The Problem With Daniel Bryan That No One Wants To Talk About
If All Elite Wrestling pulls off the coup of all coups by inking CM Punk and Daniel Bryan within a few weeks (or days) of each other, the wrestling world will, for at least a brief period, be turned on its head.
The mere notion that two of the century's most iconic and impactful wrestlers were on their way to Jacksonville ensured America's second-biggest promotion dominated the news cycle in a week that saw WWE bring John Cena and Goldberg back into the fold. If Bryan and Punk sign, Vince McMahon may as well take a week off, hit the Bahamas, and leave booking Raw and SmackDown to an algorithm. Even Brock Lesnar showing up or a Becky Lynch comeback would be drowned out from the noise emanating from northeastern Florida.
Punk would admittedly contribute more to this than Bryan. This isn't a comment on their respective skills, but their differing circumstances. One was on television three months ago while the other hasn't been around since January 2014. Punk has been gone so long that many fans, this writer included, had forgotten how much they missed him.
But Bryan is Bryan. A multi-time WWE Champion he may be, but he represents something similar to Punk in that he is rightly perceived as somebody Vince McMahon rarely (if ever) put everything behind, even with the belt. While Bryan was doing great work in wrestling's most restrictive system up to his final day within it, he was never The Guy. He was never going to be The Guy.
An S-tier talent to many but a B+ player in the only mind that matters in Stamford.
Thinking of what he could accomplish with a promotion's full support, unhindered by McMahonism, is tantalising, particularly as so many of Bryan's best matches happened before he joined WWE anyway.
So yes. There will be a pop, there will be a boost, and there will be a buzz.
But beyond that initial flurry is where Bryan's run really erupts.
CONT'd...