If the Wrestling Thread wanted to dance, it'd get a date!

[NDX]

During an interview conducted for Eurosport Turkey, WWE star Daniel Bryan spoke on a number of topics including the infamous choking incident, working a comedy heel character and more. Below are some interview highlights:

Disliking WWE's Original NXT TV Concept: "NXT was disrespectful to wrestling in general. The entire show. When Undertaker debuted, he didn’t have to climb ladders or carry kegs. I trained to be a wrestler for a long time, so let me go out and wrestle. If you have me go out and do these stupid contests, you make me look stupid and it’s very difficult to make stars when you already made them look stupid on television."

His "The Future is Bright for Bryan Danielson" Promo on NXT: "One of the things people don’t know about NXT is that we were never told what to say, and we never knew the questions people were asking us. When the interviewer asked me “You were a big fish in a small pond and now you seemingly drowned in the sea that is the WWE”, my response was “No, this character that you created for me, he’s failed, because you created him to fail. But me, as a person, I’m better than this. I can go out and do, I can do what I’m doing right now, which is capturing the imagination of the crowd."


The Choking Justin Roberts Incident: "I did what I felt was natural, but I am not used to wrestle in a confined environment. WWE has to be very carful about being PG. I wasn’t used to that at the time. I was an independent wrestler, Sometimes I would do things because it just felt right, and when it felt right, it wasn’t right for the company."


Being a World Heavyweight Champion: "Being a world champion is cool, but you don’t just wanna be the champion, you want to be the man, you wanna be the guy they rely on for everything. Even though I was the world champion, I never was the man. John Cena, even though he isn’t the champion, he’s the man, and that’s what you aspire to be. At the and of the day, you wanna be the man."


Wanting To Do More Serious Work In WWE: "I was able to do lots of comedy stuff on Pro Wrestling Guerilla and shows like that, it’s been fun to do that to a wider audience. But now, I’m starting to feel like aching for the more serious stuff, being able to go out there and just wrestle."

Well, that's an interesting read. Especially how he saw his title run.

 

[Metallo]

Originally Posted by The Apocalypse
It would make no sense for that to happen. Then again, most of the stuff that's going on for WM doesn't either. Storyline wise Punk vs Taker would be cool to watch. I can't see the match being good and when they have Punk lose it'll make him look weak. 3 PPV's in a row he loses to people who aren't even considered part time. I'm worried about whats going to happen once the dust settles after WM. It seems we're going to have multiple PPV's with Ryback and Cena for the title and unless they end up building up Lesnar vs. Punk, I don't see what they'll be doing with him. Ziggy seems lost in the fold as of now too. The only thing to look forward to is The Shield but 3 months from now, if they're doing the same thing, it's going to be stale.

THIS. Unless Punk just calls Taker out the match really doesn't make much sense right now. They should have at least planted the seeds for this as soon as the idea came up.

Like you said Punk losing to part timers three PPV's in a row is piss poor treatment for a guy who could be drawing them a lot more money. Its like they don't care about that and want to use him as a utility heel for their favorites. Getting over and being talented doesn't matter in WWE. They drive that point home again and again themselves.

Originally Posted by Benstamania
I'm not the worlds biggest Glenn Beck fan (although I do consider myself a Libertarian) but I think this is getting dumb. Is Vince this desperate for attention?

Yes. But you're too smart a guy to not already know that, Ben.

WWE will hammer this issue because they love the press. Any publicity is good publicity for them in their eyes unless it involves drugs, sex crimes, or death.

Originally Posted by Hunter Rider
What can I say, even Trips knows he sucks as a face. What do you mean the Booty Man wasn't over? Lmao has anyone ever had more failed gimmicks? Agreed, Del Rio reminds me of Billy Gunn, he has the look and the athletic ability, but there is no it factor.

Man WCW gave Bruti every gimmick I can think of and he still sucked. Remember The Disciple? Then OWN? He went further sucking on Hogans...teet...than anyone not named Hogan. Even Knobbs had SOME sucess away from Hogan as a Nasty Boy. I liked the Barber as a kid but when thats your best gimmick it tells you something. And when one of your career highlights is The Rockers breaking up on your show it should tell you more.

That Billy Gun comparison is interesting. I think Del Rios got more worth as a singles guy than Billy but its a similar problem. Billy is a good in ring wrestler but man he just doesn't have the magnetism to be a big singles star. I NEVER got the big deal or what WWE say in him when they kept trying to push him. Great look and a good wrestler but Billy Gunn was a tag guy. We saw that over and over. He wasn't a main eventer.

Del Rio just comes off as vacuous...and I don't mean in a good heel way. Its all just a facade with no strong stuff underneath. No depth as a character. Maybe he needs a gimmick overhaul. The guy is talented but his current latin wealth and high class thing aint working for him to show what he has as a character worker. Ricardo meanwhile totally gets the "gagga" of it all.

It's a mess, I know some say just sit back and watch, but that would be fine if I didn't keep seeing things like the IC and US champs jobbed out on free TV in matches with no meaning.

Some of us just want to see the whole company be good again instead of complaining about todays guys not having what it takes or not stepping up to the plate. Thats not the heart of the problems right now. When someone like Ziggler or even Ryder or AJ get over and get treated like sh** those old Attitude Era mark excuses don't work.

