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Realizing that I offered 10 categories for you to vote on for my Year-End Awards, I thought instead of revealing the results in one exceptionally long post, I'd draw it out over 10 days in the latest edition of Top Ten Cases. Today, I reveal my pick (and your vote) for the Most Shocking Release.
My Pick: Daniel Bryan
This year, W
WE had a whole lot of releases and departures. Probably no more than any other year, but there a lot of top names were included in the list. This is likely due to the mindset that TNA is in no way a threat, so there’s no need to hold onto talent that don’t want to be there. I ultimately went with Daniel Bryan, but this was in no way a given. Some of the releases were expected because of legal reasons (Hurricane, Tiffany) or because of complete lack of use (Kung Fu Naki, Jillian, and a few others), or because of a generally disgruntled attitude (Matt Hardy, Carlito). But, to me, the releases that genuinely shocked me were Daniel Bryan, Mickie James, Kaval, and to a much, much lesser extent, MVP and Shelton Benjamin. Kaval because they had invested a fair amount into him (with the NXT season two victory) and Mickie James because, despite her occasional poor treatment, she was always pushed really strong. But I guess at the end of the day, Daniel Bryan’s release – just days after his huge attack against John Cena with the rest of the NXT season one rookies – was the one time my jaw really hit the floor. It seemed like the one time everybody was contemplating if this was a legit firing or just part of some elaborate storyline. And once it became obvious that this was real, fans universally became fired up, creating theories on how Mattel or Linda McMahon’s campaign must be responsible. Quite simply, no other release elicited such a universal and long-standing reaction. If there’s one thing that makes me reluctant to award this to Bryan, it’s that he was rehired months later.
In a strange way, getting released was the best thing that could have happened to Daniel Bryan. Instead of potentially getting lost in the shuffle in Nexus – where he’d have to compete with Wade Barrett and Justin Gabriel in particular – he got to return as a babyface (which is a far better fit for him) and in a grand fashion (the mystery partner for the highly anticipated SummerSlam main event, in which he was the second to last person to remain on his team). Along with that, he’s one of the most protected guys on the roster, with a remarkable win/loss record, and everybody he beats, he does so in a convincing manner. He seems to be going through a bit of a dry spell right now, but I definitely think he’s in a better position now than he would have been had he stayed with Nexus.
What you said – Daniel Bryan
MVP and Mickie James each receive a vote, which I think makes sense. Mickie James’ release was very abrupt and surprising – certainly when you consider the Divas that survived the cut, despite the fact that they were used far less and not nearly as favorably – and despite consistently losing, MVP was a fixture on Smackdown. Nonetheless, Daniel Bryan blew away this category with over 60% of the votes. Nobody saw this one coming, and the news of his release elicited a heated and long lasting reaction.
Check back tomorrow to find out which Superstar had the best debut year.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Top Ten Cases: WWE 2010 Year-End Awards - Most Shocking Release
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2 comments:
I agree with you on Bryan. The one thing I will say is while HE may not have been better positioned (especially since, as a heel, a feud with Miz would have made less sense), I wonder if Nexus would have been better off. One of the major problems with Nexus is that, until very recently, it was Wade Barrett and a bunch of scrubs. They've started to make at least Gabriel look a little better, and Sheffield looked like he had a chance before the injury, but Nexus was virtually never put into matches and they just ran around doing what Barrett said. Had Bryan stayed, I suspect he would have been actually wrestling a lot, which gives Nexus a legitimate wrestler besides Barrett, who could have still been involved in the US title stuff (just use Morrison instead of Miz) while shaking things up by allowing Nexus to feud with multiple people (again, Cena and the aforementioned Morrison) by giving another actual wrestler who could feud with them instead of just "Nexus VS Cena" then "Nexus VS Orton and kinda Cena". They couldn't expand because nobody but Barrett ever wrestled or was given a real identity. Bryan probably would have. Then they could eventually turn Bryan face and have him take out Barrett, and feud with Nexus.
In the long run I think he's better off as he is. But I wonder how Nexus would have turned out with Bryan there too. It really seemed to me that when Nexus first formed, Bryan and Barrett were both putting themselves out as the masterminds, with Bryan screaming at Cena and then both of them walking away first. The whole angle may have developed a bit different.
To tell you the truth, what I think hurt Nexus more than anything were the inopportune injuries of crucial members. In the beginning, Barrett was clearly the star, but you could see that Gabriel and Sheffield were just ready to break out. Sheffield, in addition, was legitimately scary to look at. His injury really hurt their overall presence.
And while Tarver wasn't necessarily imposing, he had a unique look (with the mask over his face) and he was a fine talker. Their injuries, plus the removal of Darren Young and the release of Daniel Bryan, made the group almost look like a shell of its original conception.
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