Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: Daniel Bryan Will Be Left out of WrestleMania Spotlight

1. No Room at the Big Star's Table at WrestleMania for Daniel Bryan

When Fastlane ended, two WrestleMania matches were official and two were clearly on the horizon.

Sting forced his way into a showdown with Triple H. Roman Reigns earned a crack at Brock Lesnar. From inside a casket, Bray Wyatt challenged Undertaker. Randy Orton's return had him on the hunt for Seth Rollins.

Meanwhile, Bryan finds himself sliding further from center stage, no place yet for him on the WrestleMania card.

The expectation before the post-Fastlane Raw was that he would get a shot to steal the show with Dolph Ziggler. That bout would make for an appealing alternative to having Bryan main event again. With a decent amount of time, that was a potential classic in the making.

It appears, though, that Ziggler is entering the Intercontinental Championship picture instead. 

The Showoff became the latest Superstar to defeat Bad News Barrett in non-title action. That win and the way that he eyed the IC title afterward point to him being a part of a large-scale match for that belt.

That's bad news for Bryan. The options for him are scarce.

A battle with a returning Sheamus seems to be the biggest match left to be had.

There is little sizzle to that matchup, one that WWE will be behind on building up by the time it gets announced. The Triple H-Sting story has been in progress since November. The same goes for Orton vs. Rollins.

Chances are, Bryan vs. Sheamus will be a neglected add-on. 

That's if WWE even goes that route. His fanbase doesn't want to hear it, but there's no guarantee that Bryan won't get added to the IC title picture or entered into the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.

Going with Reigns as the headliner can work, but WWE should have had a better plan for Bryan. He's not the level of star you just toss into the mix at the last moment.

2. The Showoff Sharing the Spotlight

At this point, Ziggler would kill for a one-on-one bout with Sheamus at WrestleMania. So far, he has been a bit player at the biggest event of the year.

WWE hasn't offered him a chance to do battle on his own. His WrestleMania resume is composed of tag team bouts and crowded, multi-man matches.

Event	Match	Result
WrestleMania 26	Money in the Bank Ladder match	Loss
WrestleMania 27	John Morrison, Trish Stratus and Snooki vs. LayCool and Dolph Ziggler	Loss
WrestleMania 28	Team Johnny vs. Team Teddy	Won
WrestleMania 29	Team Hell No vs. Dolph Ziggler and Big E	Loss
WrestleMania 30	Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal	Loss

Expect history to repeat itself. The plausible paths lying ahead of him are to either tangle with R-Truth, Dean Ambrose and Barrett (and maybe Bryan) in a big IC title clash or find himself in the Battle Royal. His Team Cena ally is already in that contest, as noted on WWE.com.

3. The Road is Jericho

Fans will get another chance to satiate their hunger for all things Chris Jericho. A new DVD, The Road is Jericho: Epic Stories and Rare Matches from Y2J, is coming in March.

WrestlingDVDNews.com provided a look at the opening for the DVD:

One can only hope that the content is as fun as the intro. 

4. Make Blue Pants Official

Leva Bates has now appeared on four editions of NXT as Blue Pants. Her latest go-round saw her go up against the newly crowned Sasha Banks last week.

Credit: WWE.com

Strangely enough, WWE hasn't officially added her to the NXT roster. She's a fun performer with tons of energy, as well as an affection for cosplay.

The NXT crowd loves her, as evidenced by the volume of the chants for her. This is likely mostly just the fans having fun with the silliness of her Blue Pants gimmick, but having her around more often will be good in a variety of ways.

Carmella and Alexa Bliss need veterans to work with, to school them in the nuances of the mat game. Bates can do that as well as be a jolt of energy in a division that may soon lose Charlotte and could use some depth.

5. Damien Mizdow vs. The Miz Will Surpass Goldust vs. Stardust

Taking a slower, more patient pace with The Miz and Mizdow's breakup is going to lead to that feud being one of the best of the year. The Miz continues to turn up the volume on the mistreatment of his personal assistant.

Mizdow's frustration is evident, but he's still holding it back, still biting his tongue. The longer he does so, the more explosive his eventual rebellion will be.

