10 Wrestling Swerves That Actually Worked

4. Triple H Thinks Daniel Bryan Is A "B+ Player" (WWE SummerSlam 2013)

Daniel Bryan Triple H SummerSlam 2013
WWE.com
"You're nothing but a B+ player".

Fans disagreed mightily with those words from Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in the lead-up to WrestleMania XXX. Bryan was their chosen one, not some corporately-selected cash cow who'd tow the party line without protest. He was one of the best wrestlers in the world, maybe even the best.

At SummerSlam 2013, he proved it by working a top main event tussle with John Cena. The crowd in LA popped big when Bryan won cleanly with a running knee strike; they finally had their wish. Bryan was champion, and he'd lead WWE into a bold new era. Kick, wham, Pedigree, pin...Randy f'n Orton cashed in MITB and he ended the night as champ.

Holy. Sh*t. Fans were irate.

The multi-layered story was magnificently laid out though. Triple H's decision to ruin Bryan's moment set wheels in motion towards his eventual triumph at 'Mania XXX the next year. People may have been spitting at the time, but they were positively drooling when Daniel overcame The Authority and their established despotism.

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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.