How The New Daniel Bryan Is Elevating EVERYTHING In WWE
AJ Styles is Bryan’s primary protagonist—and not since 2017 has the Phenomenal One appeared such a must-see proposition. Their match, at TLC, was a minor classic: Bryan used his new breed of viciousness and modified strategy to challenge Styles and remove him from the selling-emphasised comfort zone he luxuriated in at times throughout an unremarkable 2018. Finding seamless, inventive submission counters to Styles’ reliable weapons, Bryan forced his opponent into new, deeper waters. In a great spot, having been comprehensively out-wrestled on the mat, Styles found himself flung into the barricade; he leapfrogged over it and drilled Styles with a new spin on his spectacular Phenomenal Forearm spot. Entering a performance of piss, vinegar and creativity, Styles clearly relished working Bryan as much as the spellbound San Jose crowd relished watching the New Daniel Bryan.
Ahead of Survivor Series 2018, few were enthused about the prospect of the blasé, mercenary Brock Lesnar once more dominating the RAW headline scene unseen. The New Daniel Bryan is so exceptional that Lesnar rediscovered his motivation to make us see what Vince McMahon will always see in him: selling as if in major peril, Lesnar allowed Bryan to pummel what was left of his scraped-off face in the heat of an electric finishing sequence. Lesnar also allowed Bryan, credited with laying out a match of unreal meta drama, to portray him as the arrogant, slothful Beast the hardcore audience perceives him as. In effect, respectful of the artist Bryan is, Lesnar put himself forward as a lump of clay. On some indirect level, Bryan, SmackDown’s top heel, allowed us cruel hope with which to anticipate RAW in 2019.
If this Beast is back, all power to him.
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