Jim Ross – One Step Up
Congrats to JR on the launch of his new podcast, The Ross Report, on PodcastOne.com. I got the chance to catch a bit of it this morning, and I encourage all other wrestling geeks like me to add it to their "Must Listen To" agenda each week.
Steve Austin was the inaugural guest, and to no surprise, it was a fun listen. What I most enjoyed was their discussion on Daniel Bryan.
It's easy to see that Bryan is over. However, Ross and Austin brought up something I had been thinking for a while too: Bryan's mic work. Ross mentioned that Bryan needed a little development in that area, to which Austin agreed.
While the word "soft" wasn't actually used, it's the general impression I got regarding how the two professionals feel about Bryan's verbal work as of late. Austin said Bryan needs to get angry, fed up, and once he "goes there", the WWE Universe will ride that wave with him.
I've long thought that Bryan tends to overplay to the crowd with his gimmick, and specifically, the "Yes!" and "No!" chants. He shouldn't need to prompt audiences to rally behind him; they easily do it on their own.
When companies, brands, sports teams, or in this case, celebrities allow things to grow organically, it's always more powerful than something forced. The same is true with Bryan right now.
Bryan's mic work shouldn't revolve around "sing along" with the crowd, but rather, he should be intense, focused, and emotional.
Daniel Bryan's "overness" is already on another stratosphere compared to most. Going even higher might seem like an impossible task, but I believe Daniel Bryan following the advice of Austin and JR will not only make it possible — it will damn near guarantee it, folks!
Seriously..give JR's podcast a listen.
