WWE Storylines: Daniel Bryan Loved, Eva Marie Body Issues, Triple H Announcement

Be a Star Ambassadors

The Jan. 25 episode of the underrated Total Divas was a poignant example of the trauma young women today face regarding body issues.

Upon seeing her face on the side of a WWE production truck, Eva Marie remarked to Cameron that she thought it was ugly. At first, Cameron brushed it off as diva behavior. However, as the episode progressed, Cameron realized her friend’s self-image was a deeply rooted and ongoing issue. On a shopping excursion, Cameron found Eva Marie collapsed in a changing room due to the effects of starving herself.

Fortunately, Cameron was aware of a therapy technique whereby the subject tells an artist what they look like, and the artist draws that description. A third party then describes the subject for the artist. In Eva’s case, the artist’s renderings were telling. Eva’s description of her body in no way resembled the objective one.

By all accounts, Eva Marie is a success by the standards of today’s pop-culture society. She is on television and magazine covers, she is following her passion, she works for the premiere organization with the best people—and yet, she is unhappy with her body image. If there were ever an example of the insane pressure society imprints on young women regarding their physical appearance, this would be it.

It occurred to me how much good Eva Marie and Cameron could do for young women in conjunction with WWE’s Be a Star anti-bullying campaign. Body image issues are part and parcel with childhood bullying and can also play a part in an individual being abused or manipulated later in life.

I’m glad Eva Marie had a friend like Cameron looking out for her. The show ended with a tearful revelation, but when the cameras stop rolling, real life rolls on. That will be Eva’s ultimate test.

Deus Ex-Rock-ina

The two biggest stories heading into the 2015 Super Bowl are “Deflategate,” the latest crack in the NFL’s already-broken reputation, and the rags-to-riches human interest story of the Seahawks’ Landon Cohen.

Concurrently, WWE is at a similar crossroads. The compelling human interest story is how manic WWE fans rallied behind Daniel Bryan, their hero who recently came back from a potentially career-threatening injury.

The public relations nightmare followed the 2015 Royal Rumble, where a disaffected fanbase ensured that #CancelWWENetwork began trending, with fans posting their canceled subscription notices on social media.

WWE knew its choice to win the Rumble, Roman Reigns, was not going to be a popular one. They called in the biggest gun in their arsenal, former champion and Hollywood A-lister Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, to arrive on the scene, vanquish some villains and support his cousin’s march to victory.

No one could have predicted the fan backlash. Time’s David Stout reports that “spectators at the event were chanting for refunds as rumors swirled that the WWE Network cancellation page had crashed as fans bombarded the site.”

There were even reports—such as the one by PW Torch’s James Caldwell, who relayed news from correspondent Barjinder Parhar—that fans in Philadelphia, where the event took place, were blocking the wrestlers from leaving the arena.

This is not the first time WWE has courted controversy, as fans were equally displeased at the previous year’s Rumble, and for the exact same reason.

WWE eschewed the fans’ choice of the Daniel Bryan, a hero they want to cheer for, someone they believe in and appreciate, for a handpicked muscle man the WWE stubbornly insists the public wants to see. It is not a knock on either of those wrestlers, it is the simple fact that fans want to see Bryan as the top guy more than anyone else.

WWE should have seen the negative response coming when it had made headlines months earlier. In 2012, fans revolted after Bryan’s 18-second loss at WrestleMania 28, booing champion Sheamus and cheering Bryan on in the subsequent broadcasts.

In 2013, PW Insider’s Dave Scherer (h/t Forbes’ Chris Smith) reported fans were calling their cable providers for pay-per-view refunds after Bryan had been screwed out of the championship following Summer Slam.

Fans’ vocalizing support of Bryan in 2012. Fans’ demanding refunds in support of Bryan in 2013. Fans up in arms over the 2014 Rumble, where Bryan was not even an entrant. After Bryan was unceremoniously deposited from the 2015 Rumble, enraged fans go beyond booing the product and begin turning away from it, speaking with their pocketbooks and canceling the WWE Network.

Maybe someone could have predicted it.

The Past Is Prologue

In 1983, Hulkamania was running wild in the American Wrestling Association. Hulk Hogan, hot off an appearance in the hit film, Rocky III, was hitting his stride as a character and connecting with the fans in a way no performer had before.

Hogan was at war with the Bobby Heenan family, and the AWA Champion was the great Nick Bockwinkel, one of the finest technicians in the business who would go on to become a Hall of Famer.

Hogan chased the champion for about a year, but he never won the strap. He later stated in the WWE Home Video DVD Hulk Still Rules (2002) that it was becoming apparent fans were becoming disenchanted with the program. And it had reached the point where if he did not win the title, rewarding the fans’ faith, then the fans would turn away.

But promoter Verne Gagne was stubborn. Hogan created buzz, and arenas were selling out. But when Hogan would press Gagne about the title change, Gagne kept putting him off. This, and disputes about merchandising, caused Hogan to leave the AWA for the WWE.

WWE’s Vince McMahon was a third-generation promoter looking to make his mark. He did what Gagne did not—he gave the fans what they wanted: Hulk Hogan as their champion.

However sobering it must have been, Gagne soon discovered that those were Hogan’s fans, not the AWA’s.

With Hogan as champion and bold strategies to go with him, WWE reached unprecedented heights, while the AWA, with its reliable booking and unchanging mindset, dwindled.

Superstars like Hogan who connect with a crowd, driving them into a frenzy, earning their devotion, are few and far between.

Over 30 years ago, Vince McMahon was canny enough to give the people the champion they wanted. His mistake since then has been thinking that the mold of Hulkamania was all in the muscles. It was never about the look. I know. I was there. I, as a young fan, believed in Hulk Hogan. I went on to believe in Bret Hart. Stone Cold. The Rock. John Cena. Fans believe in these heroes, just as they believe in Daniel Bryan.

A fateful snowstorm proved to be a blessing in disguise following the 2015 Rumble, as it forced WWE to cancel the arena Raw for a week. It was announced on Smackdown that Authority figure Triple-H will make an announcement on the Feb. 2 Raw concerning the Rumble controversy.

Perhaps the announcement will be that the Rock’s interference will negate Reigns’ victory. Perhaps there be a “wild-card” rumble that will create a path for Daniel Bryan to go on to once again headline WrestleMania. Perhaps Triple-H will just speak from the heart.

I honestly do not know what to expect, and in this instance, that is not a good thing. WWE 2015 is sitting on the same precipice as AWA 1983. The onus is on Triple-H and Stephanie McMahon, as this is the make-or-break moment that will determine the course of WWE business over the next few years.

People want to invest in Daniel Bryan, and by doing so, they are investing in WWE. If WWE offers up a swerve or anything less than sincere, it runs the risk of turning away more fans and permanently losing the ones who have already boycotted.

A common theme on the #CancelWWENetwork posts was that WWE always says it gives the fans what they want. But when, since 2012, fans have been telling WWE that they want Daniel Bryan as their champion, as their WWE leader, and WWE repeatedly denied this, it caused the faith-lost fans to put their money where their mouth is.

Like many fans, I believe in Daniel Bryan.

Will WWE finally do the same?