Mainstream attention! And, pretty much, respectful. The WWE need to capitalise on this, they're idiots if they don't. It is exactly because Bryan doesn't fit the mold that he is of interest to the likes of GQ and ESPN.
I think this sums up the WWE problems pretty aptly.
Fans revolt after Bryan gets jobbed out in 18 seconds. ESPN takes notice. GQ takes notice. Twitter (obviously) takes notice. The WWE does not take notice.
It's so insane since the WWE craves mainstream attention and they finally get it organically....and they don't do anything with it.
They should have put that good Piper's Pit with DB and AJ on RAW instead of having him be just another dude breaking up Brock and Cena. They should have also have him cut a face-to-face promo with Sheamus on Smackdown to hype the PPV. Anything to give him some more segment (or match) time, really.
That being said, although they haven't really capitalized on Daniel (maybe they're taking a wait and see approach to see if the reactions are genuine), I'm feeling they're missing the boat entirely with Dolph Ziggler, who has jobbed like crazy since the Royal Rumble. When was the last time WWE had developed a fantastic, all-around wrestler like Dolph in their system?
I think that's a little premature. I certainly DO hope that the Daniel Bryan wave continues. I love the guy and think he's great. But we don't even know if it has sustainability....certainly to the extent that it would make Sheamus the top heel of the show.
Sheamus used to be getting huge face reactions. Even in front of that terrible crowd Tuesday night, he had a smattering of pretty loud boos when he came out for the main event. I like the guy, but the combination of the Bryan situation and (much more importantly, IMO) his TERRIBLY CHEESY face character is leading to a bit of fan backlash/apathy against him.
As much as I think WWE could be doing more with Bryan as a result of the "YES!" reaction, people seem to be missing the fact that he's a SmackDown guy, so it's okay for him to miss Raw.
I know there's the whole SuperShow thing, but really that was just a way of getting all the faces/heels on the right teams for Teddy/Johnny at Mania. Only the upper-midcarders have appeared on both shows. Cena/Punk/Jericho all largely stuck to Raw, so it's okay if Bryan sticks to SmackDown. Would be better if Show/Sheamus/Orton etc. stuck to SmackDown too, actually.
While I do agree with you that they've made him too happy and friendly, I do have a problem with the inconsistent logic of tampering with the sound of the audience. So we're to believe they silenced out all of the "YES!" chants, but they didn't bother to silence out boos for the brand's top babyface?
Yeah, I'm having a tough time buying this particular conspiracy theory, too. If they could do that, no way would Cena get booed out of the building every week on TV.
But they have done it with Cena against Rock as well. Go back and watch those video packages that they played on Smackdown. Sometimes, the boos are just too loud, but they def tamper them.
But that's a video package versus live TV. I would think that if WWE had the ability to "fix" the crowd noise to that extent, their first order of business would be to solve the Cena issue, not sticking it to Bryan.
They don't tamper with the live crowd sounds. That's rather ludicrous, IMO.
But Smackdown has the worst canned reactions ever. Last week when the announcers would talk, you could hear a "Goodbye song" from the crowd to AJ, but as soon as it would become clear, a generic canned "boo" would go over top.
Smackdown is usually a much better wrestling show than Raw, but the fake, over-produced nature of it makes it tough to get into some weeks.
There is no way in a million years they could have predicted that the crowd would turn against their booking so much it would make Bryan more over than ever before. You give that company waaaaaay too much credit. Plus, losing in 18 seconds doesn't generally make people more over. Now they'll probably take the credit and said they did it on purpose but that was definitely not their intention.
They were "squashing" him. Literally and figuratively. And than he was going to be sent back down to the mid card where they thought he belonged.
I was surprised that the interviewer of a mainstream magazine actually knew about how the WWE has not given the fans what they want for years. That's something only said but us smarks that the company ignores, for the most part.
And Bryant answers were pretty candid. About that and other stuff. I wonder if he gets in trouble for being too honest.
Oh and to the person who said what more could they have done? How about put him on tv and put him over some people. Instead of either not having him come out at all or lose to Sheamus.
Damn, if I'd have known they were hiring smart marks to write for GQ I'd have been on that shit. Maybe Esquire needs a wrestling guy.
Very cool interview, and very cool to see a guy who knows his shit asking the questions. I wish they would give this a little shout out on TV, but I'm not holding my breath.
Yeah, but Sheamus has the advantage of being BFFs with the new boss, so he'll get whatever protection and repackaging is needed to make sure he gets over like they want, no matter what. It's the other guys that people need to worry about.
Apparently, the original plan for Extreme Rules was Sheamus vs Alberto Del Rio, and as the 2 of 3 falls stip is anything but "extreme", I'd say that the post-Wrestlemania fallout, combined with the expected smart crowd in Chicago, has dramatically altered the booking.
Right now, I'd even say there's a 10% chance that the World Heavyweight Title match will end the show.
Well, if the plan is Lesnar-Cena, I'd say the chance of that is about 0.0001%. However, I'm glad they changed the booking and Sheamus-Bryan 2/3 falls could be totally awesome.
