WWE: CM Punk and Daniel Bryan Need to Be in the Ring Again

The WWE got it right in a big way last night.

Five-star matches, plenty of drama and the return of a re-focused John Cena. Raw and Smackdown should this dramatic every week.

But the most telling sign that a change is possibly in the works occurred last night when WWE Champion CM Punk laced his boots up to face the World Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Bryan in what had become an epic battle of two former ROH stars and current WWE superstars.

The match was “destroyed” when Chris Jericho interrupted the party in what could be described as the best match of the month. The match is one that the WWE can build on for the next 12 months and could develop into one of the best rivalries in the WWE and wrestling in 2012.

Personally, I have been waiting for this confrontation. I am surprised it took this long to “ramp-up” but because Johnny Ace was about to be “fired” from his role with Raw, the night took on epic proportions, and every trigger pulled last night hit its mark ten-fold.

Did the WWE make the right call in having these two superstars face each other a night after the Royal Rumble and causing a stir in the professional ranks? I think so.

But I also think the PPV event was “average” and while both Punk and Bryan retained their belts, something needed to be done to “spice up the pot” a bit.

We need confrontations like Punk and Bryan. We need to see some of the old school ideas of “face vs. face” and “belt vs. belt.” Ric Flair, Bob Backlund and Nick Bockwinkel made those types of matches famous in the early 1980s.

Wrestling is based on tradition and values the Hall of Famers created. Punk and Bryan, two huge stars in ROH before making their way to the WWE, made sense last night. It also is good because at some point, Sheamus, the winner of the Royal Rumble will make a decision that he will face at WrestleMania XXVIII in Miami.

My money is on CM Punk, but if Chris Jericho walks away with the title at Elimination Chamber on Feb. 19, then the two finalists in the Royal Rumble will probably have a go at it.

It also draws the question of whether Punk and Bryan would wrestle for the unification of both titles, something we all have kicked around for the past year, which would eliminate wrestling brands and limit the number of wrestlers who could challenge for a title unless more are created by management such as a real tag team division and champions, a Diva’s tag team title and maybe the National Heavyweight Title or a Hardcore Title?

WWE Creative got it right last night. With their glowing reviews and the need to give back to the fans, the company’s two champions headlined something great.

Now let’s see if the writers know what they are doing when they build on last night’s success.