The craziest thing about this whole scenario is on the back of the failrues of Nash and HBK in 85 and 96 Vince stumbled onto Austin and let it ride, then he allowed The Rock to keep his persona as a face.....as soon as the MNW's were over we get John Cena, a guy booked exactly like the two failed top faces instead of the two massively successful top faces.

Vince got lazy and easy to please instead of hungry to make the show better. Its lack of competition but he also bought into his own hype as a genius when he never hit the highest highs by himself. McMahon is stuck in his ways and he thinks he can use the same tired formulas all the time with just a few cosmetic changes slapped on. People don't always buy that though.

The only way to get anything out of this at this juncture is to have Cena go heel and screw Rock out of the belt, the fans are going to boo the outcome regardless but imagine the heat if a heel Cena stood over The Rock? I mean what is the alternative? Rock loses and shakes Cena's hand?

Some kind of heel turn. I mean...Cena going heel before or after the match. Even Cena doesn't deserve to look like a chump next to Doc Hollywood again. If he turns it should be something strong like Hogans actions in 96 even though the circumstances and execution would be different.

If Cena were to lose I'd have him snap after the match. If he wins I'd have him play it kind of dirty to win and turn during the match then cut a fiery heel promo the next night on Raw. Cena would have to be a strong heel though. Not a chickensh**. I just couldn't buy that from him.

 

[Metallo]

Well, that's an interesting read. Especially how he saw his title run.

I respect his honesty. A lot of that stuff on NXT was sh**. Danielson had more experience than half of WWE's roster when he got signed.

I understood making Miz his pro/trainer was to get Miz heel heat but it was still stupid. A waste of Daniel Bryans time. The only good things to come out of all that was some good matches and the controversy when Nexus made their debut. In the long run that may have helped Bryan.

The dudes talents are sorely underused now. Punk made similar comments about being champion vs. being "the man." They aren't synonymous. It was the whole problem when Punk was champ but Cena was getting all the attention. I think its cool that DB is so determined and just having the belt isn't enough. If they gave him another title run and a REAL shot he could create some awsome tv and PPV moments.

Originally Posted by The Sage
I will say this: up until the last few years, Taker really did fit that description: Of an aging wrestler who when the bell rang, you never knew time was catching up with him. Whatever injuries or aches he had, they didn't affect his performance. But since post Wrestlemania 25, he hasn't been the same and it's been getting tougher to cover up his limitations.

When WWE has to obviously come up with excuses so Bret doesn't have to wrestle a full match I think even Stevie Wonder can see that there is a problem. The WM match with Vince McMahon was a revelation for anyone who didn't get it. Bret Hart in his prime never would have allowed a stinker like that to happen and they still had every trick they could think of to cover for how bad they thought it would be.

The teased Undertaker vs Bret Hart match was a prime example. The nostalgic in me loved the tease but the realist knew they weren't going to have a match that night on Raw even after they both got in the ring.

"Veteran" and "legend" is often WWE code for old. Its just a cooler way of saying it.

 

[Metallo]

Originally Posted by Hunter Rider
He is such an ******* and it will never change, he moans about Hogan but is EXACTLY like him.

He's insecure. A mark in some ways thats way worse than anything he called Bret Hart.

The only difference between HHH and Hogan as far as how they operated is HHH never drew enough money to act like as big a b**** as he is. At least Hogan could use the excuse of being the golden goose of his era. Beak Nose Levesque just layed a f***ing rotten egg when he was the top guy.

Originally Posted by Antman
Mark Calaway has the sweetest deal any wrestler has ever had. He gets to be booked as unstoppable and rarely loses thanks to gimmick. He hit the jackpot in 1990.

The Undertaker is the best most sucessful gimmick Vince McMahon ever personally created. It was the perfect combination of a theatrical character and an incredibly talented performer. It needed just the right guy to make it work.

 

[LOBO3315a]

NO CHANCE in HELL!

 

[strikezone89]

Looks like the combover is coming back

 

[strikezone89]

Digging the purple suit

 

[SuperBatman]

Its Funny Vince walk better with Crutches than he does when he's not hurt

 

[Metallo]

Did Vince just make a UFC dig/joke? Jeez.

 

[LOBO3315a]

What is Paul Heyman wearing?

 

[NDX]

Paul just signed his own release with that usage of "ass".

 

[Benstamania]

I love Cowboy jokes.

 

[Benstamania]

Wow, some dope bought the new belt replica already?

 

[Benstamania]

I love this.

 

[Pink Ranger]

Spear! Spear! Spear! Kind of!

 

[Mrs. Sawyer]

Do it Heyman! t:

 

[The Sage]

Heyman's such a sleeze.

 

[The Sage]

Run, Vince! Run!!

 

[LOBO3315a]

Ecw! Ecw!!!

 

[SuperBatman]

Cue Lesnar and Now Cue HHH

 

[The Sage]

"Time to the play the Game!!!"

 

[Specter313]

Time to play the game!

 

[NDX]

Man, I want that Brock shirt. Even though I'd never fit into one.

 

[LOBO3315a]

The Nose of NOSES!!!!!

 

[Benstamania]

And here.....we....go...