The Stomping Ground: A New Era, Or A Hiccup? (Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton)

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Greetings, all! Sad to say that the Summer is over for me after this week as I head back to school to try and mold young minds once again. I can’t really complain, though, after what we were given last Sunday night in Los Angeles. Think about it: the next four months with Daniel Bryan as the major focus of the WWE. It’s astounding because no one really thought this could happen, and it’s all thanks to John Cena’s triceps!

Quite a few people have been comparing Bryan’s feud with the McMahons to the exploits of Stone Cold Steve Austin. They’re right to some degree, but the majority of the comparison is unfounded. For one, the only true connection is that Vince McMahon didn’t want either man to be WWE Champion. For Austin, the reason was because he wouldn’t toe the company line. For Bryan, it’s because he doesn’t have the “look” of a champ. Bryan represents the ultimate underdog (and I’m pretty sure that will be his nickname for the foreseeable future) and the guy the fans are wholly behind, just like Austin. The key difference here is that Bryan has the fanbase of Austin, combined with the emotional tethers of Shawn Michaels. He’s smaller than Austin, quicker than Austin, and can do things only a guy like HBK can handle. That leads to more variety and better spots than anything Austin could deliver. Bryan’s also not as “protected” as guys like Austin or Cena, who would only lose via shenanigans. I’m sure that will come to pass soon enough, but until then DB is still a little more humanized than his predecessors.

With CM Punk firmly planted in an ongoing feud with Paul Heyman, it’s obvious that the focus from here on out will be on Daniel Bryan trying to regain the WWE Championship from Randy Orton, and I am all for it. Plus, The Shield now have an actual purpose! And it totally makes sense why they dress up like the Big Bossman; he was head of corporate security back in the Attitude Era as well. Couple this idea with the fact that this newly-minted “Corporation” now owns almost every title showcased on Raw and you’ve got the makings of a mega-stable the likes of which we haven’t seen on WWE television in years. It’s not a new concept, but it does hearken back to my glory years as a fan and that’s not a bad thing in my opinion.

In fact….every title the WWE has is currently held by a heel. And every authority figure in the WWE is a heel as well. Talk about stacking the odds. As seen on Raw, bad-mouthing the bosses gets you beat up by The Shield. This could build to a great company-wide storyline that sees CM Punk come to Bryan’s aid; imagine the reaction a team-up with those two would get! The one variable that bothers me is the inevitable return of John Cena, which could potentially overshadow Bryan’s quest for vengeance. Hopefully Cena is used merely as an equalizer so the focus can remain on Bryan.

In any case, one could argue that “business is about to pick up” (thanks, JR) in the world of the WWE. Perhaps we are in the midst of Triple H’s new direction that we’ve been hearing about for the last couple of years. As long as it ends with a shake-up of the status quo, I’m on board.

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

Since February of 2011, "The Master of Smarkasm" Mike Gojira has tickled the funny bones of Inside Pulse readers with his insightful comedy, timely wit, and irreverent musings on the world of professional wrestling. Catch his insanely popular column, The Stomping Ground, whenever he feels like posting a new edition (hey, I've earned the right). He is also totally modest and doesn't know the meaning of hyperbole.