All hail the worlds greatest wrestler ...

[IANdrewDiceClay]

 

There's really nobody better is there? He can do everything. He can talk, he can be funny, he can be serious, he's got a super hot catchphrase and he's possibly the best actor in segments in wrestling. He's supposedly alright in the ring as well. And more importantly, he's very likable. He's their next huge star. I can't see how he wont be. People are desperate to love him.

[Sphinx]

http://www.wwe.com/videos/daniel-bryan-tal...ive-se-26049775

 

Glad the naysayers have egg on their face. Did my nut when people said he was shit and had no character and was awful on the mic. I knew that he was doing what was asked of him.

[Magnum]

I haven't really been privy to his rise with not being a regular WWE viewer over the past couple of years, but I've caught the odd youtube segment and PPV match. I have to say it's really surprised me how much he's been pushed and how over he's got. Again, not having seen any of his indie or Japanese matches, my first thought upon seeing him on NXT was 'fuck me, this cunt makes The Miz look like Brock Lesnar'. That he now seems to be taken seriously in feuds against blokes the size of Sheamus and Kane is a credit to him, I think, and also fair play to WWE for giving such a chance to someone who would've likely been hoyed into a comedy feud with Hornswoggle a 3-4 years back.

[Devon Malcolm]

He's brilliant. They've done a fantastic job with him almost every step of the way and they have stuck with him as well. They have always been keen on him as well, so they have clearly always believed that they could do something pretty major with him, and so it has proved.

 

But he himself has been a marvel. Low-Ki could have learned a lot from him. He's gone from super serious indie wrestler to a fantastic all-round entertainer because he's not been afraid to look silly and to send himself up and ride through storylines like the Bella Twins stuff. He's been rewarded with a world title run and regular top-of-the-card matches. He's massively over, he plays everything with total conviction, and he's clearly widely respected and liked.

 

What a guy.

[Professor Paul's Bin]

Its been a really strange period seeing Bryan in the WWE. First he gets fired, gets his name chanted during shows and is rehired. He comes back for a good feud with The Miz and ends up getting knocked off the WrestleMania card. After then he floats about on a losing streak, wins Money in the bank and cashes in on Big Show. A nice series of matches with Sheamus & Punk and now hes floating around with Kane.

 

Throughout the bad positions he has been in, he has managed to recover well and come across better each time. It's obvious that since Mania the WWE has grown there faith in him and the WWE fans are craving new main eventers desperately. So hopefully the WWE doesn't pussy out with this one and fuck him over.

 

Bryan comes across as a breath of fresh air on telly. He brings the best out of his opponents and brings out top performances consistently. As his feud with The Miz in the second half of 2010 was what made me become a fan of The Miz.

[FLips]

He's fantastic now, but I still stand by that when he first started, he had no character and would just grin through every promo or segment he was involved in, he was shit.

[Spike Sharpe]

 

There's really nobody better is there? He can do everything. He can talk, he can be funny, he can be serious, he's got a super hot catchphrase and he's possibly the best actor in segments in wrestling. He's supposedly alright in the ring as well. And more importantly, he's very likable. He's their next huge star. I can't see how he wont be. People are desperate to love him.

 

 

I know I'm in a minority, but I can't actually stand the guy.

 

Yep, he can wrestle and talk a bit, but he just doesn't cut it for me as an invincible wrestling superstar - he looks just like any other random guy with an ugly mug that you'd drag in off the street. His name is boring, his ring gear is boring, his ring entrance is boring and physically he's a bit of a shortarse too. (Yeah, I know Flair, Michaels etc. weren't huge either before you mention it, but we're not talking about them, are we?) And his catchphrase? It might be over, but it's still shit. I could open my dictionary and pick a single random word and shout it over and over again. "What?" was at least amusing as a catchphrase for a couple of weeks. "Yes" or "No" or whatever is just dismal.

 

I know it's 2012 and we're never going back to the days of Flair, Hogan, Savage, Austin, Rock etc., but wrestling really is in the doldrums if someone as bland and mediocre as Daniel Bryan can get to main event level and be considered for a "World Title". The only reason people think he's so great is because he's one of the few that actually remain afloat in the sea of mediocrity that is modern day WWE.

 

Fully prepared to be torn to pieces on this one, as I know plenty of people who love the guy. Don't care though. I don't.

[neil is brill]

One of my favourite things about him is that on any given show, the crowd can be asleep, or one of the worst crowds ever, and as soon as that first note of his music hits, it's like everyone in the arena has suddenly gone rabid. The reactions he gets are fucking insane.

