10 Times WWE Punished Success

3. Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan Randy Orton Night of Champions 2013
WWE.com

WWE really tried with Daniel Bryan. They really, really tried to resist pushing him despite countless live crowds chanting his name relentlessly in between epic sessions of, "Yes! Yes! Yes!". Bryan had been so entertaining alongside Kane as 'Team Hell No', and he was so obviously one of the best in-ring workers under contract. People spotted that, and they wanted him to get his just desserts.

They'd have to wait.

The story of "B+ Player" Daniel squaring up to The Authority that ran between SummerSlam 2013-WrestleMania XXX was awesome at times. It successfully turned Bryan into a made man, but it's easy to be cynical and claim it wasn't 100% intentional. At times, including when he was replaced by Big Show at Survivor Series, it seemed like WWE wanted fans to move on from Dan.

That "B+" angle didn't seem to be fake. Looking back now, there's a sense that WWE gave in to dogged fan demands more than embracing the idea that Daniel Bryan could be the man in their company. They tried to sidestep with Show, put Bryan in The Wyatt Family briefly and also attempted to fool people with a Batista comeback.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.