Daniel Bryan, Randy Savage, Roman Reigns and More from the Screaming Mailbag

It's Royal Rumble season. Daniel Bryan is feuding with The Authority. Fans are demanding that he main event WrestleMania. Some fans seem to equally demand that Roman Reigns doesn't win the Royal Rumble. Is it 2014 already?

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@ThisIsNasty Hey Bro,Do you Really Think That @WWERomanReigns Can succeed with the types of promos he delivered on Raw???

— Akshai Kumar (@kumar_akshai) January 14, 2015"

Yes. First of all, he's that good. Second of all, the majority of people complaining about his promos are going to watch anyway. The most overlooked stories in wrestling are the audible female screams in the audience during Reigns' segments.

In addition to countless wrestling events, I've attended every SummerSlam since it came to Los Angeles in 2009. SummerSlam 2014 featured Reigns' first singles pay-per-view match. I never saw more women at a wrestling event in my life.

Women were peppered in the pregame bars at Yardhouse on West Olympic. They filled the parking lot after the show. I think I even spotted a few in the men's restroom. 

It just felt a little bit cooler to be a wrestling fan, because now beautiful women were watching too.

The women seated in my section were most engaged when Reigns was on. He has the sex appeal of Shawn Michaels with the star power of John Cena. And while the bumbling, poorly written promos aren't helping, they certainly won't break him.

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@ThisIsNasty if Bryan doesnt win the RoyalRumble, whats the best WM31 option for him ? HHH again?

— Jeremie CD (@jeremiecd) January 14, 2015"

Daniel Bryan has plenty of WrestleMania options if he doesn't win the Royal Rumble. In fact, I'm more interested in seeing what happens if he doesn't win. The Yes Movement already happened. Nobody likes the sequel better than the original.

Imagine the heat on a heel who eliminates Bryan at the Royal Rumble. That alone makes a non-main event Daniel Bryan program relevant.

Sheamus' looming return may result in Bryan's elimination and a heel turn. What if Ziggler, Rowan and Ryback are reinstated if they win the Royal Rumble? This sets the stage for Ziggler to eliminate Daniel Bryan in order to get his job back even if he loses.

Meta fans would devour that program like Hot Pockets.

If the plan isn't for Bryan to win the Royal Rumble, WWE is taking a risk by having him interact with The Authority. The Authority shouldn't be directly involved in his elimination, otherwise it's 2014 all over again.

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@ThisIsNasty where does stone cold Steve austin rank for you? You might as well round out your top 5 now while you at it...

— Mali Pannu (@Mali_DMETH) January 14, 2015"

In a recent video for the B/R Team Stream Channel, I ranked "Macho Man" Randy Savage as a top-three talent all-time. Only Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair ranked higher.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin is one of a very small handful of wrestlers who present strong cases to be ranked higher. There are several legitimate arguments as to why Austin, one of my all-time favorites, is the greatest of all time.

But Austin's success had more to do with capitalizing on a rebellious period of counterculture than his otherwise elite wrestling abilities. Austin's success was predicated on shock value and mirrored that of Jerry Springer and Howard Stern during the time.

Savage's balance of character and wrestler make him just a shade greater in my book. Savage's top 10 wrestling moments are a balance of wrestling matches and character-driven segments. Austin's moments will be dominated with stunts and gags. Bang 3:16. Driving a zamboni into an arena. Stunning the boss.

Those were the times.

Savage's shining moment was a transcendent match against Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania 3 that is still in the discussion as greatest match ever. Austin's shining moment is arguably spraying Vince McMahon with a beer hose.

For what it's worth, since it's always subject to change, here are my top five right now:

1. Hulk Hogan
2. Ric Flair
3. "Macho Man" Randy Savage
4. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
5. Shawn Michaels
6. Bret Hart (Sixth Man)

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