Tuesday January 28, 2014 was probably my lowest point as a
wrestling fan. Sure, there are plenty of ugly days in wrestling history, but to reference an old storyline, January 28 was when I “lost my smile.”
In case you need a refresher, that was the day it become
public knowledge that CM Punk left the WWE, and there was no return in sight.
While this in itself wasn’t horrible news (though it was
pretty bad), it came on the heels of Daniel Bryan stealing the show in his
match with Bray Wyatt two nights prior at the Royal Rumble, yet he was left out
of the actual rumble match. While I never really expected him to be in the match,
friends that I watched the rumble with and so many fans online seemed to expect
it, that I started thinking it was possible.
Of course, Bryan wasn’t in the rumble, a returning Batista
won the thing, and we were (apparently) left with the Wrestlemania main event
of Batista vs. Orton: the match that no one wanted to see… except for the
higher-ups in the company.
You see, wrestling is full of cynical fans, but I’ve always
thought of myself as a pretty optimistic fan. Even though I know better, I
often let myself believe that things are heading or could still head in a
positive direction. But in the Royal Rumble aftermath, there was no optimism to
be had. The “Road to Wrestlemania” had a seven-car pile up blocking the way.
A lot of the fan cynicism has to do with the fact that the
WWE has a monopoly over the business. During the Monday night wars, the
business thrived because there were two companies competing for viewers, and
they had to keep giving people what the wanted. Now that there’s only one show
around, what’s “best for business” isn’t always what the fans want to see.
We live in a day in age where EVERYONE has a voice on the
internet, and it appears that many people with a voice choose to use that voice
to complain. I understand most of the complaints of the fans, and agree with many.
Still, I’ve tried to stay optimistic and read as little online as I can…. But
the Royal Rumble aftermath sent me to a new low. I vowed that I would never
spend another dime on the product until either Punk returned or Bryan won the
title (Of course, I bought the WWE Network… but this feels justified simply
because if/when the current product sucks, I’m forced to reflect on when the
shows were much more watchable)
Of course, everything seems to have worked out now with
Bryan primed to earn a spot in the main event and likely claim the
championship. My optimism has been restored (for now). But before I discuss
Daniel Bryan, let’s look at the rest of the main events for the show.
In the WWE World
Heavyweight title match you have long-time friends turned long-time rivals, who
were part of one of the most unique factions in the modern era, squaring off,
joined by a small, unlikely wrestler who, in real-life had learned his trade
through apprenticeships around the world and made his way to WWE, finally
getting his shot at the most significant wrestling title in the world, at the
biggest event of the year. In doing so, he’s challenging the establishment—a
pair of guys who between the two of them, had dominated the WWE main event
scene for nearly a decade.
Then there’s a non-title
match that features the company’s biggest name going against a “bad guy” that
threatens to tear down his legacy, and for whatever reason seems to be getting
cheered by half the fans. This heel has taken the company by storm over the
past eight months and could be the company’s next breakout star.
Then you have the
Undertaker putting his streak on the line.
OK, I admit the last one is
kind of cheap, but in case you hadn’t figured it out, I was actually describing
some ‘Mania main events from the past. The first one is the triple threat title
match at Wrestlemania XX between HHH, HBK and Chris Benoit. The second is Bret
Hart vs. “Stonecold” Steve Austin. And of course, Undertaker’s streak has been
a major storyline for about a decade now.
I mention these past
matches because 1) wrestling is and always has been a repetitive/copycat
business. Even the most compelling stories have been told before in some form
or another. And 2) I’d like to examine what those previous stories can tell us
about this year’s main events.
John Cena vs Bray Wyatt
Some will argue that this
isn’t a main event, but don’t kid yourself. If we learned anything from CM
Punk’s 434 day title reign, it’s that if John Cena is involved in a match, that
match is a main event.
I’m actually really looking
forward to this one. While most fans in my demographic (male 18-35) hate Cena,
I’ve learned to tolerate him. His
character is definitely stale, he’s not what you would call a technically sound
wrestler and I’m far from being a fan, but he has shown in the past that he’s
capable of putting on a great match given the right opponent. I believe Wyatt
is the right opponent.
