WWE Capitol Punishment: Daniel Bryan and the Five Things That Were Missing

As with any Pay-Per-View, there are bound to be questions about the booking. There is always a match or two that people feel is unnecessary (I probably would have been all right without Alberto del Rio versus Big Show) and other Superstars left off the card that can confuse and even anger us.

Here is a brief list of the 5 things that I feel were missing from Capitol Punishment.

Daniel Bryan

This man is arguably one of the best technical wrestlers, if not the best, in WWE right now. He has given us some memorable matches, crazy spots, and can make other mid-carders such as Ted Dibiase shine like diamonds in the rough.

Remember him and Punk going at it at Royal Rumble? His last PPV singles match besides that was back in November at Survivor Series, and I think he has yet to disappoint anyone with his performances.

Unfortunately, he has had little to no character development since the breakup of the Nexus and has yet to develop a gimmick that sets him apart from the rest of the WWE Superstars. While he had a good run as the United States Champion, he lost the belt to Sheamus and his push promptly came to a halt.

Recently, he's been going at it with DiBiase, Sin Cara, and Cody Rhodes and has once again given us some quality entertainment. He just needs a good gimmick to run with and he'll be golden once again.

And speaking of...

These Three

Cody Rhodes gave us some solid matches at Wrestlemania 27 and Extreme Rules and has showed that he is capable of being out there and giving us a show. While we can't really say the same about Ted DiBiase as of late, he does have some nice chemistry when working together with Bryan, and Rhodes and has shown his own abilities.

Now there are some of you that might worry about Sin Cara with his latest streak of botches and his last PPV showing, but put him in a tag-match and he doesn't have to pull all of the weight. Let him get in there, throw around some offense, and then get in a hot tag to Bryan.

Or you can even reverse the order. Not to mention I believe he and Bryan could give us some spectacular double-team spots. A tag-match would be an excellent chance to get Sin Cara in the ring in a PPV setting without having to carry the match or having it feel like a job like it was with Chavo.

Which brings me to my next point...

Tag-Team Matches

Okay, so David Otunga & Michael McGillicutty are the tag-team champions. If they're the ones with the belt, one of two things has to happen:

1) They need to be put over by beating someone with some credibility. Having them face Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater wouldn't have been a bad pair to face and have them win over.

They've worked together for a good year now, so I would hope they could give us a good match, they've got a Nexus/Corre angle that could have been used, and out of all the teams they could beat, this would show them as legit threats with the titles. Mind you, this is all with a clean finish.

2) Someone needs to take them out and be put over.

Out of all the teams that could be pushed, my money goes to the Usos. I was at their first televised appearance in Austin, Texas and I remember them having a good energy and chemistry about them.

The Usos were promptly buried to showcase other tag-teams, but lately they've burst out of the gate again, most recently on Smackdown, where they gave Slater and Gabriel a good thrashing and a solid win. They deserve a shot at the belts and a shot at some higher-profile tag teams.

I think Capitol Punishment would have been a good place to either begin Otunga and McGillicutty's run or to give someone else the belts, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. The same could be said about another title...

Diva's Match

Brie Bella needs to lose that belt. There, I said it.

Brie Bella needs to drop the Diva's Championship and give it to someone that can give us some better feuds and better matches that don't end with Twin Magic. Natalya or Beth Phoenix wouldn't be a bad choice, and I would even take Kelly Kelly, Gail Kim, Melina, Maryse, or Eve. There are so many others that could do better, in my opinion.

Really, you have a half-feud between Gail Kim and the Bellas you could work with. As with the tag-belts, the sooner the start, the better, and Capitol Punishment would have been a good place to do it. I know Kharma and Lay-Cool's absence is hurting the Diva's Division, but they really need to advance the belt and the storylines.

And while this next match technically happened, it wasn't scheduled, was a time-filler, and didn't deliver what it should have...

A GOOD Jack Swagger Versus Evan Bourne Match

As I said, I know this match actually happened, but I don't want it as a time-filler match. I wanted this match to be built up over the past three weeks and done as a match that could lead into a good Money in the Bank rivalry. I'd rather have seen this than Big Show vs. ADR.

I must say, it's been too long since I've seen Jack Swagger in a match that's not with Michael Cole, and it's been too long since I've seen Evan Bourne in a match that meant anything. These two could also put on a three star match easy if given the time and push, but unfortunately, they're not more than an afterthought and a "Plan B."

The match didn't do anything to put these two over, but think of what could have happened if these two were actually given a chance to shine?

Imagine the scene: Jack Swagger pins Evan Bourne after a hard-fought ten minute match. The next night, Swagger comes out as the egotistical All-American-American-American and announces how he'll become the next WWE Champion, and he knows just how he's gonna do it: by becoming a two-time Money in the Bank winner.

Bourne comes out and stops him, saying how Swagger may have beaten him once, but he won't let that happen again, and he vows that he'll win Money in the Bank. Then the rest of the Superstars begin filing out and making their case. Then the GM says something and we go about our business. Instant storyline, and instant interest. Now you've got a month to promote, and all is good.

Honorable Mention

Woo Woo Woo, You Know It.

Okay, so he has no one to feud with and only one televised match (not counting Superstars), so there really is no point to him being there. Still... I want my Ryder! Did you hear the chants throughout the PPV?

What was missing for you from Capitol Punishment? Let me know in the comments below and share your thoughts!