Weird, I posted something on my phone and I totally don't see it on here but when I look at the site on my phone it's there.
What is also weird is when you find out someone who likes wrestling. Like Cyndi Lauper. She just doesn't seem like someone who you would think would be a wrestling fan. Same goes for Kimya Dawson. That song is rad. Too bad it's about someone boring and not someone cool like...Test.
But to quickly reiterate what I said in my previous reply that has disappeared: Very cool article, love the smart questions by the interviewer, honest answers from Bryan, hope he doesn't get punished for them, what WWE could do differently to capitalize on this main stream press is actually put Bryan on TV in matches were he goes over people and not just put him on to job to Sheamus or try and break up a fight between the "real" main eventers, Brock and Cena.
You notice Punk and Jericho weren't out there for that. The guys who run out to do that shit always seem like jobbers.
"Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence." Which is a Napoleon Bonaparte quote IIRC. More modern version has pretty much been adapted/simplified/dumbed down to, "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity."
One quick thought--perhaps there's a shred of kayfabe surrounding stuff like this? If Bryan were a face, they might actually promote these things. I'm trying to recall the last outside thing they pimped for a heel. Likely Jericho doing something at some point. Miz just hosted a RW/RR Challenge reunion special--did that get any mention on WWE TV?
Mainstream attention! And, pretty much, respectful. The WWE need to capitalise on this, they're idiots if they don't. It is exactly because Bryan doesn't fit the mold that he is of interest to the likes of GQ and ESPN.
ReplyDeleteCongrats to D-Bry.
First paragraph, they couldn't even get it right that it was 18 seconds?
ReplyDeleteI think this sums up the WWE problems pretty aptly.
ReplyDeleteFans revolt after Bryan gets jobbed out in 18 seconds. ESPN takes notice. GQ takes notice. Twitter (obviously) takes notice. The WWE does not take notice.
It's so insane since the WWE craves mainstream attention and they finally get it organically....and they don't do anything with it.
An undersized, underappreciated wrestler overcoming the odds....gee, I wonder if that would appeal to the teenagers that watch Raw?
ReplyDeleteI already feel bad for Sheamus at the next PPV. It's not his fault but he's going to be the top heel on the show.
Was a good interview though, I think good things will happen for Bryan in the future, I really hope so.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you want them to do? I keep reading they aren't doing anything, what should they be doing?
ReplyDeleteGotta respect Bryan's attitude too. He's honest, but he doesn't bitch, and seems to have a 'c'est la vie' approach to his career.
ReplyDeleteEspecially ironic given their current obsession with twitter and the like.
ReplyDeleteThey should have put that good Piper's Pit with DB and AJ on RAW instead of having him be just another dude breaking up Brock and Cena. They should have also have him cut a face-to-face promo with Sheamus on Smackdown to hype the PPV. Anything to give him some more segment (or match) time, really.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, although they haven't really capitalized on Daniel (maybe they're taking a wait and see approach to see if the reactions are genuine), I'm feeling they're missing the boat entirely with Dolph Ziggler, who has jobbed like crazy since the Royal Rumble. When was the last time WWE had developed a fantastic, all-around wrestler like Dolph in their system?
Feature him on Raw. Make him seem like a big deal. Don't edit the crowd reactions on Smackdown last Friday.
ReplyDeleteTHE TRUTH IS: That interview is really cool.
ReplyDeleteI have no clue who the guy that he's armlocking in the picture is.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4OO7GVJU1k
ReplyDeleteI think Daniel Bryan might be my new favorite person.
I believe that's a pre-beard Jinder Mahal.
ReplyDeleteI think that's a little premature. I certainly DO hope that the Daniel Bryan wave continues. I love the guy and think he's great. But we don't even know if it has sustainability....certainly to the extent that it would make Sheamus the top heel of the show.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to guess him, but the angle from which the shot was taken makes him look unrecognizable and lumpy to me.
ReplyDeleteAwesome interview.
MC D-Bry!
ReplyDeleteSheamus used to be getting huge face reactions. Even in front of that terrible crowd Tuesday night, he had a smattering of pretty loud boos when he came out for the main event. I like the guy, but the combination of the Bryan situation and (much more importantly, IMO) his TERRIBLY CHEESY face character is leading to a bit of fan backlash/apathy against him.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I think WWE could be doing more with Bryan as a result of the "YES!" reaction, people seem to be missing the fact that he's a SmackDown guy, so it's okay for him to miss Raw.
ReplyDeleteI know there's the whole SuperShow thing, but really that was just a way of getting all the faces/heels on the right teams for Teddy/Johnny at Mania. Only the upper-midcarders have appeared on both shows. Cena/Punk/Jericho all largely stuck to Raw, so it's okay if Bryan sticks to SmackDown. Would be better if Show/Sheamus/Orton etc. stuck to SmackDown too, actually.
Or maybe WWE jobbing him out in 18 seconds at 'mania to get all this backlash was the damn idea in the first place.
