10 Most Important Superstars On The Road To WWE Summerslam 2014

3. Daniel Bryan

It is fair to say that Daniel Bryan's tumultuous time following his fairytale WWE World Heavyweight Championship win at Wrestlemania XXX has prevented the Yes Man from generating the momentum as champion that he would have wanted. Having worked so hard and waited so long to wear the belt, Bryan has had it far from easy both personally and professionally since claiming the company's top prize. Bryan's only pay-per-view defence of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship so far has come against Kane, who returned to demon form directly after Bryan's title win. Though the demon persona is a much more fearsome and credible version of Kane than his corporate presentation, it remains to be seen whether Bryan's feud with the Big Red Machine will continue when he returns to action. Given that Kane's attacks were the cause of Bryan's injury in terms of the story line, it might be expected that Bryan should gain some retribution, but given the wider feud with the Authority and Kane's apparent affiliation with them, Bryan could easily be transitioned into a feud with another wrestler. At Payback, Daniel Bryan must relinquish the title or his wife, Brie Bella, will be fired by Stephanie McMahon. If Bryan remains champion, his fans will be happy. If he is forced to give up the belt for a noble cause, then he has a ready made storyline for his likely summer return to action and another eventful pursuit of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Fans are so passionate and vocal about Bryan, that having to surrender the title through no fault of his own could well lead to an equally enthralling and emotional quest to become champion that was so central to the success of this year's Wrestlemania XXX. Bryan having to give up the title so soon after winning it will add another dimension to what has been an excellent story and provide the opportunity to extend it to full circle at Summerslam.