Not only do I expect this
to be a solid match, but I also see Wyatt coming out with a clean win. Yes,
Super Cena loses on the “Grandest Stage of them All” for the third time in four
years. Think about it, next to Bryan,
Wyatt is the fastest rising star in the company, and a loss means nothing to
Cena. Besides (spoiler alert), a “heel” has to win one of the main matches, and
I just don’t see it happening in any of the others. I’m also hoping the loss
sends Cena into a downward spiral that actually gives his character some depth…
but even I’m not THAT much of an optimist (Cena’s character evolving? What a
novel idea!).
Naturally I don’t expect
there to be a double turn like we saw in Hart/Austin, but I do see this match
catapulting Wyatt into stardom like it did for Austin, though obviously not
quite the same level.
Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar
But let’s be honest,
there’s NO WAY the streak falls. My guess is this plays out a lot like the
first (technically second) HHH-Taker match. Lesnar dominates for the majority,
and Taker uses his last gasp to lock-in the Hell’s Gate and make the former UFC
star tap at “The Showcase of the Immortals.” (Have I used all the Wrestlemania
clichés yet?)
Andre The Giant 30-man Battle Royal
Triple H/Daniel Bryan vs. Batista vs. Randy Orton
I never believed it would
actually get to this point until about a month ago, but now it seems Bryan is
destined to take the title at Wrestlemania XXX. The success of the WWE Network
depends on it, and the network was a big gamble… they HAVE TO send the fans
home happy.
I don’t pretend to believe
that the WWE planned this all along, but for the fun of it, I’ve decided to
take it a look at the “slow build” of Daniel Bryan getting to this point.
To me, Bryan’s ascension
started two years ago at Wrestlemania XXVIII. Bryan entered as the World
Heavyweight champion and had somewhat of a cult following. Nearly 80,000 fans
chanted “Yes!” along with Bryan as he hopped down the aisle to defend the title
against Sheamus in the show’s opening bout.
Bryan dropped the belt in
18 seconds, and many fans were appalled, including myself.
In reality, the quick end
was probably the best thing that could have happened for Bryan. The internet
fans started to believe Bryan was never going to get a fair shake as a
main-event player, and the casual fans soon followed. The “Yes Movement” had
begun.
He was then paired with
Kane in what started out as a comedy routine. That evolved into a highly
entertaining tag team, which gave Bryan not only the fan support, but it also
allowed him to showcase his skill to the casual viewer.
His popularity grew to an
all-time high last summer, and finally he won the title from Cena at
Summerslam…. Only to be screwed out of it by the Authority. The angle that
played out over the following months was fascinating from the standpoint that carried
out a real-life story as on on-air storyline (the story being that Bryan is
only a “B+ player” and not good enough to be the face of the company), but the
execution was horrendous.
Pay-Per-View after
Pay-Per-View ended horribly, and it seemed Bryan was destined as an upper
mid-carder when Big Show as given a title match and Bryan was inserted into a
feud with the Wyatts…. But then something very unexpected happened. WWE
actually started listening to their fans!
I believe that when Punk
quit, the WWE had little idea what they were going to do with the Wrestlemania
card, aside from the Taker/Lesnar match. The constant CM Punk chants despite
his absence, the “Yes!” chants and the boos for Batista that coincided with the
upcoming launch of the WWE Network, the company knew it had to do something.
They FINALLY had to give the fan something to be happy about.
And with that, plans were
set in motion. Bryan got screwed out of the title again at Elimination Chamber.
While my friends were once again pissed by the outcome, I came out of that PPV
with a small sense of satisfaction.
While the match was
certainly disappointing, the post-match commentary was completely centered
around how Bryan was repeatedly getting screwed, and while the past had given
me little reason for optimism, I felt like they were laying the groundwork for
Bryan to make his way into the title match at Wrestlemania.
And now, here we are. Of
course, Bryan has to beat Triple H first, but it’s just a formality. It’s
likely that that match will end with some sort of shenanigans. Either Hunter
cheats to win, and our host Hulk Hogan restarts the match (if precedent holds,
The Rock was the host at Wrestlemania three years ago and somehow had the
authority to restart the WWE title match)… or maybe there’s a draw and both men
end up in the title match.
Either way, it’s difficult
to imagine Bryan not holding up both belts at the end of the show as everyone
at the Superdome in New Orleans chants “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
It’s amazing what a
difference two months can make.
