WrestleMania XXX Ruined Everything
Flashback to four years ago and wrestling fans were coming down from the biggest match in recent history. The story told inside the ring of an underdog Daniel Bryan was nothing compared to the story happening around this match. As the curtain closed and Bryan stood atop the wrestling world, everything had truly changed. WWE has been trying to recapture that moment ever since and failing spectacularly at it.
First, some background. Daniel Bryan in no way was supposed to walk out of New Orleans with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Randy Orton had the belts, Batista had returned to win the Royal Rumble, and CM Punk was the de facto number one contender. Then the Rumble ended, Punk quit, and the WWE had a very large void to fill. Punk’s absence was immediately felt. A longtime fan favorite, now those fans were irate that one of “their” wrestlers was gone and it was the WWE’s fault. Instead of fleeing the company they continued on because the spotlight now drifted to Daniel Bryan. As another crowd favorite, Bryan never had the charisma to match Punk’s, but he did have passion. You can tell by watching Bryan that his dedication for wrestling is as immense as anyone else wrestling today. With Punk gone the WWE tossed Bryan to the hungry wolves and they happily accepted him.
Suddenly Bryan’s feverish appearances were spurring the WWE to take a longer look at their WrestleMania plans. No matter how well in advance a company can plan matches out, something will almost always change. In this case Bryan’s popularity was overwhelming and despite Batista’s best efforts, no one was accepting him as the next in line for the championship. The belts had been unified, Orton was no long term champion, and the crowd wanted their voices heard. So on April 6th, 2014 Daniel Bryan won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, confetti rained down on him, and the WWE had created a truly special moment. Four years later we’re still living down the hangover.
CM Punk’s brash attitude and in-ring style cannot be replaced, but that void would steadily be filled. NXT’s pool of talent, and outside acquisitions, suddenly flooded the WWE roster with Punk’s old wrestling buddies. Now fans weren’t left wanting for in-ring marvels. Bryan meanwhile was injured, severely, and until just this month he was told he’d probably never wrestle again. So the WWE now had an onslaught of talent, a WreslteMania to live up to, and no one to give the fans what they really wanted. CM Punk or Daniel Bryan.
Each WrestleMania since has been the poor man’s attempt to recreate Bryan’s underdog story. Reigns was supplanted by Rollins at the last minute, thwarted by Triple H, and even given The Undertaker to “retire.” Yet fans don’t accept him. Reigns might have story on his side, but Bryan had reality on his. Bryan was a success story. The WWE actually didn’t want him to win. Bryan wasn’t supposed to the be the face of the company, he wasn’t supposed to be the one everyone cheered on. Bryan was too small, too technical, and didn’t even eat meat. The WWE didn’t like Daniel Bryan, so we all did. Fans knew their passion and love for Bryan and Punk was what convinced the WWE to push them so hard. Those fans feel that same energy even today.
So it’s very frustrating when the WWE no longer listens. Fans have become too smart and the WWE too slow to accept that. Instead of stories about underdogs and wrestlers with fan backing, we get swerves and surprises. We get WrestleMania 34, an underwhelming, lackluster show that tries to play the crowd rather than tell a good story. The accident that was WrestleMania XXX will haunt the WWE until they finally sober up and stop chasing those ghosts.
