10 Best WWE Storylines Of The Past 5 Years

9. With Authority

Daniel Bryan This is the YES era
WWE.com

Don't believe the hype - WWE never wanted the outcome they presented at WrestleMania 30. Despite the Randy Orton/Daniel Bryan/Dave Batista battle being a symbolic sequel to WrestleMania's 10 and 20 in how it presented a unfancied performer winning out over two Vince McMahon favourites, Bryan's heroic ascent was a pyrric victory for a vitriolic fanbase.

If the company were being honest in their retroactive assessment, they'd only be permitted to point to the famous ring-filling takeover by Daniel and his supporters as the moment they truly got on the Bryan bus. It was, unsurprisingly, one of the weaker checkpoints in the story too.

The relentless oppression suffered by the 'Yes Man' between SummerSlam and the Survivor Series in 2013 was character deconstruction unlike anything the company had attempted in years. It had to be - it was rooted in truth. Every time The Shield beat him down, or Randy Orton escaped with the WWE Title, or The Big Show stole his gimmick, the company's real 'Authority' genuinely were trying to reduce his status.

Like all great angles, it became the angle. Bryan Vs The Authority spun off into so many sub-stories that aided virtually everybody else other than Bryan himself. It was with some relief that the galvanised crowds never dialled down their love of the one man that defined it all.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett