Yes Movement 2020: Daniel Bryan Is Poised to Take Back the Wrestling World
Hints of a Yes Movement in 2020 persist.
Daniel Bryan looks poised to finish the 2019 year in a strong manner, even coming out of a loss to Bray Wyatt's The Fiend at Survivor Series.
And that loss is a big part of it.
When WWE needed somebody to make The Fiend look great and right many of the wrongs from Wyatt's botched feud with Seth Rollins, it went running to Bryan. And in a singles match for the universal title slapped in the middle of a gimmicky card, Bryan did just that.
During the eventual loss, Bryan helped The Fiend re-establish his character a bit in terms of damage taken before winning, pulled off some memorable spots and had some downright chilling reminders that nobody in WWE can control a crowd the way he can:
This alone isn't a sign Bryan could have a massive resurgence in 2020, but it sure doesn't hurt.
Most of what Bryan has been involved with lately has been on the money. When WWE needed a feud for Roman Reigns as SmackDown switched over to Fox, he was the man. Even there, supposedly playing a bad-guy sort of role, crowds gravitated to him.
When WWE wants to tap into a guaranteed resurgence of the Yes Movement, all it has to do is pull the trigger. Whether this happens at WrestleMania 36 in a notable slot is hard to say right now, but it would make plenty of sense.
That's one of the most interesting things about Bryan at this point. Where other supposed "top guys" have had fans sour on their act, it simply doesn't seem possible for him.
Fans eventually turned on Reigns, and Seth Rollins—the new Reigns—is currently dealing with the same problem. And while one could argue Kofi Kingston slots into this sort of rare category too, the difference seems to be WWE would never outright embarrass Bryan as it did the New Day man during his ill-fated squash against Brock Lesnar.
Maybe as of this writing, Bryan remains in a feud with The Fiend. After all, the two have some rather notable history WWE can keep leaning into for now:
Why not? WWE has a really good thing going here in the form of somebody who can help Wyatt along before a slingshot to the next thing for both.
Either way, Bryan might be one of the most versatile guys out there. He can help introduce rising stars like Adam Cole to the spotlight of the red or blue brands or, as we've seen with Lesnar recently, put on absolute classics with some of the top names in the company:
At a time when WWE needs a sure thing with so much at stake, it sure feels like another massive Bryan run is bubbling to the top. The need to keep fans happy and grow the base now that SmackDown is on Fox—not to mention the bigger-than-expected competition from All Elite Wrestling—necessitates some big measures.
As noted here, Bryan is usually (sometimes low-key) that measure. He doesn't overstay his welcome at the top, but when it's clear he's going on a run, fans get behind him in a way they don't for anybody else.
If WWE wants to play it smart and explosive, a Yes Movement 2020 is the way to go.
