Triple H may have had a special throne entrance for the opening contest but it was overshadowed by the simple arrival of his opponent. As soon as Bryan's music hit over 75,000 people were on their feet all chanting the three letter word in unison while raising their arms. WWE had supplied fans with pieces of paper with the word on them, but fans mostly opted to just continue with the usual gesture and created a truly stunning visual. Furthermore Bryan and the COO had the match of the night to open the show. Triple H, against his internet reputation, but Bryan over big time by having him not just kick out of the Pedigree but also go over cleanly with the Knee Plus, which Hunter himself didn't kick out of even once. The flying knee finishing manoeuvre is being built up to being one of the most powerful moves in the company, with not a single kick-out resulting from it yet. After the match The Authority once more got the better of Bryan to set up an even bigger underdog story for the championship match and more importantly it cut the fans celebration short. If people got to celebrate Bryan overcoming The Authority too much at this point in the show there might be less involvement in the main event, so this kept the story going at full strength.
