7 Ups And 7 Downs From Last Night's WWE Raw

by Scott Carlson

1. Yes! Yes! Yes!

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Anyone who watched the first episode of the Cruiserweight Classic last week heard the passion and energy that Daniel Bryan brought to the program. It was something that was refreshing, not just on commentary, but also just coming from the former world champion after he was forced to retire earlier this year.

While there was speculation that Bryan would fade into the background and eventually just quietly leave WWE, he instead has thrust himself back into the spotlight, becoming the new general manager for Smackdown under Shane McMahon. This was a perfect – if somewhat anticipated – move, with Bryan reinvigorated and Shane needing a GM to help lead the “underdog” show, not to mention needing someone who has taken on Stephanie McMahon and won.

Daniel got a tremendous reaction – which hopefully will translate into viewers for Smackdown going forward – and showed one important quality that is rarely seen outside the McMahon clan: He got the upper hand on Stephanie and didn’t kowtow to her. Bryan refused to shake her hand, pointed out that she doesn’t understand pandering because the fans never cheered her, and later “congratulated” her on ruining Raw.

Overall, this was a great pick for a figurehead authority who should grow into the role nicely.

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Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.