WWE: 7 Reasons Daniel Bryan Is the Right Man to Face CM Punk at Over the Limit

The WWE will hold its third pay-per-view in a seven-week span in just 12 days.

Over the Limit takes place next Sunday, and it is headlined by a dream matchup featuring CM Punk defending his WWE Championship against Daniel Bryan.

Ever since this match was announced on last week's episode of Monday Night Raw, there has been a lot of chatter about what this means for the WWE and its brand split.

Some think it's a bad idea to have a Smackdown superstar challenging for Raw's World title, while others aren't sure that Bryan should go challenge for one World title almost immediately after losing another.

But me? I'm glad we're seeing Punk vs. Bryan for the WWE title on pay-per-view.

Here are seven reasons why Bryan is the right man to face Punk at Over the Limit.

7. What Else Is There for Bryan to Do on Smackdown?

I call 'em like I see 'em, and I see nothing else for Daniel Bryan to do on Smackdown at the moment.

If he's not challenging for a World title on either show, then what's he gonna do that he hasn't already done?

He's already feuded with Big Show, Mark Henry and Sheamus. There aren't a ton of other feud options for him on the blue brand, and a mid-card title or non-title feud would have to be considered a huge drop for him.

Bryan only really has one marquee Smackdown feud waiting for him (against Randy Orton), but after Monday's Raw, Orton is now busy with his pursuit of the World Heavyweight Championship.

If not Orton, then there really isn't much else for Bryan to do...besides challenge CM Punk for the WWE Championship.

6. Punk's Next Challenger Can't Be Brock Lesnar

A big part of me hoped that CM Punk's next WWE Championship feud would be with none other than that other "Paul Heyman guy," Brock Lesnar.

Unfortunately, Lesnar has been written off of TV for the foreseeable future and is now headed for a feud with Triple H, which means that a potential Lesnar/Punk feud is off the table for the time being.

And if Lesnar isn't going to be Punk's next challenger, then I'd prefer to see a WWE title feud that I'll actually care about.

That's where Daniel Bryan comes in.

Truth be told, I think that a Bryan vs. Punk feud is one of the few potential rivalries that can rival, if not top, one between Punk and Lesnar.

Since Lesnar is off the table, though, I'll gladly take a "consolation" prize of Punk battling Bryan at Over the Limit.

5. A Lack of Fresh Challengers

Take a look at the WWE roster, and you'll see that there aren't very many fresh challengers for CM Punk, especially on Raw.

He's already feuded with Randy Orton, John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, Alberto Del Rio, Chris Jericho and so on and so forth, and other potentially good feuds (like with Cody Rhodes or Sheamus) just aren't possible because those guys are holding other titles and/or are baby face.

That leaves Punk with very few options for a fresh challenger for his WWE Championship.

Daniel Bryan is one of them.

Although we've seen these two wrestle a handful of times over the last four months or so, we've yet to see them have an actual feud.

Without a whole lot of other options for new Punk feuds at the moment, now is the right time to make this Punk/Bryan feud happen.

4. All of the Similarities Between the Two

This feud sells itself.

You have two guys who became incredibly popular in Ring of Honor, but never fit the stereotypical WWE mold. Thus, a lot of wrestling fans never thought they'd make it to the top of the WWE.

Yet here we are in 2012, and these two "indy shmucks" have become bona-fide WWE superstars and are now two of the biggest stars in the biggest wrestling promotion in the world.

The similarities between Daniel Bryan and CM Punk are obvious, as both are great technical wrestles, have an ROH/indy background and are smaller and less athletically built than your typical WWE star.

Punk vs. Bryan is already a great story without the WWE having to put forth any actual effort to make it one.

That's a rarity, and the WWE should take advantage of it while it can.

3. A Match Like This Can Be Pulled off Without Any Build

Not many matches can be pulled off without any build.

CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan can.

As noted before, this feud sells itself. And so does this match.

Punk vs. Bryan is going to appeal to wrestling fans who want to see two of the best wrestlers in the world put on a fantastic match on pay-per-view.

While most matches that have just three weeks of build flop miserably in terms of anticipation, excitement and pay-per-view buyrates, Punk vs. Bryan doesn't need all of that to succeed.

It will be a phenomenal wrestling match, and that's what we wrestling fans want to see: wrestling.

I am not going to complain about a potential five-star match, and no one should.

2. It's a Match of the Year Contender

Daniel Bryan and CM Punk wrestled on TV a handful of times in early 2012, and—guess what?—every match they had was awesome.

These two have some phenomenal chemistry, and in a rare occurrence, were able to pull off multiple four-star matches on TV.

Now, imagine what Punk and Bryan could do if given 20-plus minutes to go at it on pay-per-view.

I smell a potential "Match of the Year" contender.

Although this match obviously doesn't have the build of some of the great matches we've already seen this year, I think that the WrestleMania 28 buyrate showed that great wrestling will sell a pay-per-view.

And what will we inevitably get out of Punk vs. Bryan at Over the Limit? Great wrestling.

1. WWE Should Capitalize on Bryan's Momentum While It Can

I think it's safe to say that 2011 was the year of CM Punk.

But 2012? It's been and will continue to be the year of Daniel Bryan.

While Punk was the hottest act in pro wrestling last year (and still is one of them), Bryan is currently the hottest act in the business.

The WWE needs to capitalize on the fact that Bryan is ridiculously over/popular, and it needs to capitalize on that right now.

Why? Because we don't know how much longer Bryan's incredible run will last, and the WWE needs to milk it for everything that it can.

They say to strike while the iron is hot, and Bryan is definitely hot right now.

We need to see this match now when it's going to mean more and attract more fans than it might a year from now. 

 

Drake Oz is the WWE Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter and ask him any wrestling-related questions (to be answered in the B/R Mailbag) on Formspring.