Daniel Bryan, King of the Ring, the Bella Twins and More from the Royal Mailbag

Daniel Bryan's indefinite absence from WWE puts the intercontinental championship picture in jeopardy. Cena's U.S. championship feud with Rusev in addition to his ongoing U.S. Open Challenge make the title an afterthought. Still, the championship will need to make its return to television eventually.

So how's that going to happen?

Intercontinental Incident?

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@ThisIsNasty Assuming Bryan is out for months, what would you like to see happen with the IC Title?

— Ethan Weiss (@EthanWeiss1) April 29, 2015"

In all likelihood, Bryan will have to forfeit the intercontinental championship. If this is the case, I'd like to see a tournament or a Battle Royal to crown a new champion. God forbid Rusev loses three consecutive pay-per-view matches to John Cena, but if he does, a strong intercontinental championship run would keep the wheels from falling off.

For the record, I don't think Rusev will lose to Cena. I think he'll threaten to harm Lana if Cena doesn't quit; and when he heroically does quit, she'll turn on Cena and rejoin Rusev.

If Rusev, in fact, does regain the U.S. championship, it would then make the most sense for the ongoing feud between Bad News Barrett and Neville to decide the next intercontinental champion. Neville seems well on his way to becoming a major star, as WWE has done a good job of booking him as an underdog. With Neville, it's two steps forward and one step back.

I'd like to see the WWE build Barrett up into a credible heel by winning both the King of the Ring and the intercontinental championship only to have Neville chase and eventually win in a couple of months.

The Detest Movement?

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@ThisIsNasty Why do you hate Daniel Bryan?

— leo cedeno (@yankeesnrangers) April 29, 2015"

I certainly don't hate Daniel Bryan, and I find him just as entertaining and talented as everybody else. From an objective standpoint, however, I've argued that Bryan's serious ailments keep him from being a top star and fans need to understand that. 

As I mentioned on this week's PodNasty Wrestling Podcast, it isn't Bryan but his insufferable, riot-happy fanbase that irks me.

The Yes Movement got what it wanted and it didn't work out, then they asked for seconds. The second time around was more of the same, and while this is a terrible situation for Bryan moving forward, Royal Rumbles will not be judged on whether or not Bryan wins them.

Question of the Week: Bella Babyfaces "Outta Nowhere?"

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@ThisIsNasty Can you clear something up? Are we supposed to cheer the bellas?Cause two weeks ago we were supposed to boo

— Rich Slade (@PrEsTiGe95RS) April 27, 2015"

Fans of the WWE Divas division should be angrier at the lack of storytelling than any abbreviated matches. WWE simply changing the Bellas to babyfaces, with no explanation, after months of playing the mean girls is lazy and won't get Naomi over as a heel.

WWE could have at least shot an angle, a promo or even a vignette on why fans need to cheer the Bellas. Is it too much to ask the Total Divas people to film them at a soup kitchen?

The attack on Brie Bella after her rehearsed speech about Bryan was a nice touch and helped promote the Bellas as sympathetic figures. But given how much of a heel Nikki was, there still needs to be some sort of explanation as to why fans need to like her outside of her simply being Brie's sister.

Remember, Nikki was the heel sister, and Brie joining her didn't make Mrs. Danielson as much of a heel as it made her a compassionate person who understood that blood was thicker than water. The longer WWE goes without truly presenting Nikki Bella as a babyface, the less people will care when she loses the Divas championship.

Long Rib the King?

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@ThisIsNasty Do you think that the King of the Ring has the same level of prestige that it once had?

— Christian Landsverk (@c_landsverk) April 29, 2015"

Absolutely not. The King of the Ring used to air on pay-per-view and the winners of the tournament were almost guaranteed a chance to eventually become main eventers.

This time around, the King of the Ring was more of a pawn being used to hook trial subscribers in April.

Barrett was losing periodically headed into the King of the Ring tournament. I don't see his win going anywhere past using the King of the Ring to get heat on Barrett. This way, Neville can become a bigger star when he eventually slays him.

Still, the King of the Ring tournament is a novelty and carries with it a lot of nostalgia. If anybody can effectively carry a king gimmick, it's Barrett. If WWE allows him to continue to present himself as a king on a week-to-week basis, he could rejuvenate his career while also adding meaning to the King of the Ring franchise. But that remains to be seen.

Guess Who's Brock?

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@ThisIsNasty How many consecutive PPVs will Brock do upon his return?

— DJ Hella Yella (@djhellayella) April 29, 2015"

I only see Lesnar working the Royal Rumble, SummerSlam and WrestleMania. Perhaps during one of those cycles he returns at the next month's pay-per-views, but Lesnar working back-to-back pay-per-views will be a rare occurrence. 

This is the way it ought to be. Lesnar leaving the WWE and coming back as a big enough star to demand a part-time schedule was a blessing in disguise. Lesnar is the type of attraction who justifies being used sparingly.

Lesnar's appeal is the realistic nature of his character. The fact that he only competes a few times a year makes him seem more like a prizefighter the likes of a Floyd Mayweather or Brock Lesnar circa UFC.

Lesnar would not be nearly as over to the level he is now if he was on television every week. It's too easy for fans to become jaded in this day and age, and his absence definitely makes the heart grow fonder.

 Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @ThisIsNasty and listen to his weekly wrestling podcast.