To me, the two most important qualities the centerpiece should have are overness and wrestling ability. Because the centerpiece will be pushed so much and so well, he should be over. As for the need to have wrestling ability, well, this is a pro wrestling promotion. Daniel Bryan is obviously crazy over. No one needs to question his wrestling ability. And there is nothing wrong with how he got over. Yes, the whole "Yes!" and "No!" thing did help get him over with that wider audience. Wrestling fans already loved him before all that for how good he was in the ring. Nothing wrong with that. You want to say a catchphrase or gimmick didn't help other top stars get over through the years, like Austin and Cena? If I were running things, Daniel Bryan would be someone I would definitely consider to be the centerpiece of my company. He fits my standards.
Problem is, the WWE is not running with him. You don't like his look? Don't like his mic skills? Well, fans seem to like him more than the guys you have more faith in, whether you are talking about John Cena or Randy Orton. His look does not bother me that much. As for his mic skills, you can always develop him to be better, if it really is an issue. The job of those officials in the back should be to bring the best out of their stars. Daniel Bryan is one of their top stars.
What do you do with John Cena? He has been centerpiece for years now. To say that he is stale would be stating the obvious. I think even the WWE is running out of original things to do with him. How long until Roman Reigns enters a solo feud against Cena, eventually loses to Cena, and then ends up like Ryback? Cena does not get the reaction that Daniel Bryan gets. It should be time to push Cena to the position Shawn Michaels had when he returned from that injury many thought forced him into retirement. Shawn still won some titles here and there, but he was never pushed as the centerpiece. He was still treated very well. Put Cena in that role. He may end up breaking Ric Flair's record still, but it is time to start developing someone fresh that can connect with the fans better than Cena. Unless Cena can reinvent himself or the WWE is willing to do it, they need to move on.
Again, is Daniel Bryan that guy? The centerpiece has to be able to connect with as many fans as possible. Wrestling fans love him and more of the audience outside of that is connecting with him. But can he draw? Push him as the top star and not as this guy always getting screwed. Give him a fair shot. When Eddie Guerrero got over on his own, his career went up. When Daniel Bryan accomplishes that, he does not get the career that he is earning. Eddie Guerrero never was pushed as the centerpiece of the company. Maybe Daniel Bryan should not hold that top spot, but better treatment would be nice.
It's not that John Cena is stale per se, it is more that since they've become PG, the edge that Cena had has been quieted. I remember when he used to come out and drop rhymes he was interesting, relevant and highly controversial. It is what built his career and popularity really. Now, because of the PG thing, Cena can't be controversial or interesting, he has to be the big goof that kids love. People complain about Cena without thinking about what made him popular. His fall from fan grace is not his fault. If he could go back to the old Cena - even the Cena that would turn on the ruthless aggression and go terminator on someone with surprising violence, he'd see a resurgence in interest as well as exciting the fans. Won't happen of course.
ReplyDeleteI'm concerned about Reigns. I worry that the WWE will push him too quickly and phase him out quickly - like Ryback. They don't think, Del Rio is a perfect example of this. He should never have been pushed as aggressively as he was. Sure he's a great wrestler but he's boring and his mike skills are atrocious.
Daniel Bryan should be the centerpiece. He connects on every level because he is the average Joe, the guy people can relate to. He's the underdog who should get his shot. Should it last long? Maybe not. But he is so over right now that to do otherwise smacks of idiocy to me. But then again, HHH and Steph have been showing a huge propensity for stupid lately. Give him his shot, carry it past Wrestlemania and see how the temperature is for DB then. If it is still hot, keep going with it. If it's turned tepid, try something new.
I have to say though, John Cena and Wyatt? Who's idiot brainchild was that?
John Cena started getting negative reactions from the fans even before things turned PG. I remember the negative reaction he got at Wrestlemania 22. Some people have criticized him for his wrestling ability from early on. From that point, people have just found more things to annoy them with Cena. Some kind of change with Cena would help. It doesn't even have to be a heel turn.
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