One MIND-BLOWING Secret From Every Year Of WWE History

13. 2012 - No, WWE Didn’t Actively Try To Bury Daniel Bryan

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WWE.com

At WrestleMania XXVIII, Sheamus infamously squashed Daniel Bryan in just 18 seconds to capture the World Heavyweight championship. 

This scanned as a burial, and in defence of the cynics, most things did in that era. Bryan had been accused of being a vegan nerd devoid of charisma throughout his first year as a main roster act, and was subsequently depicted as a blissfully unaware incel. You were meant to think it was funny when the Bella Twins fought for his affections (in the funniest possible punchline, he ended up marrying Brie in real life). 

The initial WWE/Bryan relationship was inscrutable. Did they hate him or not? 

They called him Daniel Bryan; by 2010 standards, a nod to his indie act was a reverent showing of respect. He also went over the Miz on pay-per-view. Still, Michael Cole seemed to hold a personal vendetta against him that went above and beyond his (dire) heel schtick. 

The idea behind the ‘Mania XXVIII finish wasn’t to kill him - but the real idea was still dumb. WWE wished to replicate the success of Bruno Sammartino, who won his maiden title in under a minute. 

Vince was even further behind the times than you may have realised.

 
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Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!