Stripping Daniel Bryan of The WWE World Heavyweight Championship is Best for Business
As much as it hurt to watch Stephanie McMahon and Triple H gleefully strip Daniel Bryan of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship during the latest installment of Monday Night Raw, it unfortunately had to be done. And not to just to give the fans a fighting champion, as the storyline continues to emphasize, but to protect Daniel Bryan.
We all love Bryan, and it's extremely unfortunate that since his wedding with Brie Bella, he's had to endure the loss of his father and a neck injury that required surgery. His championship reign for which he worked so hard and for which the fans passionately fought fizzled all too quickly. But fans who are concerned that Bryan's time at the top is over should consider a few factors that make now different from the agonizing road to WrestleMania 30.
For starters, it's clear that WWE is solidly behind Bryan now. They gave him two incredibly high-profile matches at WrestleMania. They marketed him. They featured him in almost every conceivable way. They stalled for as much time as possible to see if Bryan could heal, keep the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and compete at Money in the Bank. But unfortunately, his body just isn't ready yet, and even though WWE plays it up for effect in the story, the company really does need a fighting champion.
So it's highly likely Bryan could find himself right back in the title picture upon his return. I don't know and have never met Daniel Bryan, but based on everything we know about him, he seems like the kind of guy who would try to get back into action as quickly as possible in order to entertain the fans and continue to do what he loves. But he's not John Cena, who heals like Wolverine. He needs some more time, and if sacrificing his short-term success for long-term health is necessary, then so be it.
Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer has even reported this week that WWE wants to have the belt back on Bryan by SummerSlam to have him fight Brock Lesnar. Part of me worries that Lesnar is the worst possible opponent for Bryan upon his return because of his physical style, but that's a David vs. Goliath match most of us would want to see regardless.
And if Bryan isn't ready by then, we'll still be here waiting to cheer him. Remember how Stone Cold Steve Austin was injured in 1997 but WWE kept him around to cut promos and his popularity only grew. The same thing could happen to Bryan, and it would make his eventual triumph that much sweeter.
In other WWE news, we received some more information from Seth Rollins about his heel turn, as he claimed he was the one who created The Shield, so he had the right to destroy it. He then interfered in Dean Ambrose's Money in the Bank Qualifying Match with Bray Wyatt on Friday Night Smackdown, which seems to indicate Ambrose vs. Rollins at Money in the Bank. Here's hoping that happens.
As of this writing, the participants in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match for the vacated WWE World Heavyweight Championship Match are Bray Wyatt, Cesaro, Randy Orton, Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio. Two slots are left, and John Cena and Roman Reigns seem to be the likely candidates to fill the slots, though that's just conjecture at this point. We'll likely find out more on Raw next week.
Finally, WWE cut the following talents today: Brodus Clay, Camacho, Evan Bourne, Yoshi Tatsu, Aksana, Curt Hawkins, Jinder Mahal, Drew McIntyre, Teddy Long and referee Marc Harris. This means 3MB is no more, and JTG is still employed by WWE. (Update: A reliable Reddit user claims JTG has also been fired, but WWE has not said anything yet.)
Do you think it was the right move to strip Bryan of the title? Let us know in the comments below.