Daniel Bryan...Danielson

[Jmare007]

After watching him give Ryback his best match to date (5/3/13) I searched this section to see what was PWO's opinion on his work. It kinda shocked me there wasn't any thread about him yet considering he's probably been the most beloved wrestler on the internet in the last 8-7 years.

 

He's been a favorite of mine since 2006 and I am legit shocked at how well he's developed in WWE (outside of the ring). He's a 10+ year veteran now and has worked on the biggest promotion in the world for the past 3...

 

Is he a "hall of famer" yet? Top 20 american worker already? A little overrated by internet fans? is there anyone on the US that has been better than him in the ring in the last decade?

 

 

Discuss.

[Dylan Waco]

Is he a hall of famer? By WON standards to my mind no. Having said that if he retired tomorrow he'd get in as soon as he was eligible on work alone.

 

Top 20 American worker? Very possible, perhaps likely, but I would want to go back and watch a lot of the indie stuff with the benefit of hindsight. I have no doubt that a lot of it holds up well, but I still like to look at stuff in the rear view before I make concrete declarations about things like that. Still I would think he's top twenty for sure. I wouldn't rule out discussion of him as top ten.

 

I think he's been overrated by internet fans some over the years, not in the sense that they hold him in abnormally high esteem, but in the sense that when you have your various lists/polls/et I think he gets the benefit of the doubt more than anyone else.

 

Better in the last decade? In the 00's I thought he was probably the second best guy after Rey. If by decade we are talking last ten years? Bryan has a very good case. Not sure I'd put him over Rey, though Rey has more down time which effects the equation some. I actually think you could make a reasonable argument for Cena during that period too.

[Johnny Sorrow]

He's my favorite wrestler in the world right now. I absolutely love every facet of his character and everything he does in the ring. I remember going to ROH shows and thinking he was the most boring guy ever, then they teased him as a heel when Liger came in for two shots and he immediately was better. Then when they turned him heel for real he was suddenly great.

 

Since he's been in WWE he's become my favorite guy. A perfect mixture of awesome worker and awesome entertainer. He can do ANYTHING silly or ridiculous and still come off as a super bad ass in the ring.

[rovert]

It was my personal opinion before he debuted on WWE TV he was a future WON Hall of Famer solely based on his work in the 00s. Since then he has become an amazing all singing and all dancing sports entertainer. I seen more than a few people compare his current Hell No phase to 1995-1997 Owen Hart too I guess in the sense he is being playful within his talents but can still deliver in the ring when the situation calls for it.

 

I really do enjoy him seemingly modelling his current character after a cranky toddler who has just learnt the word "no."

[Ricky Jackson]

He's my current favorite wrestler as well. I never thought about the Owen comparison before, but when you think about it, that is maybe the wrestler he is most similar to overall, and not just because of the Team Hell No stuff either.

[rzombie1988]

I had DB as my Wrestler of the Year for last year. He hasn't had as great of a year this year as he's been stuck doing stuff with Kane and has had few singles matches.

[Matt D]

It just boggles the mind that someone who is such a good wrestler is the funniest guy on the roster. I mean, it shouldn't, because they're both elements of performance and timing and what not, but the thing with regal as ninjas he just did, and the bears, and god knows what else, were just amazing. The rap with Kane.

[ohtani's jacket]

The rap with Kane sucked, but the ninja thing was all right due to them trying not to crack up and Regal calling Hornswoggle a grubby little swine. Danielson's line at the end was pretty good. But if I were a fan, I'd want him to do better shit than this.

[Ryan Faulconer]

Gabe always said that Danielson was the one who came up with the EVOLVE concept. Some people might think less of him for that, maybe.

 

He is almost bullet proof in WWE. No angle can hurt him. Most of the goofier stuff only serves to make him a stronger character and building block for the promotion. His change in 2005/2006 made him so much more charismatic and engaging with the audience. Prior to that he was the still one of the best match in and match out. He was very over wherever he went on the indies but he was closer to Chris Benoit's personality and charisma level at that point. Since then he leaped up to show more of a Chris Jericho-like presence and personality.

 

He was developing into a pretty good promo on the indies in 2006-2007 that often gets overlooked. When he went to WWE the only thing I thought would hold him back was his height. By the time he got to television his size wasn't an issue at all, which was nice to see.

 

The only thing misstep during the last ten years or so was the overly-contrived 80something minute match that he had with Austin Aries in 2004. Bryan's had some excellent longer matches but that match just seemed like an awkward fantasy booking wet dream. Some fans believed that the concept alone made him (and Aries) look like better wrestlers. It did not.

 

He's up there with Rey and L.A. Park for the best of the decade, IMO. Well...he's probably better than L.A. Park but those three are my three faves in this century so far.

[Matt D]

you know what I actually hate?

 

I hate the Kamala match. I thought it started out really well but it broke down due to, I think, them trying to wrestle a match they thought the audience wanted to see instead of the match that they should have wrestled.

[rzombie1988]

Gabe always said that Danielson was the one who came up with the EVOLVE concept. Some people might think less of him for that, maybe.

The Evolve concept isn't anything mind breaking though. A lot of people have asked for record tracking. EVOLVE hasn't been very interesting though so I don't know if I'd want credit for it.

[jdw]

Is he a hall of famer? By WON standards to my mind no. Having said that if he retired tomorrow he'd get in as soon as he was eligible on work alone.

