Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: WWE in Much Better Place with Daniel Bryan Back
1. Daniel Bryan Energizes WWE Roster
Daniel Bryan's announcement that he's ready to return to the ring is reason aplenty to be excited about what WWE brings in 2015. His recovery from neck surgery has dragged on, but he's apparently healthy enough to strap on his boots once more.
That will provide an injection of energy and star power into WWE programming.
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Dean Ambrose has worked his way into a top babyface role. Dolph Ziggler continues to steal shows and give the WWE brass reason to move him up the ladder. John Cena remains the reliable marquee talent.
Adding Bryan to that mix is like a star-studded NFL team getting back its All-Pro running back.
Match quality is about to go up. Bryan has shown throughout his career that you can pit him against just about anyone and count on a great performance. Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, Cesaro and every heel on the roster have another top-notch ring worker to battle.
His popularity remains red-hot as well. The reaction he received on Monday's Raw is proof of that.
Bryan has a connection with the crowd that most Superstars have to be envious of.
His return is going to create a buzz around the WWE product that lessened when CM Punk walked out and when Bryan underwent surgery.
WWE can now revisit the story it planned to tell when Bryan won the world title at WrestleMania. It can have him win the Royal Rumble, providing a more established option than Roman Reigns. An upset victory over Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania has classic written all about it.
Bryan's return is a chance to pick up where the in-ring dynamo left off.
2. Evaluating The Ascension's Debut
Viktor and Konnor's first appearance on Raw underwhelmed.
The former NXT tag champs looked nervous and unsure of themselves, the swagger they displayed at Full Sail University gone. As former WWE writer Alex Greenfield tweeted, The Ascension didn't look they belonged:
That will change in time. The Ascension are talented, have excellent chemistry together and walk into a thin tag team division.
Their outfits looked bad, and that needs to be addressed. The fog and lights from their NXT entrance needs to return. And WWE has to find a better foe for them than the supposed heel who is wildly popular.
WWE didn't do Viktor and Konnor any favors by shifting their gimmick toward ridiculousness. That has to account for some of the lack of reaction the duo received. The fact that their offense wasn't nearly as destructive looking as it was during their steamrolling of NXT foes is to blame as well.
3. Lesson No. 4
The Miz and Damien Mizdow, the men who The Ascension defeated on Monday's Raw, may have lost their tag team titles, but the title of being the most entertaining pair in the company is still theirs.
They showed that in the latest video lesson from The Miz's School of Performance.
WWE is wisely going the slow-burn route with Mizdow's expected turn on The Miz. It's in clips like these that we see cracks in their relationship. The Miz's dismissive attitude toward Mizdow has to get to him eventually.
For now, it's a subplot to the story of Miz and Mizdow's continued success.
4. Midcard Title Momentum
Credit WWE for keeping the Intercontinental, United States and Tag Team Championship in the spotlight. Too often, those titles get neglected, the champs going months without defending them.
That has been far from the case as of late. Champions are having to fend off challengers at a much more entertaining rate.
| Event | Championship | Champion(s) | Challenger(s) |
| SmackDown, Dec. 5 | Intercontinental | Luke Harper | Dolph Ziggler |
| TLC | United States | Rusev | Jack Swagger |
| TLC | Intercontinental | Luke Harper | Dolph Ziggler |
| TLC | Tag Team | The Miz and Damien Mizdow | The Usos |
| Raw, Dec. 22 | Intercontinental | Dolph Ziggler | Luke Harper |
| SmackDown, Dec. 26 | United States | Rusev | Dean Ambrose |
| Raw, Dec. 29 | Tag Team | The Miz and Damien Mizdow | The Usos |
That's at least two defenses in December for each of those titles. Not surprisingly, the added stakes have upped the compelling factor for those bouts. Harper vs. Ziggler at TLC and the tag title match on Monday's Raw were two of the month's best offerings.
This is a pace WWE needs to keep up.
5. No Fanfare for Christian's Retirement
Jerry Lawler mentioned in passing on Monday's Raw that Christian's wrestling career is over. As PWInsider's Mike Johnson reports, that wasn't a mistake.
