The All Purpose Daniel Bryan Booking Thread

[Ringmaster]

realmickfoley 10:48pm via txt

Does wwe actually hate their own audience? I've never been so disgusted with a PPV.

[paywindah]

Best way would be to tell WWE you're not getting the Network. They've put a lot of $ into this and if they fall short of their numbers, it's going to have significant effects through all aspects of the company. They need subscribers more than anything else. No more 1 million Mania buys they could count on year after year.

[Deleted]

Jan 26, 2014 23:07:41 GMT -5 Lancers said:

Jan 26, 2014 23:01:35 GMT -5 StuntGranny® said:

My theory? Because they can. There's no competition. They're like drug dealers. They know you really want to quit, but you're hooked. And they're the only dealer in town, so you're just going to have to come back and take their shitty product.

There's a lot of reasons. I've always been under the impression that the WWE only wants the guys they created to matter. Even though Punk had a 380 some odd day WWE title reign, dude didn't even main event Wrestlemania that year. Two WWE created superstars (Rock and Cena) did. That very same night, Sheamus, their creation, beat Daniel Bryan in under 20 secs.

Let me make one thing clear, I do believe the WWE LIKES Punk and Bryan. They've had world title reigns. They're given a ton of TV time. But NOT in the way they love Orton, Cena, Batista and other guys that went through their system. Those guys have all main evented Wrestlemania. They've been given opportunities even if the fans haven't been as receptive.

Punk and Bryan are in the WWE's friendzone

It's all about money I think. WWE has their network coming up, they want a million subscribers and it just sounds more attractive on paper to have established main eventer Batista over Bryan at Wrestlemania.

I mean there are stats that argue that going forward with Bryan isn't a complete box office smash. That Summerslam didn't grab a serious buyrate continues to baffle me, you consider the YES! phenomenon, the fact that Bryan gets the loudest chants at every show, yet his big match against Cena didn't sell? Ratings and buyrates constantly confound me because it seems whenever something is critically loved it dies on the vine, but when you get paint by numbers established guys it seems to work. I don't get it and but I can understand some trepidation about fully committing to Bryan at a time where they are taking such a gamble as it is with the network. As has been said in this thread already, WWE did set the table for us not to expect Daniel Bryan.

That being said it's still frustrating as all hell. I can't say for sure whether WWE made the right call or not because for all we know they're gonna commit to this Batista/Orton thing and they're gonna get that million subscribers because that seems to be the kick in the ass we tend to get for wanting something different. I don't know if there's anything as masochistic as being a WWE fan.

[The Portable Stove]

Jan 26, 2014 23:13:07 GMT -5 Famous Rocking Chimes said:

Well I guess that's Guardians of the Galaxy screwed then.

Guardians of the Galaxy was screwed by virtue of being Guardians of the Galaxy.

[Famous Rocking Chimes]

Blimey, I've never ever seen a reaction like this before in ANY KIND OF MEDIA.

I've been a wrestling fan for 15 years and I'll be damned if I've ever seen anything like this. Probably will never happen again.

It would be one thing if Bryan had actually entered the Rumble and lost, that would be one thing. I could probably live with that. It's the fact that he wasn't even in the damn thing that really boggles my mind.

I mean for God's sake he was controlling the crowd with simple hand movements just two weeks ago! You'd have to be insane not to pull an audible and switch plans!

Wonder which crowd backlash was worse: King of the Ring 1995 or Royal Rumble 2014?

[Lancers]

[nWoElite]

You guys act as if WWE hasn't changed their Wrestlemania card before and everything is set in stone. This is the reason why they have a February PPV yall. If what happened at the Rumble doesn't go well they can change it there.

[SOR]

Jan 26, 2014 22:58:51 GMT -5 suave said:

Jan 26, 2014 22:54:08 GMT -5 SOR said:

No secret that I think Daniel Bryan is overrated and unentertaining. I personally feel the choice of Batista (Who is now a MOVIE STAR with cross over appeal) is a lot better than having 5'9 200 pound Daniel Bryan in the main event of Wrestlemania 30

Everyone saying they're done with the company will be back in time for Wrestlemania and the WWE knows this. As someone who hasn't watched WWE full time since 2006 I personally would like to congratulate them on a good show and a smart booking decision. I will watch Wrestlemania also.

Kudos WWE. Kudos.

Two questions.

1. How does Batista have crossover appeal? The dude was in some shitty direct to DVD movies. Daniel Bryan got shout outs on ESPN.

2. Who cares about his height? Will a guys height make you not buy the show? Is it ridiculously hard to believe that a small fighter could be skilled enough to fight larger fighters and win?

