WWE RAW Review: 5 Major Talking Points For WrestleMania 30

1. Daniel Bryan Versus The World

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EQYSuG1GFY The highlight of the night€”perhaps of the year, as far as Raw is concerned€”happened on Monday in Memphis. Last week on Raw we saw Daniel Bryan use an internet wrestling movement in his speech when he suggested that Chicago hijack Raw. Last night in Memphis, Daniel Bryan used another when he said he was going to occupy Raw. Bryan came out and claimed he was going to occupy Raw. He brought a good fifty, sixty people (maybe more) down to the ring from the stands, all wearing Yes Movement t-shirts. He climbed up on the turnbuckle, faced the stage and said they weren€™t leaving until Triple H accepts his challenge for Wrestlemania. After a classic back and forth between Bryan, Trips and Steph (not to exclude Steph's shrieking voice and Trips sensational freak out), Hunter finally acquiesced to Bryan€™s demands. The match was settled for €˜Mania. Only there was one more thing. Bryan said that if he beats Triple H at Wrestlemania, he gets placed into the main event title match later in the night. Boom. Hunter went off again in classic Hunter fashion, and as he was dragged away, he agreed to the demands. In one classic, unforgettable segment, we answered two of the most pressing questions remaining for Wrestlemania. Yes, Bryan will face Triple H, and yes, there will be a third man in the main event. Or, at least, there will be if Bryan wins. Before I go on, can I just point out the power of not only crowds at shows, but also the internet wrestling community? Hijack Raw and Occupy Raw are entirely based off established internet ideas. Chanting for change, turning backs, and leaving the arena are all tenets of these ideas, and Bryan used some of these on two consecutive Raws. The WWE did not come up with these concepts, but it€™s a brilliant stroke to use them in current storylines while winking at smart wrestling fans worldwide. Personally, I love it. Anyway, this is supremely important for a number of reasons. First, the match everyone knew had to change, did. No longer will the WWE attempt to force Batista and Orton down our throats, as was previously planned. When did this change behind the scenes? That€™s unclear, but my guess is sometime after the Royal Rumble, and not before. I really think the negative fan reaction to Batista forced the WWE into rethinking their strategy moving forward, and this was made evident in his heel turn. Having two heels main event their biggest show was unsustainable, and so they did the right thing. It was just a matter of time. Second, and correct me if I€™m wrong, but this may well be the first main event in Wrestlemania history that€™s not set in stone. Keep in mind, while we all believe Bryan will be implemented into the main event, that€™s not guaranteed from a storyline perspective at this time. The WWE has obviously decided that the tease of a great main event will drive more interest than the certainty of it. Either that, or they€™re taking a big risk. Actually, they know it€™s a risk, but they€™re hoping it will pay off. And finally, consider the WWE Network. They€™ll air Wrestlemania live, and at ten dollars a month, this will be the overwhelming option for those who can afford it, and those with a good enough internet connection. My guess is the WWE is banking on a lot of disgruntled internet wrestling fans to now buy the network after learning of Bryan€™s possible inclusion into the main event. They didn€™t go as far as to guarantee him a spot, but isn€™t that just so WWE of them? Isn€™t that just such a perfect way to culminate this venture for Daniel Bryan? I think one of two things will happen. Either he€™ll beat Triple H and go on to win the title, or he€™ll lose to Triple H, and someone, somehow, will find a way to put him in the title match anyway. Which he€™ll win. Who would that person be? Oh, I dunno. Maybe-certainly Vince. But again, either way, one little segment, albeit a historic one, changed the face of Wrestlemania and made it an imminently more watchable show. I don€™t believe the WWE had this storyline and segment in mind a month ago. But it€™s entirely possible that CM Punk€™s departure has opened this door for exactly this kind of scenario. And isn€™t it interesting that during Punk€™s last Comic Con appearance, he spoke about how he felt it was Daniel Bryan€™s time? So, did CM Punk actually enact change by leaving, or was this the plan all along? Forgive me for interjecting Punk into the conversation, but it was just too juicy to ignore. Either way, I don€™t know. What I do know is Wrestlemania has taken a more vivid shape. And we can approach it with guarded optimism for the time being.