Daniel Bryan Talks Backstage WWE SmackDown Role - "I Don’t Have That Big Of A Say!"
WWE star Daniel Bryan isn't as hands on with the SmackDown product as you think.
Former WWE Champion Daniel Bryan doesn't have as much of a say over what goes down on Friday Night SmackDown on FOX as you think.
It's been known for some time that 'The Leader of the YES! Movement' sits in on production meetings and regularly offers his own suggestions when it comes to the blue brand. However, whilst talking to talkSPORT recently, Bryan revealed that he isn't solely responsible for everything great we see go down on SmackDown.
In Bryan's words:
“It’s interesting because, one, I don’t have that big of a say. Sometimes something really great will happen on SmackDown and somebody will say ‘oh, that’s Daniel Bryan!’ Like, that’s not me!
“One part is our performers – we have incredible superstars. Cesaro is a no-brainer. When you say ‘Daniel Bryan helped Cesaro’ – no. All I did was ‘hey this guy is really good. We should put him on TV and use him!’.
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Referencing one of the examples of a star he had little to do with going on to smash it out of the park, Bryan stated that the current number one contender to the Intercontinental Championship didn't need his help to find a new level:
“Apollo Crews, I don’t have anything to do with Apollo Crews stuff. He’s just great."
In true Daniel Bryan fashion, the star wasn't finished putting over the rest of his current locker room, also noting that current Universal Champion - and the star Bryan will face alongside Edge at WrestleMania 37 - has been a game-changer during the ThunderDome era:
“It is cool seeing how great SmackDown has become and I also must say, part of that, that has nothing to do with me, is from someone who just sees performance different in the ThunderDome to how I ever would have thought it, that brings it to a whole new level is Roman Reigns.
“The character work and the way that he’s worked since returning and being in the ThunderDome I think has improved the quality of our television a great deal.”
Whether or not he chooses to admit it, Bryan has been a vital part of SmackDown's recent revival, and hopefully his constant willingness to raise up those around him is rewarded with a career-highlight moment on the Grandest Stage in just a few weeks time.