Johnson writes, "We are told that due to the rash of injuries and concussions Christian unfortunately dealt with during his current run with the company, he's been pulled from the ring and is considered 'retired' as an in-ring performer."
If that's the case, it's a wasted opportunity not to put together a video tribute for Captain Charisma. He should have been allowed to make an emotional farewell speech or have Chris Jericho or Edge give him a proper send-off.
For as much as Christian gave of himself in the ring, he deserves at least that much.
6. Throwback Video of the Week: Edge
Before Edge was winning world titles and becoming Mr. Money in the Bank, he was Sexton Hardcastle, a skinny kid (billed from Mt. Shasta, California) toiling in a ring in Canada.
A look back at a match with him as one half of Sex and Violence in 1995 is a strange experience. In many ways, he looks like the star that he would become. He sells better than his peers, for example.
In other ways, though, he just looks like another independent wrestler in the process of learning the craft.
When watching a show like this today, it makes one wonder if any of those men and women slamming into the mat are going to take the kind of legendary journey that Edge did.
7. Wow-Worthy Women's Matches
In the one-match edition of NXT on Christmas, Sasha Banks and Charlotte nailed it in the ring again. They put on an excellent match, giving fans hope that the Divas division can evolve into a showcase of talent rather than a way to fill time.
For an encore, they rocked it on Tuesday's Main Event as well.
WWE fans are conditioned now to expect short, unremarkable matches from the women. The female wrestlers at NXT are working to change that perception.
Elsewhere, other promotions have given us a wealth of great women's wrestling. Check out the following matches for a look at what female warriors can do when given the proper spotlight:
- All Japan Women's Wrestling Dream Slam (1993)—Akira Hokuto vs. Shinobu Kandori
- All Japan Women's Wrestling Big Egg Universe (1994)—Manami Toyota vs. Aja Kong
- Shimmer Volume 9 (2007)—Amazing Kong vs. MsChif
- Shimmer Volume 44 (2011)—Madison Eagles vs. Cheerleader Melissa
- NXT Takeover (2014)—Charlotte vs. Natalya
8. Social Media Numbers for WWE's Emerging Stars
When debating who will be WWE's next big thing, ring skills, charisma and gimmick all pop into the discussion.
Don't forget to include popularity with the casual fans. Looking at social media numbers provides a look at who those fans are attracted to.
Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins may be outshining Roman Reigns in the ring and on the mic, but the powerhouse's "it" factor is getting him a lot of love on Facebook and Twitter.
Facebook Likes
Twitter Followers
Ambrose's Twitter numbers are skewed because he doesn't use the site. He has just three tweets so far.
The Showoff uses that medium, though, to generate his own buzz.
Reigns' stats stand out most. Reigns' Facebook numbers are just behind Bryan's. His lead in that department compared to his former stablemates is a testament to his popularity, something that gets undervalued in discussions among purist fans.
WWE is looking for who can make it the most money. These numbers suggest that Reigns is that man among this group.
9. Armchair Booking: Goldust and Stardust
The Royal Rumble is the perfect catalyst for Stardust and Goldust's breakup.
The duo has run its course, the zany act's momentum having slowed since they won the tag titles earlier in the year. The smart move is to build toward the Cody Rhodes and Goldust matchup fans have been longing for.
Have Goldust accidentally eliminate his own brother at the Rumble.
That gets Stardust to begin questioning himself and plants seeds of a future split. He loses several times in a row in the following weeks. In one match, he goes to tag Goldust only to find that he's out of position.
Stardust has a breakdown at one point, attacking his brother, tearing off his outfit. He reverts to being Rhodes again.
The story begins with Rhodes blaming Goldust for their failures, but it eventually becomes about him wanting to break free of the Rhodes family shadow, to prove that he's better than his brother.
They collide at WrestleMania, Goldust bowing out afterward and Rhodes going on a hot streak.
10. Mick Foley on Bryan
Even a ring vet like Foley was thrilled to have Bryan back. He tweeted a message that summed up what many folks were thinking:
He's right. A number of up-and-comers have done their part to elevate the product, but nothing replaces a star who has a following like Bryan's.
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