ReplyDeleteha ha ha...umm, no.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do agree with you that they've made him too happy and friendly, I do have a problem with the inconsistent logic of tampering with the sound of the audience. So we're to believe they silenced out all of the "YES!" chants, but they didn't bother to silence out boos for the brand's top babyface?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm having a tough time buying this particular conspiracy theory, too. If they could do that, no way would Cena get booed out of the building every week on TV.
ReplyDeleteLOL
ReplyDeleteYes it's all part of a vast secret plan to get the fans to react in a way they have NEVER EVER reacted before.
What's that old quote? "Never credit genius for that which can be equally explained by stupidity?" or something...
But they have done it with Cena against Rock as well. Go back and watch those video packages that they played on Smackdown. Sometimes, the boos are just too loud, but they def tamper them.
ReplyDeleteBut that's a video package versus live TV. I would think that if WWE had the ability to "fix" the crowd noise to that extent, their first order of business would be to solve the Cena issue, not sticking it to Bryan.
ReplyDeleteIt's not Sheamus' fault but he's going to get booed is something we'll be saying a lot.
ReplyDeleteThey don't tamper with the live crowd sounds. That's rather ludicrous, IMO.
ReplyDeleteBut Smackdown has the worst canned reactions ever. Last week when the announcers would talk, you could hear a "Goodbye song" from the crowd to AJ, but as soon as it would become clear, a generic canned "boo" would go over top.
Smackdown is usually a much better wrestling show than Raw, but the fake, over-produced nature of it makes it tough to get into some weeks.
Knowing that Daniel Bryan listens to Frank Turner just makes me love him even more.
ReplyDeleteYoungest?
ReplyDeleteThe proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back?"
lol
There is no way in a million years they could have predicted that the crowd would turn against their booking so much it would make Bryan more over than ever before. You give that company waaaaaay too much credit. Plus, losing in 18 seconds doesn't generally make people more over. Now they'll probably take the credit and said they did it on purpose but that was definitely not their intention.
ReplyDeleteThey were "squashing" him. Literally and figuratively. And than he was going to be sent back down to the mid card where they thought he belonged.
I was surprised that the interviewer of a mainstream magazine actually knew about how the WWE has not given the fans what they want for years. That's something only said but us smarks that the company ignores, for the most part.
And Bryant answers were pretty candid. About that and other stuff. I wonder if he gets in trouble for being too honest.
Oh and to the person who said what more could they have done? How about put him on tv and put him over some people. Instead of either not having him come out at all or lose to Sheamus.
If ever met Bryan or Punk I think I'd barely say anything about wrestling before I got into talking music with them.
ReplyDeleteDamn, if I'd have known they were hiring smart marks to write for GQ I'd have been on that shit. Maybe Esquire needs a wrestling guy.
ReplyDeleteVery cool interview, and very cool to see a guy who knows his shit asking the questions. I wish they would give this a little shout out on TV, but I'm not holding my breath.
I find it hilarious that Sheamus is basically turning into the new John Cena because of this.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but Sheamus has the advantage of being BFFs with the new boss, so he'll get whatever protection and repackaging is needed to make sure he gets over like they want, no matter what. It's the other guys that people need to worry about.
ReplyDeleteSo happy and friendly that he attacked a ref?
ReplyDeleteApparently, the original plan for Extreme Rules was Sheamus vs Alberto Del Rio, and as the 2 of 3 falls stip is anything but "extreme", I'd say that the post-Wrestlemania fallout, combined with the expected smart crowd in Chicago, has dramatically altered the booking.
ReplyDeleteRight now, I'd even say there's a 10% chance that the World Heavyweight Title match will end the show.
Well, if the plan is Lesnar-Cena, I'd say the chance of that is about 0.0001%. However, I'm glad they changed the booking and Sheamus-Bryan 2/3 falls could be totally awesome.
ReplyDeleteConsidering my mom left my dad. No.
ReplyDeleteWeird, I posted something on my phone and I totally don't see it on here but when I look at the site on my phone it's there.
ReplyDeleteWhat is also weird is when you find out someone who likes wrestling. Like Cyndi Lauper. She just doesn't seem like someone who you would think would be a wrestling fan. Same goes for Kimya Dawson. That song is rad. Too bad it's about someone boring and not someone cool like...Test.
But to quickly reiterate what I said in my previous reply that has disappeared: Very cool article, love the smart questions by the interviewer, honest answers from Bryan, hope he doesn't get punished for them, what WWE could do differently to capitalize on this main stream press is actually put Bryan on TV in matches were he goes over people and not just put him on to job to Sheamus or try and break up a fight between the "real" main eventers, Brock and Cena.
You notice Punk and Jericho weren't out there for that. The guys who run out to do that shit always seem like jobbers.
Eventually? I was right about 2/3.
ReplyDelete"Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence." Which is a Napoleon Bonaparte quote IIRC. More modern version has pretty much been adapted/simplified/dumbed down to, "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity."
ReplyDeleteOne quick thought--perhaps there's a shred of kayfabe surrounding stuff like this? If Bryan were a face, they might actually promote these things. I'm trying to recall the last outside thing they pimped for a heel. Likely Jericho doing something at some point. Miz just hosted a RW/RR Challenge reunion special--did that get any mention on WWE TV?
ReplyDelete