What Kinda Wrestling Thread You Runnin' Here?

[Hunter Rider]

With Bryan's recent promotional blitz filled with honest answers and Rollins recent interview Lobo posted where he was positive on Punk's MMA pursuit and said he thought Vince was wrong in his comments on Austin's podcast, maybe WWE are letting the guys who do the bulk of their media and are the main stars have some freedom? If they come off as real and not like PR spouting stooges then fans will connect with them better.

I also maintain that Bryan's heavy pushing of him vs Brock for Mania is something WWE want him to do, as opposed to him "politicking." I'm not saying he's incapable of that but everything we know of him suggests it's not his style, so I feel WWE are testing the waters to see fans responses to his comments.

Glad Bryan's thinking about changing his style or not using certain moves that often.

I'd love to see him add more submission holds to his offense in place of some of the dives.

 

[Wheels]

Meltzer says WWE is moving back to TV-14 in 2015-2016. I feel like WWE can be good as a PG product but at least it might nof be as haevy on PC garbage and kiddie stuff. But again, this doesn't guarantee good television.

 

[vantheman77]

Havok's grandfather passes away. If you guys want to help her out with funeral expenses, here's the link:

https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/5y97/grandpa-s-funeral-fundraiser?utm_source=giveforward&utm_medium=share&utm_campaign=dashboard&shareid=2974991

Prayers to her family. She just buried her grandfather yesterday. It may be the reason she's not listed on TNA's UK tour.

 

[Wheels]

Ah the TV-14 thing came from a fake twitter.

 

[Slushy]

Rob...Van...Dam on The Human Podcast Machine this week.

Lemmy on Talk Is Jericho.

Vince Russo Part 2 on Piper's Pit. Russo also did an interview on Chael Sonnen's Podcast.

 

[NDX]

Could be the start of a major tour!

A friend of mine is going to this. I'm actually jealous of that. Fact. He got front row tickets, too. $100. More than I'd want to pay, but I'd pay it.

 

[zeroapoc]

Meltzer says WWE is moving back to TV-14 in 2015-2016. I feel like WWE can be good as a PG product but at least it might nof be as haevy on PC garbage and kiddie stuff. But again, this doesn't guarantee good television.

TV-14 is fine. That doesn't mean it would be the over the top Jerry Springer crap of the Attitude Era. But maybe we could get a crimson mask every now and then.

 

[chamber-music]

NXT was good.

Nattie and Charlotte as a tag team put some of the men's tag teams to shame.

I'm guessing the Bull vs Corbin feud isn't over with that one match given the amount of build up it achieved.

When is that new athletic hell stable supposed to debut on NXT?

Another very good match between Sami and Adrian Neville. I thought Neville was going to take Sami's head off with a few of those movies.

I think Neville can get away with some of these moves on NXT because he and Sami know each other so well in the ring. I could see Neville not doing some of this stuff on the main roster because some of these guys aren't skilled enough in the ring to not botch it badly and hurt themselves or Neville.

 

[Donnie Darko]

WWE just needs to go ahead and lay out a plan for Zayn and Neville to main event WrestleMania in like 2017/2018.

 

[Bat Brain]

 

[zeroapoc]

 

[chamber-music]

That is a pretty good Black Canary style outfit Paige is wearing

 

[Hunter Rider]

 

[Hunter Rider]

 

[Hunter Rider]

 

[DarkSentinel]

Imagine Paige and Becky Lynch in a tag team together?

 

[Bat Brain]

Imagine Paige and Becky Lynch in a tag team together?

Imagine no longer:

 

[runawayboulder]

Holy crap those Paige pics

 

[DarkSentinel]

Imagine no longer:

Bah GAWD!! Start the damn match!!

 

[sweetre15]

Pink Ranger, since you got to see Smackdown already, is it true that WWE tried to can Reigns' reaction to make it seem like he's more over than Bryan but mute Bryan's reaction too?

If they really did that I want to let you guys know what my friend Ursin(Deroche) told me about the reactions.

Bryan was the most over that night with Reigns as a distant second. I.E only being half as over as Bryan was in Baton Rouge.

The crowd was mostly kids and their parents and they were all on Bryan's side unanimously.

 

[sweetre15]

Bryan did yet another interview with Miami Herald:

“The day I announced I was coming back for the Royal Rumble is actually the day I got cleared to wrestle,” he said. “I started healing in November, as far as thinking, ‘Wait a second. Things are starting to turn around for the better.’ It was that December episode of Raw I went on to say I was finally able to be cleared by WWE where they said, ‘You’re ready to go.’”


