Daniel Bryan Will Suffer Popularity Decline Like Roman Reigns

For the past several weeks, the biggest story in World Wrestling Entertainment has revolved around the reaction Roman Reigns received at the Royal Rumble and whether Daniel Bryan should replace him in the main event of WrestleMania 31.

Granted, those who argue in favor of Bryan have a strong case when they point out how differently the crowd responds to each man. While both are popular babyfaces, there's no question that Bryan is without a doubt the bigger star at the moment and that Reigns has a bit of a storm to weather.

Some are pessimistic and believe that Reigns is doomed to fail, while others are hopeful that things can turn around and he could end WrestleMania with the round of applause with which it should always finish.

To those who know Bryan would be a safe bet for this kind of result: This works now, but it isn't going to last forever.

There is no guarantee that Bryan will remain this popular for the rest of his career. In fact, it's almost guaranteed that he won't.

Face it: Bryan will drop in popularity at some point. It's less a question of if it will than how much it will drop.

This Isn't a One-Man Show

The first megastar in WWE was essentially Hulk Hogan, who really launched the brand into a household name. After several years, Hogan's flag was planted in WCW, but did WWE cave in and go out of business?

When the time was right, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin became the next man to carry that flag while WWE soared to new heights.

In this Attitude Era, several others rose to prominence—not the least of which was The Rock, whose story needs no explanation.

When Austin's time was up, Triple H was the man in charge. He would eventually pass this down to John Cena. And while these top dogs were cementing their legacies, there had to be other big names to interact with them, such as Randy Orton, Edge, Mr. Perfect, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and countless others.

As good as Bryan is, he is not the sole reason WWE stands today.

While his presence would be greatly missed, it would not bankrupt the company, as evidenced by the months he was out injured.

With the exception of Cena, for obvious reasons that have been stated for years, WWE doesn't have anyone as popular as Bryan, but it isn't totally devoid of babyfaces who are over with the crowd.

There's Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler and, believe it or not, Reigns himself, all of whom get very good reactions on a regular basis. Even someone like Ryback has support from the crowd despite not being given all that much to run with.

WWE makes mistakes all the time—some that seem very embarrassing in retrospect—but the officials who run the company are not stupid. They would not put all of their eggs in one basket.

Bryan's at the top of the mountain, but there are other people climbing closer to his level each and every day.

It Happens to the Best of Them

Back in 2004, it was clear that Cena was going to be a huge star in WWE's future, and the crowd seemed to be more than okay with that, judging by his popularity.

If you fast-forward to 2006, those cheers have warped into boos, and the pro-Cena signs are turning into ones that say "Cena Nuff" or other disapproving slogans.

When Mr. Money in the Bank cashed in his title shot against Alberto Del Rio, the roof exploded as Dolph Ziggler won the World Heavyweight Championship.

Then again, almost immediately, we saw a rise in posts on the Internet talking about how he didn't deserve it and was no longer as cool as he was just a few months beforehand.

Even The Heartbreak Kid himself—widely considered to be perhaps the greatest in-ring performer and all-around entertainer in the history of the business—was booed in Madison Square Garden at Survivor Series in 1996 when fans favored Sycho Sid in the title match.

Michaels went from being on top of the world to someone who bored the audience. The fans wanted to voice their opinions to WWE that it was time for a change.

Bryan himself saw a bit of this after his big title win last year. While it did not come anywhere near the intensity of how fans have treated Cena, there were anti-Bryan pockets forming. Criticism that it was unbelievable that he could be the heavyweight champion and beat people twice his size was coupled with genuine dislike and preference for others on the roster.

If you go back and read some of these forums, a good portion of those voicing their concern actually ask why WWE couldn't have just given the shot to someone in The Shield. This is funny given the current circumstances.

Since Bryan's title reign was cut drastically short, there wasn't a lot of time to build up a growing boredom with him as the star featured above all the rest.

Given a long enough title reign, anybody can start to lose fans. Bryan will be no exception.

Methinks the Fans Doth Protest Too Much

As stated above, one cannot deny the audible difference between Reigns' and Bryan' crowd responses from the Royal Rumble.

