What’s the story?
Remember the huge pop Daniel Bryan got after creating history at Wrestlemania 30? According to veteran pro-wrestling pundit Dave Meltzer, the WWE actually feared that Bryan would get booed by the WWE Universe in the days that followed his miraculous victory in not one but two matches on the same night, on the grandest stage of them all.
In case you didn’t know...
Daniel Bryan (real name- Bryan Danielson) is a former 4-time WWE world champion who made history at Wrestlemania 30 by defeating Triple H in the first main-card matchup, qualifying for the main event, which was a triple threat matchup between him, Batista and Randy Orton for Orton’s WWE World Heavyweight championship.
Bryan went on to beat both Batista and Orton in the main event in front of the 75,000 plus fans in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The heart of the matter
WWE head-honchos expected the fans to turn against Daniel Bryan after his aforementioned win at Mania back in 2014. However, a big reason that they didn’t was him getting injured prior to his matchup on the grandest stage of them all.
Here are a few excerpts from Meltzer’s conversation regarding The Leader of the Yes! Movement, courtesy f4wonline:
“John Layfield’s (JBL) thing was is that if you have to have an underdog and Daniel Bryan was an underdog. He was getting cheered like crazy because he was an underdog and we planned it that way. It paid off at Wrestlemania, but after Wrestlemania when he was champion, now- He’s champion and he’s got the hot wife (Brie Bella). So the people weren’t gonna be with him anymore.”
Meltzer then went on to say that he isn’t sure if that was really the case. Here’s what he went on to say:
“I don’t know if that’s the case and we’ll never know if that’s the case, because the reality is that he ‘got hurt’ first. Now, John Layfield often is the voice of the company and their mentality is that ‘well, the only reason Daniel Bryan didn’t get booed was because he got hurt first; but he was about to get booed because he was no longer an underdog and he was gonna be the establishment company champion. And the people would then boo him.’ Now I’m not saying that this is true but I’m just telling you how they think because you can see how they (WWE Management) think.”
What’s next?
Meanwhile, Daniel Bryan continues to work as the on-screen General Manager for WWE’s SmackDown brand. His current contract with WWE ends in 2018.
Author’s take
Regardless of what any pro-wrestling expert may feel today, the fact remains that Daniel Bryan was, is and will forever be one of the most beloved performers to have graced the squared circle. The boos and cheers are all part of the game and although the WWE writers may try their best to direct the storylines as per their agenda, the ultimate decision to like or dislike the Superstars rests with us, the WWE Universe.
And as far as Bryan is concerned, he’s doing a commendable job alongside Shane O’Mac, taking the WWE’s blue brand to new heights of success.
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