WWE WrestleMania 30: Why Daniel Bryan vs. The Authority Feud Must Continue

Tonight at WWE WrestleMania XXX the winner of the Daniel Bryan or Triple H match will become the third man in the triple threat match with Randy Orton and Batista for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Some believe Daniel Bryan will defeat Triple H and enter the Main Event match, others think Triple H will go over Daniel Bryan to fight for the championship. There's even the third option, we get no clear cut winner, a swerve of sorts, in the Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H match and both go on, turning the match with Batista and Randy Orton into a fatal four way. Regardless of the outcome in the Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H match, no matter if Daniel Bryan comes out of WrestleMania XXX as the WWE World Heavyweight champion or if the WWE decides to screw with the rabid Daniel Bryan fanbase yet again and have him lose either the Triple H match or the championship match, the Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H / The Authority feud cannot and should not end at WrestleMania XXX. When looking back at the greatest WrestleMania moments of all time, the main event of WrestleMania XIV featuring Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels always tops the list. It's not only because Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Shawn Michaels is a classic match, with two of the greatest superstars to ever grace a professional wrestling ring. It's not only because of the major part Mike Tyson played in the match and WrestleMania history when "Iron" Mike was at the peak of pop culture relevance. It's mainly because it is the kick off of the Stone Cold Steve Austin "Attitude fueled" era and most importantly for the the company, it began WWE ascension as the premier pro wrestling company, a wrestling boom period that reached heights never before seen in the business. Driving what is considered the wrestling boom period was the legendary Austin vs. McMahon feud. While the feud did start as the buildup to WrestleMania XIV, with Austin ruining Vince McMahon's big announcement featuring Iron Mike Tyson. That's right. The bulk of the most successful rivalry of all time, the Austin vs. "The Authority" figure Vince McMahon storyline was not following the classic wrestling storyline featuring the fan favorite pursuing the title that was always just out of reach thanks to the heel. For the bulk of the Austin vs. McMahon feud, Austin was or had already achieved his goal of being WWE champion. The storyline was driven by "The Authority" figure trying to thwart the man who fans wanted as their champion but "corporate" did not. The beginning of the Austin vs. McMahon feud is now 16 years ago. Sound familiar? Whether or not you believe WWE had this angle planned long term, the stars have aligned in a way that set us up for Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H, who is part of a faction that actually goes by the name The Authority. This time, yes, WWE has given us the classic wrestling trope that involves the fan favorite (Daniel Bryan) chasing after the title and, thanks to the heel (Triple H), always just coming up short. But by continuing the Daniel Bryan vs. The Authority storyline after WrestleMania XXX, WWE can find themselves in the midst of another boom period. If WWE goes with the almost unbelievable scenario of Daniel Bryan losing at WrestleMania XXX, sure many, including myself, would complain that they tossed away what could have been a classic WrestleMania moment. But, aside from a few boycotting for a short time, we would still want to see Triple H and The Authority get what's coming to them. We would tune in to see Daniel Bryan finally get that upper hand and deliver the justice that's so rightfully deserved to Triple H. If WWE goes with the much more gratifying scenario of Daniel Bryan winning the WWE World Heavyweight championship at WrestleMania XXX, would that be the culmination of Daniel Bryan vs. The Authority? WrestleMania is usually considered as closure for many wrestling feuds. But, then again, that would have given closure to the Austin vs. McMahon feud in just a few weeks. People would tune in to see Triple H and The Authority do whatever it takes to remove that championship belt from Daniel Bryan's waist. And, unlike the past few months that found Daniel Bryan failing week after week, the fans would erupt as it was Triple H and the Authority that found themselves coming up short week after week. Imagine a scenario where John Cena fought to get back into the title picture, and Triple H announced that he would give Cena a SummerSlam rematch with Daniel Bryan, but only if he was an "Authority" guy. We know WWE will never turn John Cena heel, but imagine if a face John Cena reluctantly had to go along with it because it was the only way to ever get back into the title picture. In the weeks leading up to SummerSlam, John Cena goes along with The Authority's heel tactics, only to finally turn on them during his match with Daniel Bryan. This would add so many layers to the Daniel Bryan vs. The Authority storyline. Many seem to forget that during the Attitude era, practically every major feud was connected or had some sort of overlap with the overarching Austin vs. McMahon feud that dominated WWE. Daniel Bryan, like Stone Cold Steve Austin at the time, has a rabid fanbase unlike anything ever seen before. Daniel Bryan, like Stone Cold Steve Austin, has crossed over into the mainstream and has a catchphrase that has become a part of pop culture. Everyone wants to see Daniel Bryan become champion at WrestleMania XXX, just like they did Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIV. Give the fans what they want tonight and ending the Daniel Bryan vs. The Authority feud would be like throwing away the bulk of the Austin vs. McMahon rivalry. We're on the cusp of a wrestling boom period, all WWE needs to do is look back at what they did 16 years ago. It shouldn't be too hard, it's right there where they uploaded it on the WWE Network.
Contributor

Matt Binder hasn't written a bio just yet, but if they had... it would appear here.