Bryan does remember a period where he had doubts about his future.

“I just had to get into this mental frame of mind and not thinking about the negative. When you are sitting at home and all you do is physical therapy and all this stuff and nothing seems to be getting better, it’s very frustrating. If you get into that deep hole of thinking you are never going to come back. That’s a hard mental place to escape from. I dealt with that for a little bit, but then I realized I couldn’t have this type of negativity. If I was going to get better, I had to be positive that I can come back and come back better than ever.”

Rather than save Bryan’s squared circle comeback a surprise, WWE decided to announce it ahead of time. The 33-year-old likes how everything is panning out.

“Had I just come out during the Royal Rumble, I don’t know if it would be as impactful. To me it’s more impactful to give fans something to look forward to. If it happened at the Royal Rumble and that night, it would have been great. Though I like the idea of building toward something, so I’m happy with the way we’ve done it.”

Bryan’s first taste of any kind of physicality happened during a segment on Monday Night Raw to set up his SmackDown battle with Kane. The tag partners turned rivals brawled inside and outside the ring. It was a way to show the audience the bearded warrior hasn’t lost a step. The event was also held in New Orleans, the site of WrestleMania XXX when Bryan won the WWE world heavyweight championship.


“It felt so good,” he said. “It’s funny because there is nothing that gets you in wrestling shape quite like wrestling. One of my big concerns was if I was going to get really tired. It’s funny because one of the things that can get me more tired than anything, especially at the end of matches, is when they want me to keep yes-ing.”

Yes-ing is Bryan’s signature gesture where he yells “Yes!” as he points to the sky repeatedly. Fans and other people from all walks of life have turned the simple act into a craze. Look no further than YouTube if you need proof.

“They are always in the back telling me to keep yes-ing,” Bryan said. “This can get you even more tired sometimes than a long match. After that I was doing the ‘Yes!’ chant so much that my shoulders were so tired. I got a little bit concerned about that and how my neck will hold up. I’m just excited about being back …I do honestly think though a “Yes!” workout would be pretty good as far as workouts go.”

During the few minutes of fighting with Kane on Raw there was a point he flew through the ropes just like he has done before. Executing the signature move showed fans he wasn’t going to hold back.

“I’m not going to be apprehensive about it,” Bryan said. “If you go in scared and you don’t do things the best you can, you’re actually more likely to get hurt. For example, if you do a suicide dive at half-speed and worry about getting hurt, you’re actually more likely to get hurt. Will my style change? Yes, but that is not because of my injury. It’s because I’ve been sitting back and watching WWE. For me, that’s a creative process. It’s the creative process and the evolution of my own style. Things will change, but will it be because of my neck or anything else? Absolutely not.”


Bryan’s high-risk moves have been a topic of conversation with WWE officials.

“They’ve told me, ‘Hey, maybe you shouldn’t be doing the diving headbutt or this or that,” Bryan said. “I have always marched to the beat of my own drum. We are all individual entities. Not to say I ignore their advice, but you also have to know your own body and where you’re at physically. Part of the thing about coming back is it’s a trial-and-error. If I started doing the top-rope dropkick and notice it jarred me, then it may be something I stay away from. I won’t know until I try. I’m not afraid to go out there and give it my all.”

One of the reasons the WWE Universe loves Bryan is because he is among the best workers bell-to-bell. It’s hard to find a bad Daniel Bryan match. He is thrilled to be associated with SmackDown’s monumental shift from Fridays to Thursdays.

“I actually requested for my return to be on this particular night,” Bryan said. “I wanted it to be in the main event of SmackDown when it moved. There is nobody better for me to wrestle in this type of situation than Kane. He is the one who put me out of action. He is the one I’m coming for retribution against. It should be a pretty awesome match and an awesome show and a pretty awesome way to get people to watch on Thursday nights.”

The longtime WWE show will always conjure up memorable moments for Bryan. At the top of the list is a favorite episode from 2011.

“I was holding the Money in the Bank briefcase and getting the first opportunity to be in the main event of SmackDown,” he said. “I tried to cash-in on Mark Henry and actually held the World heavyweight championship for 30 seconds before Teddy Long came out. There is this whole story, but it led to me being in the main event of SmackDown against Mark Henry. It was a cage match and really the first time I was in the main event of any show. We did the main event match. We ended up losing, but it was the first time I was like, ‘There is no reason why I can’t do this.’ I enjoyed it. It was a good match. Fans were going crazy for it. It gave me that confidence to say, ‘Hey, I can do this in the right situation. I can be a main event guy here.’”


Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/fighting/article6592035.html#storylink=cpy

 

[sweetre15]

And Bryan continues to remind me of why I'm a fan of him in this Q &A:

Ahead of his in-ring return, we had the chance to speak with Bryan about his injury, what appearing alongside his wife on Total Divas has done for his career, his return to the ring and more.

2014 was such a whirlwind year for you. Not only did you main event WrestleMania 30, but you took home your first WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Then before the dust had even settled, you were sidelined with a neck injury for the remainder of the year. In your own words, how would you describe 2014?

Daniel Bryan: It was a roller coaster, that’s the only way I can describe it. I went from extreme highs [to extreme lows.] Not only did I main event WrestleMania 30 and win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship – which is like the apex of our industry- the very next Friday I got married to my beautiful wife, Brie Bella, and we went on this amazing honeymoon to Hawaii. We got back on the Saturday, and on Monday we were in Baltimore for Raw and I found out that morning that my father died – and that was intense.

Then in May, I found out that I had to get neck surgery. In the process of all that, they’re thinking that the neck surgery isn’t going to take very long for me to recover from – maybe six to eight weeks. However, they discover that its much worse than they thought and there becomes this idea of “Hey will you even be able to come back” – not a matter of when will you come back, but will you be able to come back?

At that same time I got good news, the WWE wanted to put out an autobiography for me and I’m like “great, that really cool,” and then right as we announce that -which was in August- two robbers broke into our house. So its defiantly been a year of extreme highs, extreme lows and so the best way I can describe 2014 is as a roller coaster.

Was there ever a point during that time where you questioned your future with the WWE?

Bryan: The only time I really questioned my future was just at the idea of “man these doctors are saying that I may not be able to come back. Is that a reality, because I’ve been doing this since I was 18 years old and I have never been an adult without being involved in the wrestling industry.” It made me question, what I would even do without [wrestling]. This is my passion, this is what I love to do and [an injury such as this one] does make you question [your future]. I just had to get back into one of those frames of mind to be like “No, I can’t even think about that, I have to come back, I have to get better.” This is what I love doing and I can’t imagine my life without it.

Your injury might have kept you out of the ring and off most WWE programming, but the YES! Nation was able to keep up with your life outside of the ring through E! Network’s Total Divas. What has doing the show been like for you and your career?


Bryan: It’s interesting because it’s exposed me to an entirely new audience. I went from somebody who didn’t even own a television, to somebody who is now on reality television. It’s just a strange change in circumstances. It’s funny because people who watch Total Divas aren’t necessarily WWE fans, but they’re becoming WWE fans [through Total Divas].

I was in Chipotle and this mom and daughter walk up to me, and you would never peg them as being people who would watch Monday Night Raw, but they came up to me and they’re like “Oh my gosh, are you Bryan?” and that’s how I know that they’re watching me on Total Divas and not WWE. WWE fans say “Are you Daniel Bryan?” where Total Divas fans say “Oh my gosh, are you Bryan?” and I’m just like yeah. So this mother and daughter tell me, “We love Total Divas and now we occasionally watch Monday Night Raw, and we occasionally watch Smackdown and now we want to see the big events like SummerSlam and WrestleMania,” so I think its given me exposure to a lot of people who I normally wouldn’t get exposure with.


This week not only marks Smackdown‘s move to Thursday night, but is also marks your highly anticipated return to the ring. How have you prepared yourself for your in-ring return after taking so much time off to deal with your injury?

Bryan: I’ve actually been doing a lot of Jiu-Jitsu and kickboxing because I feel that’s the best thing that translates cardio wise and ability wise to what we do in the WWE. So I’ve been doing a lot of that. My body feels really good, I feel really mobile and my neck feels strong and I attribute most of that to the Jiu-Jitsu and kickboxing.

It just so happens that your return coincided with The Authority’s return to power in the WWE and judging by what we saw unfold on this week’s Monday Night Raw, your feud with the WWE’s power stable seems to have picked up right where we left off? Are you ready to fight The Authority once again to defy the odds in what promises to be an up-hill battle?

Bryan: Yeah, I’m always ready. I didn’t come back expecting things to be easy. The dislike that The Authority has for me and my dislike for The Authority, is most likely never going to change. They don’t see me as somebody who will make the company money and that’s what they’re all about. They want to do what’s “best for business” and will make the business money. Despite all the people cheering for me, they don’t see that as a good reason to give me opportunities.

