WWE Money in the Bank Results: What's Next for Daniel Bryan?

Despite putting up a good fight, Daniel Bryan ultimately came up short in his attempts to win the WWE Championship from CM Punk at Money in the Bank.

Punk retained his title after back-suplexing his foe through a table in an brutal spot (due to a hastily-added No DQ stipulation, tables, chairs and other weapons were allowed in the bout and, boy, did WWE make the most of it.)

The match itself was a roller-coaster of emotions and hard-hitting in-ring action. Special guest referee AJ was removed from the bout early on after taking a bad bump off of the apron, as Bryan and Punk resumed wrestling. 

Credit to both men, they managed to put aside all the melodramatic soap opera nonsense and ref shenanigans and put on a great show for everyone. For the most part, this was an excellent wrestling match featuring two of the best performers in the business.  

But had we seen the last of AJ? Of course not. The WWE Diva returned in the second half to...well...no one is quite sure what AJ was playing at in the match. Once again, her behavior was frustratingly ambiguous.

She did count the one-two-three when Punk pinned Bryan for the final time, but to say she didn't appear too happy about it is a huge understatement. Not that she was on Bryan's side either: in fact, whenever it looked like her ex-boyfriend was about to beat Punk,she looked to be downright distraught.

So where does the result of this bout leave Bryan who has once again failed in his attempt to take the title off of Punk?

As noted, as far as the love triangle storyline goes, nothing was cleared up or settled: AJ remains as confused as ever, and WWE will undoubtedly continue to drag this out for as long as they possibly can. The WWE Diva probably will make a decision at some point—and may even choose Bryan—but that looks to be some time away.

This may be good for Bryan. While the AJ storyline is far from perfect, it help keeps the former ROH star in the spotlight, and gives him a big role on TV. 

Interestingly, one of the most pleasant surprises of Bryan's WWE run is just how talented an actor he has turned out to be.

Indeed, he has also been one of the standout performers of angle (AJ being the other one.) While some wrestlers may have looked down their nose at the cheesy material, Bryan enthusiastically embraces his role as a sleazy, two-faced ex-lover who only wants to use AJ to benefit his floundering career. He has performed well, and the angle is the better for it. 

Ultimately, though, Bryan is going to have to beat Punk at some point for the title. With or without AJ's help.

He's lost too many times to Punk now on pay-per-view, and simply has to go over at some point, or his image will be permanently tainted in the eyes of the fans. Maybe even at the SummerSlam show next month where he and Punk will (presumably) face off for the last time.

Summarily, Bryan leaves Money in the Bank in an interesting position. He has lost once again to Punk, but the AJ angle remains in full swing.

His stock in the company hasn't plummeted or anything, far from it, but he really does need to make good on his vow to beat Punk for the championship.

He also needs to figure out how to handle the totally unhinged and crazy AJ. Now that's a truly daunting prospect.