[Michael_3165]

Well I am coming from a non fan perspective because I haven't watched WWE religiously in years (barring spot shows and occasional PPVs that are free) and I have caught some of his indy stuff (particularly NOAH and ROH as well as UK shows years ago) but nothing that I would describe making me a long time fan. I don't have any bias about the lad because I am going off the shows I have seen of him. That isn't to say I am judging on limited exposure because I consider myself to have seen enough of his stuff to make a judgement

 

Bryan for me is a super worker. Having taught fair bit of his NOAH and ROH matches, particularly with KENTA/Morishima/McGuiness etc I can say that he is one of the few guys from the U.S that seems to be able to excel in any match with any person. Nowadays wrestlers can work a style, but Bryan can wrestle ANY style and make it look good.

 

I saw him in a match with the Miz early 2011. It was fast paced, athletic and showed him to be a great wrestler who can get a crowd on their feet. I was later impressed with various other outings he had on RAW, proving that despite being on the bad side of management in the WWE, he could still perform at such a high standard.

 

But he is a World Champion?

 

No, No, No! Thats an opinion. He is VERY proficient and can "go" with anyone in the business. That is a fact. I do feel however that it's a reflection of the state of WWE when a guy with the limited personality of Bryan (and he HAS compared to the greats like Savage, Hogan, Rock, Austin and even the small guys like Flair and Michaels) is given the World Title. Now please don't jump on me! I know everyone loves him but he isn't for me. He is the perfect Intercontinental Champion of the 80s-early 90s and would excel if in that era. But this isn't 1987 this is 2012 and Bryan, as good as he is, isn't going to spark of another boom period. Now people may not care for the boom as long as they are entertained and thats fine. But I am dying for wrestling to be "great" again, and Bryan doesnt seem to be the man who is up to the job.

 

At the same time he is one of the best things on WWE at the moment. The sufferable John Cena is not cutting the mustard for me anymore and he is getting more and more stale by the week. We had Mark Henry and Big Show along with Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus over the course of the last 12 months, none of which are making the slightest increase in my desire to watch more WWE. CM Punk is CM Punk. He can produce excellent quality wrestling and television when he can be bothered and given the restraints placed by WWE but again he isn't "that guy". I had great hopes for him in the WWE alongside Bryan but something is missing.

 

I might be wrong, but I am in the perfect demographic in alot of ways. I am an old school fan with a passion for wrestling (GOOD wrestling) and I "get" wrestling. If you can drag me back to watching WWE full time, you can drag most old school fans back as well. But hey, maybe they want to focus on new blood which is also fine

[Sphinx]

He's fantastic now, but I still stand by that when he first started, he had no character and would just grin through every promo or segment he was involved in, he was shit.

 

The character was shit, but he wasn't shit.

 

The post-show match at the Miami Raw was a brilliant atmosphere I won't forget. It was a ten man tag and the crowd chanted 'we want Bryan' whenever he was out of the ring. When he was tagged in, he got a massive cheer. No response to anyone other than him, and 'yes/no' duelling battles. Fun and surreal.

 

I saw him at European Navigation 08 in a tag match which was brilliant. I don't follow Japanese wrestling, but this was one of my favourkte matches I'd seen that year.

 

I agree that Bryan would work better elevating others than having the belt. I think a big chase for the title would work, but don't think he should keep it for long.

[wrestlingmad]

He's fantastic now, but I still stand by that when he first started, he had no character and would just grin through every promo or segment he was involved in, he was shit.

 

The character was shit, but he wasn't shit.

 

The post-show match at the Miami Raw was a brilliant atmosphere I won't forget. It was a ten man tag and the crowd chanted 'we want Bryan' whenever he was out of the ring. When he was tagged in, he got a massive cheer. No response to anyone other than him, and 'yes/no' duelling battles. Fun and surreal.

 

I saw him at European Navigation 08 in a tag match which was brilliant. I don't follow Japanese wrestling, but this was one of my favourkte matches I'd seen that year.

 

I agree that Bryan would work better elevating others than having the belt. I think a big chase for the title would work, but don't think he should keep it for long.

Just to clarify it was a 6 man.

 

I was also there, and It was amazing! Im so glad somebody posted it online.

[IANdrewDiceClay]

Well I am coming from a non fan perspective because I haven't watched WWE religiously in years (barring spot shows and occasional PPVs that are free) and I have caught some of his indy stuff (particularly NOAH and ROH as well as UK shows years ago) but nothing that I would describe making me a long time fan. I don't have any bias about the lad because I am going off the shows I have seen of him. That isn't to say I am judging on limited exposure because I consider myself to have seen enough of his stuff to make a judgement

 

Bryan for me is a super worker. Having taught fair bit of his NOAH and ROH matches, particularly with KENTA/Morishima/McGuiness etc I can say that he is one of the few guys from the U.S that seems to be able to excel in any match with any person. Nowadays wrestlers can work a style, but Bryan can wrestle ANY style and make it look good.

