.

[The Dark Order Inferno]

Not really, no-one wants to see him get the kind of relentless push certain others have received as the WWE has attempted to make them the face of the company, people just want him to be given a fair shake, to see what happens when he's given the belt while he's hot so has a chance to take the ball and run with it. Guys like Orton, Seamus and Del Rio get chance after chance after chance, no matter how the crowd feels about them, so the company isn't going to collapse because someone that live crowds have gotten behind is getting a title reign.

[1 Free Moon-Down with Burger]

Face of the company?

Try 'Portrayed as the savior of all wrestling that is better than 29 Hulk Hogans!'

[Slingshot Suplay]

I don't really care if it's daniel bryan or Primo, I want good storytelling.

[paywindah]

If Cena was a victim of the start-stop booking that Bryan, Punk, Ziggler and countless others have been killed by, he wouldn't be nearly as over as he is. He was given a chance. The others had their legs cut out from under them before they could ever even have a chance to be "the man".

[BayleyTiffyCodyCenaJudyHopps]

Nov 26, 2013 18:59:04 GMT -5 The Dark Order Inferno said:

Not really, no-one wants to see him get the kind of relentless push certain others have received as the WWE has attempted to make them the face of the company, people just want him to be given a fair shake, to see what happens when he's given the belt while he's hot so has a chance to take the ball and run with it. Guys like Orton, Seamus and Del Rio get chance after chance after chance, no matter how the crowd feels about them, so the company isn't going to collapse because someone that live crowds have gotten behind is getting a title reign.

But he already HAS gotten that fair shake, that's my main point. To me every thing that happens to him afterwards is extra padding.