WWE Elimination Chamber 2012: Daniel Bryan Must Retain Title Despite Struggles

Even though Daniel Bryan's run as World Heavyweight Champion hasn't been as successful as many people hoped, the WWE can't give up on him at Elimination Chamber.

The biggest problem Bryan has encountered, as many main event stars do during their first gigantic push, is a lack of crowd reaction. There was virtually no audience participation during his time as a face title holder, and the switch to a heel has only helped the cause a little bit.

That said, things are starting to improve. His over-the-top style of shoving everything from the belt to his vegan lifestyle down the WWE Universe's throat is finally starting to get him the desired heat.

An impending feud with Sheamus should also help his cause. The Celtic Warrior has gone over huge with fans since winning the Royal Rumble, giving Bryan an easy way to generate backlash should one of his promos start failing.

One thing that hasn't suffered is Bryan's in-ring work. He continues to showcase a wide variety of moves, further proving he is one of the company's top workers. That's why diehard fans wanted him to get a chance in the first place.

Vince McMahon has been rightfully criticized in the past for being too quick to pull the plug on title reigns that aren't going exactly as planned. He has shown some patience with Bryan, which is a good sign, but it has to continue at least through WrestleMania.

Not only do extended runs help build up the belt's prestige, but they provide an opportunity for mid-card stars to get more air time.

When the belt is constantly changing hands, an inordinate amount of RAW and SmackDown time have to be dedicated to the main event picture. That's not the case when one guy is in firm control over a longer time period.

Looking at the bigger picture, it's been a refreshing couple of months with Bryan and CM Punk leading their respective brands. For far too long John Cena and Randy Orton dominated with relative ease to the point where boredom began to ensue.

It's impossible to tell if Bryan's run will ever live up to the hype, but he's worked hard enough to deserve a chance to reach those sky-high expectations. If things haven't improved by the time WrestleMania arrives, he'll have no room to complain about dropping the title to Sheamus.

One thing's for sure: He can't afford to drop it at a second-tier PPV like Elimination Chamber.

It would basically kill his character and force a complete rebuild following all the hard work to make him reach his current level. There's no reason to go that far right now.