I made this point before on his candidacy, and I think from that third sentence it's what Dylan is getting at:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Wrest...anding_Wrestler

 

2006 Bryan Danielson

2007 Bryan Danielson

2008 Bryan Danielson

2009 Bryan Danielson

2010 Daniel Bryan

 

Multiple time winners:

 

5 Danielson

3 Flair

3 Liger

3 Angle

2 Kobashi

2 Misawa

2 Benoit

 

Granted, the list is incomplete because the award didn't exisit from 1980-85 when Flair would have won it most of those years (if not all). So give Flair another 5 of them to have 8... you still have Danielson winning 5 straight of an award that no one else has won more than 3 times. We know that "work" means a crapload in the HOF voting, and that if someone's work is seen as so top notch that they're going in regardless of the balance of their candidacy. Bryan was the dominant work for the second half of the last decade. One that's going to be very light in producing candidates.

 

He will go in fairly easy.

 

John

[Eduardo]

In 2012, I was out of the loop in regards to week-to-week WWE watching (I did watch the PPV's). What are some television matches worth looking out for?

 

Thought Danielson looked really good in his match against Ryback on Friday. Other than the The Shield-Ryback/Kane/Danielson bout in December, it's the best match I've seen Ryback involved in.

[Jimmy Redman]

In 2012, I was out of the loop in regards to week-to-week WWE watching (I did watch the PPV's). What are some television matches worth looking out for?

Bryan TV matches from 2012 I'd recommend:

 

vs Big Show, Smackdown 6/1

vs Big Show, Smackdown 13/1 (No DQ)

vs Mark Henry, Smackdown 20/1 (Lumberjack)

vs Sheamus, Smackdown 4/5 (both the opening 3-minute teaser and the main event, the latter making my Top 10 for 2012)

vs CM Punk, Raw 28/5

vs Rey vs Kane vs Alberto, Smackdown 27/7

vs Sheamus, Raw 30/7 (Street Fight)

vs John Cena, Raw 6/8

vs Dolph Ziggler, Raw 22/10

vs Big Show, Smackdown 7/12

Hell No vs Rhodes Scholars, Main Event 19/12 (probably the pick of their tag run)

[RWOOD]

The 12/7 match with Show is fantastic. Theres a bit of a missed spot where Daniel goes for a cross body over the top. Big Show is supposed to catch him I suppose but doesn't and the two adjust to make it look like Bryan almost hit the move. And then they continue. The match is full of great kicks that Show sells a little but generally he does treat it like hes getting bit by a mosquito. These two work really well together. Bryan also reverses the chokeslam into a DDT. The match also includes a great lead in segment for the main event of TLC.

 

The match is also a great testament to Show being one of WWE's best current workers.

 

Daniel Bryan is the best wrestler wrestling right now. He is constantly having great TV matches has a great character and has been over as a face and heel in the last twelve months or so.

 

I'd also like to throw out his RAW match with Rey as a good match from last year even though Rey was injured if I remember correctly. I think it was in October. I dont have it surprisingly.

[Jmare007]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=playe...p;v=k7nWn2pFaow

 

He's ready for the green light push. He's been very protected the last couple of weeks, has looked very strong and is one of the most over guys on the roster (not to mention the fact he can make almost anything work and is arguably the best wrestler on the roster).

[anarchistxx]

Yeah if they are going to push the button on this guy then now would be the time. Pretty much indisputably the best all round worker in the states. I wonder if they will give him a WMXX moment and hold off until the big show? Would be surreal if they recreate the Benoit/Eddie finish to that show exactly ten years later with Punk/Danielson.

[Alchemy]

Yeah if they are going to push the button on this guy then now would be the time. Pretty much indisputably the best all round worker in the states. I wonder if they will give him a WMXX moment and hold off until the big show? Would be surreal if they recreate the Benoit/Eddie finish to that show exactly ten years later with Punk/Danielson.

I've never gotten the sense that Punk/Danielson are half as close as Eddie/Benoit.

[anarchistxx]

I've never gotten the sense that Punk/Danielson are half as close as Eddie/Benoit.

I was more comparing it in the sense of two smark demigods who have come through the ranks together finally getting their big moment to shine, rewarded for all the hard work and vilifying the IWC.

[Loss]

To me, the subsequent deaths of Benoit and Guerrero were a total rebuttal of that view of wrestling. I won't say the hypersmark outlook on wrestling doesn't exist anymore, but it's not as prevalent as it used to be. Plus, Punk has been a top guy for two years now and had a long world title run. He's not someone waiting on his shot.

 

I don't see WWE trying to do anything resembling the WM XX moment ever again. And why would they?

[anarchistxx]

I'm not saying they should necessarily recreate it, I was just wondering if they would try something similar. There is a lot of symmetry between the two situations.

 

Plus, Punk has been a top guy for two years now and had a long world title run. He's not someone waiting on his shot.

True, but they hand title reigns out like nightclub flyers these days.

 

Benoit had been in and around main events for four years before 2004. Closing Wrestlemania as a face winning the main belt is still the ultimate sign you are a major star, and nobody has done that in the last ten years except Rock, Cena, HHH, Batista and Taker.

[Dylan Waco]

If I were Vince the last thing on Earth I would to do would be anything that would remind people of that particular moment.

[Alchemy]

Wrestlemania X was a babyface coronation, too (Hart being carried by all the baby faces). I wouldn't be stunned to see something like that -- some sort of babyface coronation. But who knows

[Marty]

Shawn at WM12 was a babyface coronation to a degree as well.

 

As good as Bryan's push and character have been, I'm not sure he'd even close Mania with a World title win, not with the way they've done recent Manias. On the other hand, this run feels like transitioning him from a comedy act to someone "legit". Perhaps Summerslam is the concluding point, but Mania feels like a stretch.

[Guest TheGreatPuma]

Daniel Bryan is beyond incredible right now doing everything just right. He is legend material. The match with Ryback on Raw was terrific.