Big Cass Facing Pivotal Moment in WWE SmackDown Feud vs. Daniel Bryan

We are either going to look back at Big Cass' feud with Daniel Bryan as the moment he came into own as a singles star or the swing and a miss that proved he couldn't hang.

So while Sunday's WWE Backlash pay-per-view isn't hugely significant in the context of the company's calendar, it's critical for Big Cass.

The towering heel is set to face one of the best in-ring performers of all time and a massively popular star who excels at elevating the opposition. That's the ideal setup for the big man from Queens, New York.

The kind of heat Big Cass can produce during this rivalry—and the magic he can churn up in the ring with Bryan as his foil—will say a lot about where he heads next. 

The two men collided after both spent time on WWE's disabled list. Cass had been out since August after tearing his ACL. Bryan's absence was far longer, a three-year exile from the ring thanks to concerns over concussion-related issues.

Before The Big Bambino's knee injury, he was in the midst of a full-fledged push.

Big Cass split from his longtime tag team partner Enzo Amore last June, moving from midcard tag team to rising solo act. He knocked off Amore before taking down future Hall of Famer Big Show at SummerSlam.

It looked as if Cass was in line for title contention and ample spotlight. That was no surprise given his size and look. WWE has historically favored Goliaths over Davids.

Surgery put his ascension on hold, though.

And when Big Cass returned, he did so on a different brand. He emerged on SmackDown during April's Superstar Shake-up and immediately sunk his teeth into Bryan.

His storyline motivation for chopping down the people's champion was that he was tired of the attention Bryan got. Big Cass believed he deserved some of the attention The Yes! Man garnered.

That angle at least feels as if it's borrowing from reality. While fans had been itching to see the former SmackDown general manager strap on his boots again, there was far less interest in Big Cass' return. 

Bryan was the All-Pro quarterback fans badly wanted to see play once more. Big Cass was the backup linebacker who slipped many a mind when he was out of sight.

When fans dreamed up what Bryan might do following WWE's medical team finally clearing him, they salivated at the thought of him facing Shinsuke Nakamura, The Miz or Samoa Joe. Big Cass wasn't on that list for many folks.

Voices of Wrestling columnist Sean Sedor was among those scratching their heads after the Bryan-Cass rivalry began: 

In that way, the powerhouse has an uphill climb with the audience at Backlash and beyond. 

To this point, Big Cass has done well to prove himself worthy of this spot. He has returned energized. He looks more comfortable on the microphone.

His character has deepened, too. He's not just a big, angry monster; he's slimier, an arrogant, entitled villain motivated by envy.

Should he keep this up and keep firing off strong promos as he did on Miz TV recently, his place on the WWE hierarchy will continue to shift.

At Backlash, he has a shot to build on that with a crowning achievement in the ring. Everybody looks good against Bryan. The bearded underdog is a fantastic storyteller on the mat, a technical master and a ball of raw energy.

Sheamus' best singles match to date is his 2-out-of-3 Falls bout against Bryan in 2012. Bray Wyatt thrived opposite him at Royal Rumble 2014. In 2015, Roman Reigns took a big step as a solo act thanks to a strong showing against Bryan at Fastlane that year.

There's a reason, The Big Dog told Planeta Wrestling (h/t Wrestling Inc): "I'd love to get in there, kind of do what we did back at Fastlane and have that rivalry. Hell, what kind of match would that be, me and Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania next year?"

If Big Cass puts on a snoozer against a once-in-a-generation performer, doubts are going to surface. If he can't get fans to hate him when pounding away on such a beloved figure, it's going to be a bad look.

On the other hand, if Big Cass is a convincing and compelling predator against Bryan, WWE's confidence in him will grow big time. Success between the ropes and over the course of this story will give WWE reason to keep spotlighting him.

The impending battles with Bryan will act as entrance exams to the top tier.

Is Big Cass simply Bryan's warm-up act before The Miz? Is he a lifelong midcarder? Or is he a bona fide headliner? He will get his shot to answer those questions as he trades blows with Bryan.