WWE: How Daniel Bryan Is in a Great Place to Shine

At this time two years ago, it was a mere pipe dream that we'd be ever seeing Daniel Bryan in a WWE Championship match, much less in a WWE ring again. He was fresh off his shocking WWE release following a controversial incident during the initial Nexus attack that June, so it seemed highly unlikely we'd ever be seeing him back with the company anytime soon.

Surprisingly enough, Bryan was in fact hired back (if the whole angle wasn't one giant work, but that's another story for another day) and made his WWE return at that year's SummerSlam event. Now, nearly two years later, Bryan returns to the biggest blockbuster of the summer as part of a ruthless rivalry with Kane.

However, before we get to how that feud with Kane and his recent rise to the top has helped benefit him throughout 2012, let's analyze how he got to this point.

Upon his 2010 return to the organization, he was immediately placed in a feud with then-United States Champion The Miz, before eventually taking the title off the Awesome One at the Night of Champions pay-per-view.

Bryan spent the rest of his Raw tenure in the hunt for the star-spangled prize before being the premiere pick in the 2011 WWE Supplemental Draft on his way over to SmackDown.

During the this time, it was evident that Bryan had very little personality in the character he was portraying, who was more known for his amazing athletic ability. Nothing about him seemed all that memorable, so it was hard to imagine that he'd be a top star no more than six months later.

Despite winning the Money in the Bank Ladder Match that July, it didn't do much to help boost his career or make the fans care about him. Bryan subsequently lost his mini-feud with Wade Barrett going into last year's SummerSlam, and the blue brand's briefcase didn't seem to be getting him over whatsoever.

It wasn't until late in the year that the American Dragon finally became a significant character on SmackDown when he was inserted into the on-going feud between Big Show and Mark Henry. He successfully cashed in his Money in the Bank contract at TLC to win the World Heavyweight Championship to solidify himself as a main event player.

Sure, he might have been World Heavyweight Champion, but many speculated that his Cinderella reign wouldn't last long at all. It may have seemed that way during his first few weeks as champion, but things took an unbelievable twist heading into 2012 as he gradually turned heel for the first time in his WWE career.

Originally, I thought his heel turn was a major step backward given the time and effort it took to get him over in the first place. Of course, I was proven wrong, and it resulted in one of the most successful WWE character transformations in recent memory.

His cocky character was an absolute riot, but he grew even more entertaining following his abrupt loss of the World title in the opening bout of WrestleMania 28. His frustration over losing the golden prize allowed him to be more aggressive inside the ring, making him more of a threat to his opponents.

While 2011 was the rise of CM Punk, it's hard to argue that 2012 has been the year of Daniel Bryan. He held the World Championship for the first few months of the year, while also partaking in numerous matches for the WWE Championship against CM Punk on three consecutive pay-per-views thereafter.

The best part is that the year isn't even over yet, as Bryan still has another four months to continue to make 2012 his breakout year. His feud with Kane may not be all that exciting, but at least it's logical in the sense that they have history and both have psychotic personalities.

Of course, being in the World or WWE title picture helped shape his career to what it is now, but what he's been doing in recent weeks has made him the single most entertaining aspect of Raw. His shining moment came at Raw 1,000 two weeks ago, where he shared the spotlight with The Rock and WWE Champion CM Punk.

Who would've thought an indy schmuck (as Punk would say) like Daniel Bryan would ever engage in a exchange with someone as legendary as The Rock? Certainly not me.

The most intriguing aspect of it all is the recent involvement of Charlie Sheen, who, despite the criticism he receives, is a mainstream magnet. Sheen's few words for Bryan at Raw 1,000 made headlines shortly thereafter, which gave Bryan probably the most mainstream publicity he's ever received in his entire career.

Thankfully, Bryan won't be wrestling Sheen at SummerSlam in a few weeks, but given the fact the event will occur in Los Angeles, which is mainstream mania, one would only imagine Sheen will be present at the pay-per-view as well.

As you probably know, Vince McMahon is a sucker for (good) publicity, and having Bryan be the one to bring it in will only mean a bright future for the former Ring of Honor star.

I'm not saying he'll receive a push as WWE Champion anytime soon or anything like that, but I'm sure WWE would graciously reward Bryan for his recent work with Sheen and the media attention its bound to get.

If you don't believe me, go back and watch his main event matchup with John Cena on this week's edition of Raw. The action was extremely strong and has me highly anticipating a rematch between the two, since their chemistry is undoubtedly off the charts.

It's matches like that that will only benefit Bryan's career and give management a taste of what he's capable of. His ascension from an unrecognizable NXT rookie to a mid-card act to one of the company's top guys has been extremely fun to watch, and I'm certain that the future holds only tremendous things for Bryan going forward.

Thanks for reading, Bleachers, and be sure to drop a comment below with your thoughts on Daniel Bryan's rise throughout 2012. As always, your criticism and overall feedback on my latest piece is welcomed and greatly appreciated.

GSM out.

Visit my website at Next Era Wrestling, as well as listen to my SAVE US GSM radio show every Thursday at 10/9c for more of my thoughts and writings, along withWWE/TNA news, reviews, recaps and more.

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