When a neck injury sidelined WWE World Heavyweight champion Daniel Bryan, Stephanie McMahon gave him an ultimatum: he could either hand over the title or his wife, Brie, would be fired for putting her hands on the principal owner of WWE. It was a gut-wrenching decision for the Aberdeen native to have to make. He had devoted his life to professional wrestling and overcome so many odds to capture the top prize in the sport. On the other hand, Brie meant more to him than anything he could ever achieve inside a ring. She was the love of his life and to see her dreams dashed due to termination would crush him. Knowing which way Bryan was leaning, Brie cut him off and saved him from having to make a decision. She stood face-to-face with Stephanie and exclaimed, "I quit!" It was a selfless decision that endeared her to the hardcore Chicago fans, who greeted her with a huge pop. That pop only intensified when she slapped the unholy hell out of Stephanie, forcing the Billion Dollar Princess to retreat up the aisle and to the back. It was the emphasis for the story that would unfold between Stephanie and the Bella Twins over the next two months. Nikki felt the brunt of Stephanie's wrath as she was forced into several unfair Handicap matches. She was beaten down and left lying on a weekly basis but refused to satisfy her boss' desires for her to quit. Brie returned to support her sister and, as we found out earlier in these ranking, a match between she and Stephanie was set up for the summertime spectacular, SummerSlam. One of the most anticipated matches on the second biggest card of the year, it all started with a defiant slap this past June.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
