Daniel Bryan – Mr. Money in the Blank
One Submission Hold Down
I'm still not a true believer in Daniel Bryan as an eventual top star in the WWE, but the fact still remains: he is your Smackdown "Money in the Bank" winner. He will more than likely win the World Heavyweight Championship at some point in the next 10 months and while that's an eternity by WWE standards, in reality…it's less than a year.
He loses clean to Wade Barrett (who will talk about in just a bit) and now Sin Cara. One got squased by John Cena the following week and one has just returned from a 30-day suspension.
I understand that Daniel Bryan vowed to "cash in" his MITB contract at WrestleMania next year and personally, I loved that angle. Most "Money in the Bank" winners use the element of surprise in their favor and it's allowed each of them to be successful in their attempts as every MITB winner has won the Championship thus far. Daniel Bryan could be the first to end that streak, but it won't necessarily be a bad thing if he is.
It's admirable and respectable that he wants a clean, fair fight when he cashes in and wins his World Heavyweight Championship. He should be saying that in his promos. He should be winning fans over every match by proving why he's the "best pound for pound" guy in the WWE. When asked why he announced the time and place he plans to cash in his MITB contract, it should be a simple, bold response every time. He knows he's going to win and wants the biggest stage in wrestling to prove it.
Leading up to this, however, he has to WIN! At the very least, he should be winning the majority of the time. Why WWE thinks it's okay to put one of their "Money in the Bank" winners on the shelf until it gets closer to the time is beyond me. Cashing in and winning the title means nothing when people don't care (see: Jack Swagger).
There's plenty of time for Daniel Bryan to build some sort of momentum leading into his Championship match, but why hold off until tomorrow what could be done today? Take Bryan off the shelf and give him a chance to succeed. At 'Mania, if done correctly beforehand, Bryan losing the match could be more effective than him winning.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
