Daniel Bryan vs. The Wyatt Family: Winner and Analysis

WWE fans have been quite upset about Daniel Bryan's role since being moved out of the WWE Championship scene, and that isn't likely to change any time soon following his loss to the Wyatt Family in a three-on-one handicap match at TLC.

Arda Ocal of the Baltimore Sun provides his take on the match:

Bryan has been feuding with the Wyatts since the night after Hell in a Cell. Bryan lost to Randy Orton in a match for the vacant WWE Championship thanks, in part, to Sweet Chin Music courtesy of special guest referee Shawn Michaels. Rather than continuing his pursuit of the title, though, Bryan has been preoccupied with the Wyatts.

Bray Wyatt attacked Bryan backstage, which led to a number of matches against the faction. Bryan teamed with CM Punk to defeat Luke Harper and Erick Rowan at Survivor Series, and while Punk has since branched off to face The Shield, Bryan is still embroiled in an angle with the Wyatt Family.

Following a match a couple weeks ago, the Wyatts abducted Bryan. Per the storyline, he was later found disoriented in a parking lot. Since that time, Bray Wyatt has tried to convince Bryan to join his family on a number of occasions, but Bryan has continued to resist.

Many felt as though this angle might lead to Bryan turning heel, but it's difficult to imagine that coming to fruition. Bryan is the most over guy in the company right now as evidenced by the reaction he received during Monday's Raw in Seattle, and turning him now would be a tactical error on the creative team's part.

Despite the fact that Bryan failed to overcome the odds against the Wyatt Family on Sunday night, it seems likely that this feud is meant to boost Bryan's stock moving forward. Every top face is placed in a seemingly impossible situation that they must overcome in order to reach the next level, and Bryan wasn't able to do so at TLC, but he should rise to the occasion eventually.

Although it wasn't a great feud in its own right, the angle between John Cena and Kane from a couple years ago is reminiscent of what we're seeing with Bryan right now. Kane tried to get Cena to "embrace the hate," which led some to speculate that Cena could potentially turn heel.

Cena didn't turn heel, of course, and he ultimately rose above to defeat The Big Red Monster. Bryan's feud with the Wyatts probably isn't over yet since there is plenty of build ahead prior to Royal Rumble. The loss at TLC isn't devastating by any means since the chips were stacked against Bryan, and there is still time for him to get the better of his tormentors as well.

If the plan calls for Bryan to win the Rumble match and challenge for the Unified Championship at WrestleMania XXX, then expect this to be the last defeat Bryan suffers for quite some time. Bryan needs to continue to build credibility in order to reenter the title picture, and even though a win over the Wyatts would have helped to achieve that, there are still other ways to do it.

Beating Bryan at TLC may not seem like a huge deal for the Wyatt Family since it had a three-on-one advantage, but getting a win over an established star at a pay-per-view event only served to help the group since it once again got the better of Bryan.

With that said, the Wyatts will have to return the favor in the near future. They aren't necessarily going to lose a match to Bryan moving forward, but they'll have to put him over in some way, shape or form leading up to the Rumble. Perhaps that will come by way of Bryan eliminating all three men in the Rumble match.

Whatever the case, it may seem like Bryan is down for now after losing at TLC, but brighter days are certainly ahead for the diminutive grappler.

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