 

I saw him in a match with the Miz early 2011. It was fast paced, athletic and showed him to be a great wrestler who can get a crowd on their feet. I was later impressed with various other outings he had on RAW, proving that despite being on the bad side of management in the WWE, he could still perform at such a high standard.

 

But he is a World Champion?

 

No, No, No! Thats an opinion. He is VERY proficient and can "go" with anyone in the business. That is a fact. I do feel however that it's a reflection of the state of WWE when a guy with the limited personality of Bryan (and he HAS compared to the greats like Savage, Hogan, Rock, Austin and even the small guys like Flair and Michaels) is given the World Title. Now please don't jump on me! I know everyone loves him but he isn't for me. He is the perfect Intercontinental Champion of the 80s-early 90s and would excel if in that era. But this isn't 1987 this is 2012 and Bryan, as good as he is, isn't going to spark of another boom period. Now people may not care for the boom as long as they are entertained and thats fine. But I am dying for wrestling to be "great" again, and Bryan doesnt seem to be the man who is up to the job.

 

At the same time he is one of the best things on WWE at the moment. The sufferable John Cena is not cutting the mustard for me anymore and he is getting more and more stale by the week. We had Mark Henry and Big Show along with Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus over the course of the last 12 months, none of which are making the slightest increase in my desire to watch more WWE. CM Punk is CM Punk. He can produce excellent quality wrestling and television when he can be bothered and given the restraints placed by WWE but again he isn't "that guy". I had great hopes for him in the WWE alongside Bryan but something is missing.

 

I might be wrong, but I am in the perfect demographic in alot of ways. I am an old school fan with a passion for wrestling (GOOD wrestling) and I "get" wrestling. If you can drag me back to watching WWE full time, you can drag most old school fans back as well. But hey, maybe they want to focus on new blood which is also fine

tl;dr

[Bus Surfer]

Love the guy. Forget in his in ring stuff, his greatest quality is being able to run with absolutely everything he is given and make it work. He's consistently the best thing on the show. He's a natural all rounder, but also excels where it matters the most.

[Arch Stanton]

He's fantastic now, but I still stand by that when he first started, he had no character and would just grin through every promo or segment he was involved in, he was shit.

 

The character was shit, but he wasn't shit.

 

The post-show match at the Miami Raw was a brilliant atmosphere I won't forget. It was a ten man tag and the crowd chanted 'we want Bryan' whenever he was out of the ring. When he was tagged in, he got a massive cheer. No response to anyone other than him, and 'yes/no' duelling battles. Fun and surreal.

 

I saw him at European Navigation 08 in a tag match which was brilliant. I don't follow Japanese wrestling, but this was one of my favourkte matches I'd seen that year.

 

I agree that Bryan would work better elevating others than having the belt. I think a big chase for the title would work, but don't think he should keep it for long.

Just to clarify it was a 6 man.

 

I was also there, and It was amazing! Im so glad somebody posted it online.

Yeah, I was there too and I can honestly say I've never seen a wrestler more over with a live crowd in my life. He was more over than The Rock was 24 hours earlier.

 

That match was terrific fun, all centred around him. Although it was a sublime piece of booking, I had felt sorry for the guy at WrestleMania because he didn't get to show what he could do and there was a stadium full of people desperate to get right into the match. The post-Raw match must have made him feel a lot better- you could see it on his face, he couldn't quite believe the reaction he was getting and neither could some of the other lads in the match.

 

He probably is the best in the world right now- he's sure as hell got more right to be using that moniker than Punk or Jericho anyway.

[hallicks]

I know I'm in a minority, but I can't actually stand the guy.

 

Yep, he can wrestle and talk a bit, but he just doesn't cut it for me as an invincible wrestling superstar - he looks just like any other random guy with an ugly mug that you'd drag in off the street. His name is boring, his ring gear is boring, his ring entrance is boring and physically he's a bit of a shortarse too. (Yeah, I know Flair, Michaels etc. weren't huge either before you mention it, but we're not talking about them, are we?) And his catchphrase? It might be over, but it's still shit. I could open my dictionary and pick a single random word and shout it over and over again. "What?" was at least amusing as a catchphrase for a couple of weeks. "Yes" or "No" or whatever is just dismal.

 

I know it's 2012 and we're never going back to the days of Flair, Hogan, Savage, Austin, Rock etc., but wrestling really is in the doldrums if someone as bland and mediocre as Daniel Bryan can get to main event level and be considered for a "World Title". The only reason people think he's so great is because he's one of the few that actually remain afloat in the sea of mediocrity that is modern day WWE.

 

Fully prepared to be torn to pieces on this one, as I know plenty of people who love the guy. Don't care though. I don't.

 

You accuse him of being mediocre before congratulating him for rising above the sea of mediocrity. So, er...