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As we gear up for this year’s edition of SummerSlam, the all too familiar feeling of something going terribly wrong creeps in. This year’s main event will see the WWE champion John Cena defending his title against “The American Dragon” Daniel Bryan.
For those who’re wondering what the “American Dragon” deal is, we need to take a trip down the memory lane and see the journey of Daniel Bryan. Unlike John Cena or any other product of the “corporate machine”, Daniel Bryan wasn’t made by the WWE.
Long before he came to the WWE, Daniel Bryan wrestled on the independent scene, earning the tag as this generation’s greatest technical wrestler. For all those who follow independent wrestling, Bryan was this generation’s Chris Benoit. And for those same fans, Daniel Bryan was everything but a ‘superstar’. But ever since he came to the WWE, Daniel Bryan has become a ‘superstar’ while still being a wrestler.
Two years ago, there was another ‘Indy darling’ who created a shockwave in the WWE. For those who don’t remember, CM Punk became the hottest commodity, similar to Daniel Bryan in 2013. Punk left Chicago at the Money in the Bank PPV as the WWE champion.
Later, Punk was set to face Cena at SummerSlam with Triple H as the special guest referee. What happened next was sheer catastrophe, and Punk’s momentum was completely halted and he was never the same again. He lost the WWE championship at SummerSlam, once again losing to Triple H at the next PPV.
For those who’re good with figuring things out, they might have already deduced the common elements from 2011. Daniel Bryan will be facing Cena with Triple H as the special guest referee, thus just replacing Punk two years earlier.
I, for the life of me cannot understand why Triple H had to insert himself as the special guest referee in this bout. There are two possibilities come Sunday: Either Triple H turns heel and costs Bryan the title when Orton cashes in, or Triple H will call it down the middle and Orton will still cash in the briefcase.
Either way, like 2011, it isn’t about Punk or Bryan, but it is a fact that it is and always will be about Vince McMahon and Triple H. Cena vs Bryan would’ve been perfect as it was, with the story revolving around Bryan’s quest for glory after wrestling for nearly 15 years.
That in itself could’ve been played off, but instead WWE chose to put Triple H in the match, thus taking away the spot light from Daniel Bryan. For those who remember WrestleMania 2004 or No Way Out 2004, it was Benoit’s and Eddie’s biggest night respectively, and their Cinderella story gathered positive response from the fans and their peers alike. Come Sunday, Daniel Bryan would’ve been in the same situation hadn’t it been for the third element, which wasn’t necessary.
It can also turn out to be different, with Triple H stopping Randy Orton, who tries to cash in at the orders of Vince McMahon, but I hardly think that will happen. The fact of the matter is, WWE wouldn’t be willing to put Daniel Bryan over clean. It would be a picture perfect end to the PPV and the culmination of Daniel Bryan’s journey if he beats John Cena cleanly to become the new WWE champion.
Similar to Punk’s situation, it will be about Triple H/Vince McMahon, rather than Daniel Bryan. Gone are the days when the likes of Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels won the title clean, with the announcers putting over their journey and hardships. Gone are the days when Jim Ross would lose his voice while emphasizing on Chris Benoit’s 18-year odyssey.
With the crowd firmly behind Bryan, it will be interesting to see if WWE goes ahead with “boyhood dream coming true” angle or ends up screwing Daniel Bryan and the WWE Universe. I, for one, would have loved it if Cena faced Bryan with no other element, whilst still expecting Orton to cash in towards the end. The greatest element in entertaining people is in surprising them, and sadly, this has become “been there, seen that” scenario in the WWE.