However, emotions run high at this event, seeing as how it is the second-biggest of the year.

Everyone has their favorites, and since only one man can win, fans were bound to be disappointed if they were rooting for any of the 29 losers or the people not involved in the match. Most people, if they don't get their way, lash out at whatever the circumstances are simply because of that fact, rather than actually being mad at what transpired.

Fan hatred toward Reigns is less about Reigns himself and more about frustration with WWE's rejection of anyone a particular fan had in mind, whether it be Bryan, Ziggler, The Rock or even Curtis Axel—although one can assume most were in the first camp and not the last.

When it seemed like a lock that Batista was going to win the Royal Rumble in 2014, fans began cheering for Reigns because he was the alternative to what WWE had decided. This situation is much more similar than some fans would like to admit, but in reverse.

Pointing out how much of a negative reaction Reigns got does not translate directly to how much of a positive one Bryan got, as all the hate toward him came from different angles.

Let's not give this victory against Reigns solely to Bryan, but rather allow him to share it with his peers.

If you wanted Rusev to win, you booed Reigns. If you wanted Bray Wyatt to win, you booed Reigns.

All that merged into one chorus of disappointment—unless, of course, you wanted Reigns to win, as there were people in the audience who were happy to see the result that transpired.

If Reigns had not won and the win had been given to Ambrose, there would be hate spewing in his direction. You can insert any name in that slot and it wouldn't change. Somehow, in some fashion, there would be something to complain about.

After seeing how they were able to change the direction of last year's WrestleMania plans, many fans went into this year's Royal Rumble expecting the same kind of power.

Basic psychology teaches us that you don't miss what you didn't know you had, so finding out that the power had been taken away resulted in a tantrum.

Likewise, psychology also teaches us that people don't always know what they want and that sometimes they should be careful what they wish for, as they might receive it.

Time Doesn't Heal All Wounds

The popular phrase teaches us that when given enough time, virtually all problems will fade away, which is true for a great majority of things in life, but not everything.

Married couples do get bored with each other after years of being together, though thankfully not all of them.

If you were to eat your favorite food for every meal, you would get sick of it, probably within only a few days.

Bryan's love from the WWE Universe is no exception, as he has no magic spell that makes him immune.

If WWE were to give the audience all of the Bryan it claims to want, the crowd would eventually grow tired of seeing his face and reject him.

After all, isn't one of the most frequently used quotes when criticizing WWE that it is "the same old stuff over and over again," no matter which show?

Variety is the spice of life, and WWE has to give the fans just enough of Bryan to make them want more, but not so little as to starve them.

Sadly, history has shown that if Vince McMahon and the powers that be in WWE want to kill something off, they have the ability to succeed. Just look at Zack Ryder.

Don't Throw in the Towel Just Yet

Statistically, the odds don't look good that Bryan can maintain this level of popularity at a constant pace. Sooner or later, these factors will catch up to him.

However, it might not happen in the next few months—or in 2015 at all, for that matter.

Bryan is doing great right now and absolutely deserves to be a main event player who stays at the top for as long as humanly possible.

But for all the fans aboard the train of thought that WWE could rest the entire company and that things would run easily for years: That kind of thinking will be the death of Bryan in the future.

There needs to be room for other guys, because sadly, Bryan isn't going to be doing this forever. Too many of the greats from the past have already had to hang up their boots, and someday that time will come for Bryan as well—although hopefully not for a long while.

Life is made up of highs and lows. Not a single company or person maintains an upward trajectory and never dips down every once in a while.

Bryan is at a very high peak right now which may not be his absolute zenith, as he could continue to improve and increase in popularity.

However, a time will come when there are less people in the crowd chanting "Yes!"

It will be up to the WWE Universe to decide what comes next.

Are you as big of a fan of Daniel Bryan now as you have ever been, or has your support wavered?

Do you think he has the longevity to maintain this level of popularity for years and years to come?

Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

Anthony Mango is the owner-operator of the wrestling website Smark Out Moment as well as the host of its podcast show Smack Talk on YouTube, iTunes and Stitcher. You can follow him on Facebook and elsewhere for more.