They want somebody who looks more like a bodybuilder, they want a guy who they can put on a magazine and I might not exactly be that guy, but the fans themselves have gotten behind me and I think that’s more powerful than anything any corporation can do.

This Thursday on Smackdown, you’ll take on Kane, who just so happens to be the man who put you out of action for the remainder of 2014. What does this match mean for you and what will be going through your mind as you prepare for the match?

Bryan: I’m not going to lie, I do have some concerns. Kane is very physical and he has a very storied past, and I haven’t wrestled in a long time -its been eight months. I have been training really hard with my cardio and that kind of stuff, but its impossible to train for the physicality of wrestling. The only thing that can get you in wrestling shape is wrestling, and like I said, I haven’t wrestled in a long time. I don’t have doubts per-say, but I’m a little concerned and a little bit nervous. On the flip side of that, I’m excited. I’ve never been someone who gets tired when I wrestle, I’ve always been explosive and I’m excited to come back. There’s nothing I love more than getting in the ring and wrestling.

If you can manage to claim the privilege of main eventing Wrestlemania 31, which superstar would you love to face off against with?

Bryan: I would love, and I’ve been saying this for a long time, to be in the main event at WrestleMania 31 wresting Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. I think that’s the ultimate match. Brock is a monster, he’s a beast and there’s nothing better for an underdog like me to go up against a guy like that.


Looking past WrestleMania 31, what are your hopes and goals for 2015?

Bryan: I have a lot of hopes and goals for 2015, one of which [has a lot to do with Smackdown]. With Smackdown coming to Thursday and with me coming back, I would like to be the main guy on Smackdown and have Smackdown start beating Raw in the ratings. That’s really what I want. I’ve been very open about that with management, and told them “let me be the face of Smackdown, give me the opportunity to show what I can do and by the end of the year Smackdown will be getting just as many viewers as Raw if not more.”

Now that you mention becoming the face of Smackdown and leading the Smackdown brand on to larger ratings, if you had the chance to become the Smackdown General Manager -be it for one night or for a longer period of time- what would be the first thing on your agenda to bring back to Smackdown?

Bryan: That’s interesting. I would like to have the King of the Ring tournament on Smackdown. The King of the Ring tournament is something that the WWE used to do on a usual basis, and they’ve gotten away from it.

One, I love tournaments. Two, I think if you do the tournament exclusively on Smackdown the fans will get really excited about it and they’ll get geared up for it. Then crowning a King of the Ring champion on Smackdown, I think that would be awesome. That’s one of the many ideas I have for Smackdown in 2015.

Before we go, is there anything else you’d like to say to our readers and to all of the YES! Nation members reading this interview?

Bryan: I’d just like to say thank you to everyone who has supported me. I mean there have been people who have been supporting me in my entire career, but especially the last eight months because its been a really difficult time in my life. There’s nothing better than the tweets people send me and people cheering for me on the rare appearances that I’ve had on Raw and on Smackdown and just the overall general support the WWE Universe has given me.

You know, none of us are owed this. We’re lucky to be a part of [the WWE] and we’re lucky any time we get the chance to go out and perform in front of fans who are so passionate and so awesome and so supportive. I’ve really felt that in the last fifteen months with the fans who have been supporting me for so long and I just want to say thank you to each and every one of them!


http://hiddenremote.com/2015/01/15/exclusive-daniel-bryan-opens-injury-return-ring/

 

[Bat Brain]

Ugh, I wish he's stop talking up a match against Lesnar at Wrestlemania. He's building my hopes up for them to be inevitably crushed when Reigns wins the Rumble.

 

[sweetre15]

He makes me wish he was booking Smackdown though and I appreciate that he's "charitable" enough to want to try to draw fans to Smackdown with his star power but I hope he realizes that he alone won't be able to make SD kick Raw's ass in the ratings again.

 

[Warhammer]

TV-14 is fine. That doesn't mean it would be the over the top Jerry Springer crap of the Attitude Era. But maybe we could get a crimson mask every now and then.

Not going to lie, I'm a huge fan of the no blading thing in the 'E. I never felt it was necessary at whatsoever.

He makes me wish he was booking Smackdown though and I appreciate that he's "charitable" enough to want to try to draw fans to Smackdown with his star power but I hope he realizes that he alone won't be able to make SD kick Raw's ass in the ratings again.

The only way SD could ever come close is for there to be another brand extension. There surely is enough talent to do so. However, there isn't enough talented writing to make that even conceivable. The top brass would lowe their minds.