The Daniel Bryan Phenomenon and Should John Cena Have Won?

Well it's been a really, really busy week at work so I haven't had much time to update the blog. But over the past week, the talk of the wrestling world has been Daniel Bryan and Brock Lesnar. I thought I'd offer my two cents on each matter.

After a disappointing showing at WrestleMania, Monday Night Raw proved to be Daniel Bryan's coming out party. No, it wasn't because of anything he did (he didn't even wrestle and barely appeared), it was because of the phenomenal live audience. I've argued on different occasions that WWE shouldn't book for the thousands in the live audience, but that they should do it for the millions watching at home. My logical is simply that you need to do what's best for the story and best for the overall audience. That line of thinking, however, GREATLY diminishes the important part the live audience plays in the enjoyment of any given show. And this Monday's Raw was an epic example of what a difference they can make. That crowd MADE Daniel Bryan. Hell, they literally made a t-shirt!

The question is, where do they go from here? Personally, I think they should stay the course. Don't change what's clearly working. While the live audience is massively important, they're not always necessarily right either. That is to say, just because they cheer for somebody doesn't mean that person should be a good guy. Sometimes it works (CM Punk being the prime example). Sometimes it doesn't (Orton's initial face turn comes to mind). As odd as it sounds, Daniel Bryan's character is so likable because of the fact that he's so incredibly unlikable. He treats his girlfriend like garbage and he's clearly using her. He wins cheaply and then celebrates like he's the best ever. He's arrogant and doesn't seem self aware. You turn him face and suddenly the charm is gone. A babyface who wins cheaply and celebrates just looks like a loser.

And while tonight's Smackdown seems to end the relationship between Bryan and AJ, I really, REALLY hope they end up together again. These two have incredible chemistry and a big part of Bryan's act can be attributed to AJ. She's PERFECT in that role. And to be honest, no other Diva would fit. You pair him with, say, a Bella or Eve, and the whole dynamic of the relationship changes. The spiel with Bryan works because his girlfriend is sympathetic (and relate-able to the female audience).

This awesome reaction may die down. I daresay it probably will. But at least WWE is smart enough to strike while the iron is hot and to not resist it (completely anyway) like they did with Zack Ryder. I hope this means big things for Bryan (and AJ, since I think she's adorable). I don't mind them taking actions to ensure that he remains a heel in the eyes of the fans. I do mind them doing things that destroy why the audience reacts to him in the first place.

The other big news is that Brock Lesnar returned and attacked John Cena. Instead of focusing on Brock, however, I'd like to reanalyze the booking of WrestleMania 28. Specifically, should John Cena have won? Throughout most of the storyline I've sided with Cena, so I don't want this to be a pro-Cena/anti-Rock thing. I'm saying, purely from the perspective of where they've decided to go post-WrestleMania, I think they would have been better off going with a Cena victor. Hear me out....

Cena goes face to face with the Rock and comes up short. Cleanly. The next night Cena concedes that the Rock is the best of all time (and, by proxy, better than him). He's then met by Brock Lesnar, who proceeds to eliminate him with one move. Presumably, we'll see Cena go up against Lesnar next. Clearly, you can't have Lesnar lose, so Cena has to come up short yet again. So in the two matches that he faces the representative of another era, he loses. After beating pretty much every person on the current roster. Will Cena recover? Of course. But it does look bad for him to lose to both Rock and Lesnar two feuds in a row. And it makes the current roster look like they pale in comparison to the preceding ones (which is especially bad considering that none of these guys have really been pushed all that strong).

I think they would have been better off going the Goldberg route. Have Cena go over Rock (and this won't make Rock look bad, either. After all, he hasn't wrestled in nearly a decade) and, in his own face fashion, proclaim that he's proved that the present is better than the past. This also provides the motivation for Brock to make the attack (which was lacking this time around). The way it played out, Cena lost clean after talking about how he can't lose. And then he proclaimed his opponent was better than him. Then he got laid out by a returning monster. He looked like a chump. Big time.

This also wouldn't have impacted Rock's promo and ongoing storyline. Despite coming up short, Rock could claim that he hasn't lost his touch and he's determined to prove that he's still got it. And in order to prove that, he's going to win the WWE Championship. This will also make any upcoming match that much important. Rock now has something to prove.

Yes, Cena is the most protected guy on the entire roster (of the full time Superstars), but why put your biggest star in a situation where he's going to lose two feuds against the old guard? And if they aren't going to protect Cena and have him lose, why not give that opportunity to one of their current guys? Rock and Brock are already established and don't need that rub. CM Punk or Sheamus totally could.