I'm getting piled in this thread but thought I would respond to you since you legitimately asked questions

1. Batista has not strictly done straight to DVD releases. He is about to have a leading role in a Marvel Comic movie. Actors who manage even small 3-5 line parts in these movies go onto becoming cult legends and are set for life financially (Not necessarily from the pay day but the action figures, autograph money, photo money etc) Batista is the lead in this movie. This movie comes out this year so if he's fresh out of WWE (Or there when the film is released) the WWE is going to get A LOT of media hype and things like that from people they don't usually get it from. This is why it makes sense for Batista to win here

2. Me personally? I like watching guys who are larger than life going at it. Daniel Bryan isn't a small guy but on the WWE roster he is and it just isn't a realistic scenario with 5'9 200 pound Daniel Bryan going up against 6'5 235 pound Randy Orton. Throw in the fact that I personally don't find Daniel Bryan entertaining in the least and it's a dull main event for me and like minded people.

Jan 26, 2014 23:01:45 GMT -5 Mac said:

Jan 26, 2014 22:58:59 GMT -5 SOR said:

Watched his match tonight. Decent wrestling match but as a sports entertainer I don't like him.

Anyone who dislikes Daniel Bryan is called an attention seeker or idiot so maybe it was wrong to post my opinion but a legitimate movie star definitely will draw more interest and money for Wrestlemania rather then giving the fans Daniel Bryan right now.

I apologize if Im off base herel, but you seem to be trolling hard here. Your comparison is like saying "They should keep pushing Bret Hart because he was on the Simpsons and Lonesome Dove and has crossover appeal, and just because the crowd pops hard for Austin doesn't mean hes best for business"

I'm not a regular poster in the WWE section I'm more of a TNA fan so I understand you and others think I'm trolling but basically I like sports entertainment wrestling and sports entertainment wrestlers. Daniel Bryan doesn't fit that bill for me from what I have seen. I have made an effort to enjoy the guy I have WWE fans as friends who may suggest I watch a Bryan segment and he doesn't do it for me personally.

In regards to your second statement. A 5 second appearance on The Simpsons is a bit different to being the lead in a major movie from a major comic distributor for a relatively major character.

Jan 26, 2014 23:05:24 GMT -5 BigBadZ said:

Jan 26, 2014 22:58:59 GMT -5 SOR said:

Watched his match tonight. Decent wrestling match but as a sports entertainer I don't like him.

Anyone who dislikes Daniel Bryan is called an attention seeker or idiot so maybe it was wrong to post my opinion but a legitimate movie star definitely will draw more interest and money for Wrestlemania rather then giving the fans Daniel Bryan right now.

I didn't say that you were seeking attention but it's unfair to say you don't like them when you don't watch the product at hand. Have your opinion, but when you come to a thread where there are obviously upset people and say their favorite isn't any good, you are going to get questioned. And you've said you don't care for WWE's product so it does come off bad...

I know you didn't call me an attention seeker, others have. As said above I will occasionally watch a WWE segment when someone wants to show me it and the guy has never impressed me. I never said he wasn't good in general I said he wasn't someone I liked or enjoyed. Then I get jumped on, insulted and attacked by people for having the "wrong opinion"

You do have a point, I'm not a full time WWE viewer but I never pretended I was. I don't need to be a full time hardcore WWE fan to know that Daniel Bryan just isn't for me. Why that is so hard for some people to accept is beyond me. I'm just one person.

[Deleted]

I bet they keep Bryan off TV tomorrow night. He's not been advertised for Raw at all locally. Maybe Cleveland will be the home of the "Night of YES" part 2.

[AdamAFL was sooooo wrong]

Since the done to death thread got closed I'll post this here:

No. of one-on-one matches on PPV:

Bryan and Orton - 3 (not counting the cash-in since it was hardly a match)
Cena and Orton - 9

Anybody can slant statistics in their favour. To me, Cena vs. Orton is a stale, uninspiring match up with a story we've seen told before. Bryan vs. Orton on the other hand, has produced better matches (although not the best of either wrestler's career), is quite fresh and is a story that still doesn't feel like it has a had a proper ending yet.

[kidglov3s]

Jan 26, 2014 23:25:21 GMT -5 @lovehater said:

I bet they keep Bryan off TV tomorrow night. He's not been advertised for Raw at all locally. Maybe Cleveland will be the home of the "Night of YES" part 2.

Kind of like they did with CM Punk and Brock after Wrestlemania 29?

[Doctor Of Style]

Jan 26, 2014 23:19:24 GMT -5 ritt works hard fo da chickens said:

Jan 26, 2014 23:11:02 GMT -5 Doctor Of Style said:

They've been fighting other guys in their weight class. Pacquiao won't be fighting one of the Klitchkos because he doesn't want to die.

