10 Lessons WWE Can Learn From Its Audience-Free Shows

Since coming out of retirement, Daniel Bryan has found a lot of success in WWE. As WWE Champion, he was a great heel, while his babyface turn has made for entertaining viewing thanks to interactions with Superstars like The Fiend and Drew Gulak. Still, it's hard to escape the fact that even as champion, Bryan would play second fiddle to whoever held the Universal title on RAW.

Ultimately, it still feels like WWE doesn't view him as "the guy," but he's proven himself an unmissable part of SmackDown in recent weeks. Whether it's his goofy new friendship with Gulak or damn good wrestling matches on a show sorely lacking in them, he's been the highlight of Friday nights.

While Bryan has confirmed that he plans to take a six-week paternity leave over the summer, the leader of the Yes Movement deserves to receive a sizeable push when all is said and done, and WWE would be wise not to forget how consistently great he's been in these audience-free shows. After all, if he can entertain us without a crowd, imagine what he could do with an entire arena behind him?