Daniel Bryan
One Controversial Step Up
The talk of the weekend has been Daniel Bryan and what transpired this past Friday night on Smackdown. Did WWE make Daniel Bryan act like a hypocrite by not waiting until WrestleMania to cash in his MITB contract like he had promised? Did WWE compromise the credibility of the MITB gimmick altogether by reversing the decision due to Henry not being medically cleared to wrestle?
Mark Madden certainly seems to think they've done irreversible damage in a variety of ways. Madden has posted a very good read (as usual) this week and I recommend checking it out as soon as you get a chance. He raises a lot of good questions that make for interesting and fun debates.
However, this is one time I don't agree with Madden.
MITB isn't ruined. You may not like the reason they gave for reversing Bryan's victory on Friday, but to me, it was logical. Wrestlers "should be" medically cleared before wrestling…always. That's real life in every sport, so why should it be any different in wrestling? A MITB contract shouldn't supersede the physical well-being of a wrestler.
Did all of this help or hurt Daniel Bryan? I think it's too early to tell. They put him back in the spotlight with one three-count. That live crowd popped HUGE for Bryan's win, but you have to give some of that credit to the "shock and awe" element of it all. Live crowds pop anytime a MITB winner cashes in unexpectedly.
The one part I didn't understand is why they had Bryan win the fatal 4-way match as well. They had given the briefcase back to him, so why subject him to a loss against Henry next week? It's unnecessary. Madden is right in that regard.
I found positives in the false finish on Friday. It was a fresh way of using the MITB gimmick and it put Daniel Bryan right back into the thick of things. The main event of this Tuesday's live edition of Smackdown needs to be handled delicately. Henry needs to look dominant, but Bryan needs to gain from the match as well. I'm not positive both can be accomplished simultaneously.
Of course, I'm still not sure whether Vince McMahon cares about Daniel Bryan at all. It he doesn't, this is all a moot point anyway.
Chris Cash can be reached at wzchriscash@yahoo.com or followed on Twitter @RealityofChris.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