Contrast that to how WWE is handling Goldust vs. Stardust. There was no chance for suspense to build before the brothers imploded. It felt like the Creative team looked at the calendar, realized WrestleMania was on its way and hurried this story along.

The company planted less seeds for this narrative. It may end up being an entertaining rivalry—but not what it could have been and not what Mizdow vs. Miz will be.

6. Throwback Video of the Week: Aja Kong vs. Manami Toyota

The role of women's wrestling on WWE programming is a hot topic right now after the Divas division received a total of 30 seconds of ring time on a three-hour show. In response to the outcry that followed and #GiveDivasAChance trending, Vince McMahon tweeted, "We hear you. Keep watching."

Flashing back to 1994 provides a glimpse of what women's wrestling can be.

Tokyo hosted an event called Big Egg Wrestling Universe in November of that year. In the main event, two of the best female grapplers of all time collided:

The result was magical. This was no throwaway Divas match; it was heart, guts and drama emanating from a wrestling ring. 

This is what McMahon should be shooting for if he's serious about making a change with the Divas division. With talent like Paige, AJ Lee, Natalya, Charlotte and Sasha Banks in tow, greatness from the women is no pipe dream.

7. John Cena Only Rarely Gives Up

Cena often proudly proclaims that he never gives up. At Fastlane, even locked in Rusev's arms, the Accolade bending his back the wrong way, he didn't submit. 

He did, however, pass out, putting a defeat by submission on his resume.

Credit: WWE.com

That kind of loss is a truly rare occurrence for Cena. Over the course of his career, he has battled in a total of 134 pay-per-view matches. Only three of them ended with him losing by submission.

Kurt Angle and his ankle lock are responsible for the other two.

Angle forced Cena to tap out at No Mercy 2003 and again at No Way Out 2004 in a Triple Threat match that also featured Big Show. WWE isn't likely to let Rusev have another submission win, but doing so would put him in rare company.

Match information courtesy of CageMatch.net.

8. Getting to Know Solomon Crowe

Crowe finally debuted on NXT last week. He didn't compete but instead walloped CJ Parker as he tried to stage a protest.

To see what Crowe is capable of in an official capacity, one should scour through his work at Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, Ring of Honor, Dragon Gate USA and, for those with strong stomachs, Combat Zone Wrestling.

As Sami Callihan, he put on a number of standout performances, all of which feel very different. Be sure to seek out these bouts:

• CZW Cage of Death XI: Sami Callihan vs. Danny Havoc
• ROH Pick Your Poison: Sami Callihan vs. Metal Master
• DGUSA Open the Golden Gate: Sami Callihan vs. AR Fox (Tables)
• PWG Is Your Body Ready?: Sami Callihan vs. Adam Cole (Iron Man)
• PWG All Star Weekend 9: Sami Callihan vs. Kyle O'Reilly 

(Video contains NSFW content.)

The CZW Cage of Death match won't be for everybody, as it is a brutal hardcore match complete with glass and barbed wire. It does show off his versatility, though.

Like Dean Ambrose, he can work a bloody clash like that, a brawl or a more mat-based match, as he had with Cole.

Crowe is an in-ring Swiss Army knife. WWE will be wise to treat him as such.

9. The Need to Qualify

Filling up the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal field is an opportunity for drama. WWE is likely to just have folks announce that they are a part of the match, but making these men earn it is the smart move.

Have low-tier Superstars such as Zack Ryder and Adam Rose (who are currently engaged in a Twitter feud) battle it out to get into the Battle Royal. Have a tag match where both members of the winning squad get in.

Host an NXT Battle Royal that sends one NXT prospect to WrestleMania alongside the other men in the massive match.

All these options produce more drama along the way than simple statements of "I'm entering myself in the Battle Royal." 

10. AJ Lee's Pipebomb

AJ made her voice loud and clear during the debate about the role of women in WWE. She tweeted McMahon with the kind of boldness that requires major chutzpah:

Kudos to the former Divas champ for summing up so eloquently what the #GiveDivasAChance movement is all about. She is absolutely right, and her saying that was sure to get WWE's attention. 

There is no appropriate retort WWE can make. It can only respond by action.