WWE SmackDown: Why the WWE Must Continue to Push Daniel Bryan

In the still-short WWE career of SmackDown superstar Daniel Bryan, the phrase "strike while the iron is hot" has never been more appropriate. 

Fresh off one of the best SmackDown main events in a number of years, Bryan is arguably at the peak of his WWE career. 

Bryan won the Money in the Bank briefcase at the 2011 Money in the Bank pay-per-view in Chicago and reitoraded his desire to hold off on cashing it in until WrestleMania XXVIII. 

In a shocking turn of events, Bryan ran down the rampway on last week's SmackDown, cashed in his Money in the Bank and even more shockingly defeated the unconscious champion "The World's Strongest Man" Mark Henry.

Just as quickly as Bryan's rise to the top of WWE SmackDown began, it fell back to earth as SmackDown general manager Theodore Long reversed the decision citing Henry's inability to defend himself. 

While last week's SmackDown was only a small taste of Bryan on top of WWE SmackDown, it certainly was a good taste.

Bryan is hot right now and the WWE needs to capitalize on this opportunity. They need to allow Bryan to avoid the same fate that has plagued many of the recent Money in the Bank winners. After winning Money in the Bank, guys like Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger have seen their careers stagnate. 

To Bryan's credit, he showed he can carry his own on the microphone on this week's Raw, cutting a very good promo to hype yesterday's contest against Mark Henry on the live SmackDown Holiday special. 

His in-ring work speaks for itself as Bryan is one of the more accomplished wrestlers in the world today. He has wowed independent wrestling fans for years before finally making it to the big leagues of the WWE in 2009.

The real desirable aspect of Bryan is his fanbase. Long-time loyal wrestling fans look at Bryan as an old-school relic of WWE past in the same vein as past great workers such as Bret Hart.

Independent wrestling fans regard Bryan as a demi-god, as he was one of the founding fathers of renowned promotion Ring of Honor.

If the WWE can get the casual fanbase behind Bryan, the sky is absolutely the limit for the 30-year-old Washington resident.

As mentioned, Bryan is at the peak of his WWE career thus far, and even though he was unsuccessful in defeating Mark Henry inside the cage on yesterday's SmackDown show, he still made himself into a bona fied main event.

The WWE needs to avoid any miscues, and by allowing Bryan to build himself up towards his eventual title match at WrestleMania XXVIII, if they are successful, Daniel Bryan may be one of the WWE's biggest stars in 2012.