On the notion that there is an entertainment aspect involved in pro-wrestling would it be ridiculous to see Tom Cruise beat the shit out of Dolph Lundgren and save the day in a movie?

Tom Cruise can be scripted to be the hero, but do you think he's going to kick anyone's ass?

[Heartbreaker]

Maybe we should go to the shows and chant our opinions.

....Oh wait.

[Y2M]

I haven't commented yet because I've been enjoying the reactions (trying to make the best of it), but I guess I will now.

I just don't get how shortsighted the WWE can be. The whole storyline of Bryan being a B+ superstar and not being a main eventer could have been resolved by at least letting him win the rumble. He's had huge reactions for months now, works his ass off every show, yet they give the rumble to a returning Batista who hasn't wrestled in the WWE for four years and really doesn't need the rumble win to cement his legacy. Batista vs Orton? Is that really the direction they're going? We've seen this match a thousand times. Orton is a boring champion. The fans hardly react to him. We saw that tonight and we saw it at TLC. Batista beating him wouldn't mean anything. He's a what, six time champion or something as it is. So what's the point in giving him the title? It's Wrestlemania 30! I want to see something new, something everyone will remember (for the right reasons). And you can't really judge Batista's marketability based on the ratings last week. There's going to a spike no matter who is returning, especially if they haven't wrestled in the company for four years.

Ugh, it just doesn't make sense to me. Out of all the people in the last decade, Bryan winning this would have been the best. Imagine the huge crowd chanting 'Yes' in unison at Wrestlemania as he wins the title. That would be a Wrestlemania moment. Batista winning the title? We saw it already. It's 2014, time to move on.

[Amazing Kitsune]

This too shall pass. I know it upsets a lot of people, but the WWE really has been far, far worse off before. There are tons of things going right in the WWE. New guys are being pushed hard--and this was evident even tonight. They're not pushing DB like a lot of people would like--that sucks. In spite of tonight they're still far, far from burying the guy. There's still no reason to believe that he has a doomed future or anything.

The positive outweighs the negative and things may yet look up for DB by WrestleMania. We'll just have to see.

[The Trashman]

I'm not upset. I knew Batista was winning from the time he was announced

[Cry Baby]

Jan 26, 2014 23:27:17 GMT -5 Heartbreaker said:

Maybe we should go to the shows and chant our opinions.

....Oh wait.

Perhaps, Occupy Stamford?

[RI Richmark]

Batista has been and still is one of my favorite wrestlers. But I've never thought I'd be sad to see him win The Royal Rumble. Actually, I feel a little bad for him. I fear he's going to bear the brunt of the fan backlash.

But the WWE asked for this. The fans have been chanting who they want to see win the Rumble for months. The WWE should have given them what they want.

As for the wager, I'm not changing my name yet. They still have a couple of months to fix things. But for the first time I'm not liking my chances.

I still think Daniel Bryan will win the Title. The WWE can't ignore the fans forever.

Oh, and I'm still going be watching. I like WWE too much to give up because of one guy.

[Magic knows Black Lives Matter]

Jan 26, 2014 23:07:46 GMT -5 Some Guy said:

Jan 26, 2014 23:01:41 GMT -5 Magic knows Black Lives Matter said:

Gonna post this in here and re-post it in the Rumble thread:

To people saying that they are done with this company, by all means, take a break. Start reading on Monday nights, take up a new hobby, discover something about yourself. Just get away from the product for a few months. I promise you this shit is not worth getting stressed over.

It may seem hard if you watch wrestling all the time but it can be done. Trust me, when/if you start watching a few months from now, you'll feel a lot better.

I love ya Magiconz, I do, but it's hard. I've been watching nonstop for 12 years, and was watching casually for 4 years before then. It's just incredibly difficult when you're that emotionally invested in something because you watch week after week after week. I don't think I've ever liked anyone as much as I like Bryan now, and i haven't heard any reactions like this since Austin. It's incredibly frustrating.

Trust me, I know it can be hard to walk away when you've watched for so long but sometimes it really is for the best. Start out slow. Instead of watching full shows, watch bits and pieces. When you get the urge to watch Raw, go listen to music or watch a movie. You don't have to go cold turkey, just slowly phase it out. Hell, when I've taken breaks, I still followed the product through online results and such. Wrestling doesn't have to disappear from your life, just focus on other aspects of your life for a little while.

[SOR]

Emotions are just high right now. Come tomorrow most people will have reconsidered and calmed down a lot. A significant number of people won't boycott WWE because of this.