WWE SmackDown: 5 Reasons why Vince McMahon added Daniel Bryan to the gauntlet match

By Riju Dasgupta
Modified Mar 20, 2019 18:43 IST
Not everyone was pleased with Vince McMahon's rather shocking decision
Not everyone was pleased with Vince McMahon's rather shocking decision

Kofi Kingston had done it! The New Day member took on not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4 but 5 of WWE's top stars and beat them all on the very same night. He did it without any assistance or interference. He won the match as clean as a whistle.

And then Vince McMahon's music hit, seemingly to congratulate Kofi Kingston for making it to WrestleMania 35, to contest against The New Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship. Much to the dismay of those in attendance, McMahon made an addition. Daniel Bryan would be the sixth man that Kofi Kingston would have to face that very night.

A lot of our readers have been asking why Daniel Bryan was added to the match. And I think I may just have the answer for you folks.

Read this article and find out!

#5 A hook for next week

Because of how passionate all of us are as sports entertainment fans, it is sometimes easy to forget that both brands of WWE are weekly television shows. What this basically means is that while the payoff to a big angle could happen every week, sometimes it's necessary to stretch it to the next, to ensure that the audience comes in for the ride. If you give everything away at one go, there may not be any excitement for next week's show.

So, obviously, Kofi Kingston is going to WrestleMania. Anyone who's even remotely familiar with WWE knows that this is going to be the big payoff. And he's not just going to the show, but he's going to be competing for the WWE Championship.

In all likelihood, he's even going to win the big match. So Daniel Bryan's inclusion was merely a red herring.

#4 For Bryan to be hated even more

You have to remember that Daniel Bryan returned from injury after being told that he would never wrestle again. How do you even begin to boo a man like that? Isn't it commendable that despite that, Daniel Bryan has managed to make us hate him over the past few months as a heel?

And now, he was the final roadblock before Kofi Kingston could make it to WrestleMania 35. Because of how red hot Kofi Kingston is at the moment, I can absolutely see the WWE Universe seething and frothing at the mouth at the reigning and defending WWE Champion. Now, they just want to see him lose the WWE Championship at any cost.

Daniel Bryan has achieved the impossible, he's taken the Yes movement and turned it around. This time he's the heel thwarting a babyface from getting the ever-so-prestigious WWE Championship.

#3 Vince McMahon's constant campaign against Kingston

For some unexplained reason, Vince McMahon has really got something against Kofi Kingston, who seems to have caught fire-- in storyline of course. It all began when he replaced Kingston with Kevin Owens at WWE Fastlane.

And at Fastlane, he promised Kingston that he would get a title shot. Only Kingston came out to find The Bar waiting in the wings, who left him in a mess and a heap in the middle of the ring.

Therefore, the decision to bring Daniel Bryan out was a continuation of the very same storyline of course. Vince McMahon does not want Kofi Kingston in the championship picture for reasons unknown and will do just about anything he can to prevent Kingston from reaching the promised land ie. WrestleMania.

It is clear that McMahon will throw a lot of other traps in Kofi Kingston's path before he can make it to WrestleMania.

#2 To build even greater sympathy for Kofi Kingston

Remember what the current WWE Champion, Daniel Bryan calls the WWE Universe. Fickle. The WWE Universe has been known to support a Superstar wholeheartedly and then suddenly turn on him/her out of nowhere, for no fault of the said Superstar.

For Kofi Kingston to remain as over as he is right now and not fizzle out like Rusev Day did, all WWE needs to do is have him garner sympathy on a weekly basis, like he did this week. This is the ultimate underdog, fighting against all odds, fighting against the man. He represents the struggle of the common man against the system of corruption at the top.

What WWE does not want is for the audience to turn on Kingston or even lose interest in him before WrestleMania 35 comes around. And so Daniel Bryan was introduced to be yet another roadblock for him before WrestleMania.

#1 To tease the idea of New Day leaving WWE

I was on ground for New Day's India tour earlier this month and got to see first hand just how close they are. It is not an act, ladies and gentlemen. The New Day really like each other and they also have incredible chemistry against one another. Is it any wonder then that they released a video shortly after Kofi Kingston's loss?

In the video, they teased leaving WWE because they had achieved everything that needed to be done in the company over the time that they've been together. And let's be honest, can one dispute the claim? They certainly are the longest reigning Tag Team Champions in WWE history.

So, this is basically a storyline that should play out in a big way over the weeks that follow. What do you guys think?

Let us know in the comments section below, folks.

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