WWE TLC 2011 Results: Daniel Bryan Becomes the New World Champion

This column was supposed to be about what would be next for the man who lost the World Heavyweight Championship match at WWE TLC between Mark Henry and Big Show on Sunday night.

Problem is, the guy who won also lost.

By now, you probably know that Daniel Bryan is the new World Champion.  He won the strap from Big Show, who was the new man on the SmackDown mountain for all of a few minutes.

That’s right, the massive underachiever of WWE has finally gotten his due.

I have a few issues with this, not the least of which is the fact that Henry’s run as the man on Friday nights is over.  I was one of those fans who loved to see him finally reach the top, after working for so many years in the company.  It was a long road for the World’s Strongest Man, and seeing him get the second most important title in WWE was a big deal.

The way in which he was presented as champion was even bigger.

Let’s face it, the guy was untouchable.  He ran like a freight train through every contender they put in front of him, and became a monster in the process.

This writer even put out the notion that his run was comparable to that of Brock Lesnar’s.

He was big time, a punishing brute of a man who destroyed other wrestlers as if they were never there.

He showed no fear, and was not your typical heel who backed down from a fight.

Basically, Mark Henry looked at the best baby face on SmackDown, Randy Orton, and said “bring it on, boy, you got nothing.”

Unstoppable did not begin to describe Henry as World Champion.

By now you may have noticed that the past few lines about Mark have been in the past tense.  Why?

Because for the past several weeks, he has not exactly looked all that menacing.  An injury at the hands of Big Show exposed him as being all too human, and made him look weak to fans.

Suddenly, he began to back up a little, trying to reason with Teddy Long as to why he should not be competing in the ring.  

This was not the monster that many of us had come to know and respect.

In the midst of his heat with Show was Daniel Bryan, who the Giant was constantly encouraging, at one point even attempting to convince him to cash in his Money in the Bank contract.  It made sense, because even though Show wanted the World Title as well, he wanted to see Henry lose the belt even more.

Mark was the reason that Show was on the shelf in the first place, and anything he could do to bring the same sort of pain to Henry was fine by him.  This included the loss of the belt that Mark held above every other accomplishment in his career.

So, now we’re left with Daniel Bryan, who has successfully cashed in the blue briefcase and is the new World Champion.

That’s going to take some getting used to.

It may not have happened the way WWE teased, namely at next year’s WrestleMania.  It also did not happen as the result of an epic one on one contest, in which Bryan came out on top.

It happened fast, though rather expected, but it happened all the same.

The fact is, Bryan’s supporters are no doubt thrilled right now.  And, they should be.  This guy has worked very hard to get to the level he’s on right now, and should be rewarded for his efforts.

Sound like Mark Henry to you?

The only thing is, are we to expect a Daniel Bryan heel turn at this point?  Could he possibly be portrayed as an opportunist like Edge?  After all, we thought that CM Punk had a valid point when he did the same thing against Jeff Hardy, but before you knew it, Punk was the biggest heel on Friday nights.

Or, will Show’s good humored nature allow Bryan to keep walking upright, as Henry instead is the one seeking revenge?

What’s next for Mark Henry?  Right now, the better question is what’s next for the new World Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Bryan?

Man, that is going to take some serious getting used to.