Daniel Bryan’s heel run is flying under the radar

[Deleted]

Yeah!

[DZ: WF Legacy]

I mean, Bryan looks just like any nutty overly smug environmentalist/"WAKE UP SHEEPLE" personality I've ever met. His look is perfect. I still personally prefer his oblivious asshole boyfriend heel turn from '11/'12, but this alternate heel take just shows how versatile of a character he is. I respect when established performers take risks and get creative with their characters opposed to being comfortable with what "works" like modern day Undertaker. Bryan was a wonderful underdog babyface, and he is an excellent up-his-own ass heel.

I think the reality is that Smackdown is cemented as show #2, and when they do the silly brand supremacy thing and for some reason have Smackdown get swept at Survivor Series, it doesn't help anybody. Bryan's work is great, but a lot of folks aren't seeing it outside of hype packages and clips on social media.

[DiBiase is Good]

Both of you, drop it now.

[Deleted]

If Becky wasn't just completely killing it right now, we'd probably be talking up heel Bryan as being the best thing going in WWE right now.

You know what I want to see, though? A Jericho winning the title from HHH in 2000 moment with Bryan and Ali, even if Bryan gets the decision reversed like HHH did.

[S-Chrome]

Funny thing about this heel run is that they tried pushing the 'I'm Vegan, better than you' angle with his first heel turn of '11-'12 but swept that under the rug in favor of being an oblivious blowhard that was abusive to his gf. I figure because it was too CM Punk-ish.

Overall, Eco-Communist Bryan has been very good, but I give that last promo on the Baby Boomers a minus.

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

Jan 25, 2019 23:35:19 GMT -5 S-Chrome said:

Funny thing about this heel run is that they tried pushing the 'I'm Vegan, better than you' angle with his first heel turn of '11-'12 but swept that under the rug in favor of being an oblivious blowhard that was abusive to his gf. I figure because it was too CM Punk-ish.

Overall, Eco-Communist Bryan has been very good, but I give that last promo on the Baby Boomers a minus.

I do like how some wrestlers try to bring it back to one of their first gimmicks when they get a chance

Usos heel run was essentially them doing the same shit they did when they first got called up with Tamina

[schma]

Admittedly, I haven't been super interested in what he's been saying as a heel, though I did appreciate that he went off on baby boomers so that definitely got him some points. I may give his promos another look at some point.

[Mister Pigwell]

I haven't watched any of it but I've heard promo snippits on podcasts and it sounded lile some good ol' "I'm better than you" heelin and seems to be getting the proper negative response. With that being all I have to base an opinion on, seems pretty good.

[WoodStoner1]

He's vegan and better than you!

[Deleted]

Seeing some of the responses from people who dislike the Bryan promos and their reasons why, it actually sounds like Bryan's doing his job.

[Lupin the Third]

I got to see him live last weekend at a house show here in Sioux Falls.

It was truly amazing. I love his heel work.

[Chiral]

I hate it lol. It's just not a character I wanna see him do right now.

[Deleted]

I've thought it's been awful, like to the point that the idea of having to watch it is making me disinterested in SmackDown as a whole, but that's also pretty much exactly how I felt about Punk's 2009 run.

Though at least Bryan is being made to look like an actual threat instead of being destroyed every week like Punk was.

[bearned]

I think it’s fantastic - although I think he needs to get away from AJ after the rumble and move on to someone else.

[Fauxnaki]

I think Bryan is a great heel and he's playing his role great atm. But the fans and I arnt ready to boo him happened way too soon the heel turn

[Tea & Crumpets]

Jan 26, 2019 0:36:53 GMT -5 @kn said:

Seeing some of the responses from people who dislike the Bryan promos and their reasons why, it actually sounds like Bryan's doing his job.

He's not doing his job if it makes people switch off. I was so happy when Bryan was cleared to return, so pleased for him, I've been a sporadic/Youtube viewer for ages but was thinking "Maybe I'll actually watch Smackdown again" but I don't want to watch this Bryan, so I've stopped watching him.

