WrestleMania got to where it needed to go.
Daniel Bryan vs Triple H. Bryan wins to go into the main event. Bryan wins the WWE title. The Superdome explodes in a festival of YES!
Let’s not give WWE too much credit. All WWE is doing is the obvious, and it took WWE a heck of a long time to get there.
WWE, in fact, got dragged to this point kicking and screaming. If C.M. Punk doesn’t leave, this doesn’t happen. If Batista gets over EVEN A LITTLE BIT, this doesn’t happen. If Orton isn’t tedious and boring, this doesn’t happen. This puts Triple H in the center of things. That certainly didn’t hurt.
Bryan has a lot of thank-you notes to write.
Not that Bryan hasn’t earned it. He has talent. He has charisma. He got over organically. He saw his character abused and minimized. But Bryan kept his mouth shut, his head down and, finally, WWE listened to the people. The people got rewarded. Bryan got rewarded.
There’s a message in there somewhere for Punk. Not that he cares. Nor should he.
This really is a tangled web.
Last Monday’s angle was excellent. Bryan was deceived, not made a fool of. There’s a big difference. The beating went right up to the line, but not over. Bryan’s defiance during the beating was classic down-but-never-out babyface. WWE made a match that marks feel compelled to see.
Savor the flavor. These days, that doesn’t happen too often.
Bryan has to win, right? Must beat Trips, must win the title, must get even. If he does, the Superdome erupts in joy. If he doesn’t, the Superdome erupts in anger. WrestleMania always sends the fans home happy. WWE wouldn’t screw Bryan, and thus screw the fans. Would they?
If they do, even ‘Mania will have become Sunday Night Raw. PPVs, especially ‘Mania, must provide conclusions. This year, there can be only one conclusion.
Whatever happens, remember…Bryan could easily be wrestling Sheamus.
Bryan will win the title. But don’t be shocked if he loses it the next day.
The most interesting sidebar is Batista’s abject failure. WWE was giddy about bringing him back because of the upcoming movie tie-in. But WWE forgot to notice that five years on, he’s really not Batista anymore. He’s 45, and noticeably so. He’s noticeably smaller than he was. He’s bald, and to no good effect.
Batista also re-entered WWE with one other major flaw: He’s not Bryan. Fans saw Batista as usurping what belonged to Bryan, and resented him for it. Batista didn’t persevere, as John Cena so often has. Batista got the boo-boo face, and the fans piled on. The fans not only chose Bryan, they pointedly did not choose Batista.
Good choice.
Follow Mark on Twitter: @MarkMaddenX
