3 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Jan 29)

2. Daniel Bryan’s Rumble Fire

Daniel Bryan
WWE.com

Bonus points go to WWE for switching things up and opening the show with someone other than Roman Reigns; as good as the 'Tribal Chief' is, it's a bit dull if he kicks off SmackDown every week. So, it was nice to see Daniel Bryan get some mic time, and even more pleasing to see him put over the Rumble.

This was similar to Edge's speech on Raw. Both men showed off their passion for pro wrestling, and then portrayed the 30-man match as one of the most meaningful bouts they'll ever work. On SmackDown, D-Bry's fire blazed brightly - he's a seriously good talker when he doesn't have to juggle multiple interruptions and things like that.

Pre-AJ Styles gatecrashing, Dan was having a rare old time. He added purpose to this Rumble crusade by pointing out that his chances of winning the match diminish with each passing year. 2021 has to be his Rumble moment, and that came across.

Good stuff.

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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.