As for the outside social media attention, the only outside attention I've seen hasn't been "Wow, what a great bad guy!" It's been "YES SMASH THE SYSTEM THIS GUY IS SO RIGHT". Which uh....seems to miss the point of the character.

This is why shouty political gimmicks suck. Even as heels, they tend to divide the audience or get go away heat. He's basically a leftist version of Zeb Coulter and it's just not landing for me at all, and neither did Zeb and his associated acts.

[Deleted]

Jan 26, 2019 5:03:12 GMT -5 Tea & Crumpets said:

Jan 26, 2019 0:36:53 GMT -5 @kn said:

Seeing some of the responses from people who dislike the Bryan promos and their reasons why, it actually sounds like Bryan's doing his job.

He's not doing his job if it makes people switch off. I was so happy when Bryan was cleared to return, so pleased for him, I've been a sporadic/Youtube viewer for ages but was thinking "Maybe I'll actually watch Smackdown again" but I don't want to watch this Bryan, so I've stopped watching him.

As for the outside social media attention, the only outside attention I've seen hasn't been "Wow, what a great bad guy!" It's been "YES SMASH THE SYSTEM THIS GUY IS SO RIGHT". Which uh....seems to miss the point of the character.

This is why shouty political gimmicks suck. Even as heels, they tend to divide the audience or get go away heat. He's basically a leftist version of Zeb Coulter and it's just not landing for me at all, and neither did Zeb and his associated acts.

I've seen waaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more people happy about Bryan's current self than anything Bryan's done since his WM30 arc and since his first return match. Everything after that people haven't been hyped about, Bryan didn't put his all into and more than that Bryan wasn't hitting on all cylinders like now. You don't have to want to watch this Bryan but I've seen numerous posts from people on this very forum (including myself) who have said Bryan's cheers have decreased, he wasn't in good programs and he seemed to be on the downside since he's returned. Regardless if people wanted him to do his old "underdog Daniel Bryan again" thing or even if he was who he was prior to his heel turn in the main event, there's a reason why his cheers were decreased and talk lessened around him.

You mention social media attention and again it goes back to what I said about nobody checking for Bryan until his heel turn. This is actually giving him some decent social media comments. It doesn't matter if the fans get the character, like the character or are against the character because some talk about Bryan is better than absolutely zero talk about Bryan. Him doing the same old thing he did in 2013-2014 wouldn't really get those fans behind him because it's been done before. This on the other hand, he's putting way more work into himself.

I wouldn't say this is even a gimmick because Bryan for a while has been this character in real life, he's just been nice about it and it's been turned up by 10. Reading through his podcast interviews, quotes, stuff like that, even Total Divas and even when he's nice he's always been this dude. This Bryan's actually more of who he truly is as a person overall compared to any other character he's played even the ones people like more so for me to see this I'm cool with it. There's a reason why he's so energetic about this compared to where he was at the beginning of the Styles feud when he was a face. This is just him.

You might not like it but there's a reason why others do like it, there's a reason why people are talking about it and there's a reason why it's hitting. I'm pretty sure we're getting less people not watching Bryan now compared to prior when he was just stuck in a boring mode around Summer 2018.

[111111]

His promo on vince went viral like really viral.

I haven't been on a wrestling site really since last week or watched smackdown yet I've come across that clip a few times in unexpected places.

The best heels are always the ones who are right in what they're saying but who are complete assholes in how they say it.

[bearned]

Jan 26, 2019 6:08:28 GMT -5 111111 said:

The best heels are always the ones who are right in what they're saying but who are complete assholes in how they say it.

Totally agree - he’s been a total dick to other wrestlers and the audience since he turned heel, even though what he is saying is really hard to disagree with. It’s not like totally revolutionary in terms of the gimmick (self righteous heel who thinks he is right and is a douche about it) but he is getting booed, which I thought would never happen.

[Bub (BLM)]

My favorite thing about it is the fact he's playing a heel by being the polar opposite of Vince McMahon. Without getting too political, I just want to point out that Bryan is in the perfect position to be a 1997 Bret Hart type character. Heel to the right, face to the left. I don't think they'll go there, though.