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Daniel Bryan-AJ StylesCredit: WWE
At the culmination of a long grueling battle with AJ Styles, which was orchestrated by Brock Lesnar’s advocate Paul Heyman, Bryan took advantage of a mishap that saw AJ land the Phenomenal Forearm on the referee. As the referee lay temporarily incapacitated, Bryan delivered a kick below the belt that put Styles out of commission.
When the ref came to, Bryan covered Styles to get the 1-2-3 count and the title. Now it will be Bryan representing Smackdown and facing Lesnar at Survivor Series on Sunday. Even after Bryan secured the pinfall, he battered a downed Styles to drive home his heel turn.
It seems the WWE is loosening its rigidness as it pertains to classic face and heel dynamics. Becky Lynch has become an anti-hero of sorts, while Elias has also picked up tons of fan support and is no longer chasing the negative crowd reactions. Perhaps it’s not the complete dismissal of the good-guy-bad-guy approach that would be best for the current era of professional wrestling fans, but it does at least pleasantly muddy the waters.
Whether this is a classic heel turn or part of something more major, Bryan’s character was badly in need of a change. Shortly after his return to the ring, his push and appeal seemed to fall flat. The heel turn and the title give him new life and relevancy. The reaction he’ll get from fans will likely be different than what he’s received over the past five years, but Tuesday’s booking makes him as relevant now as he’s been since he returned.
As great as Styles is, he was running out of angles and opponents on the Smackdown roster. Since it wasn’t likely Styles would go over against Lesnar, and the WWE still wants to maintain his status to a degree, it likely avoided sending him to the slaughter at Survivor Series.
With Tuesday’s developments, it’s possible Bryan could get himself disqualified after using a chair or some other weapon against Lesnar. That would further establish his persona shift and not have an impact on Lesnar.
In summary, the WWE got this one right. Taking the title off Styles was the correct move, and Bryan was the best recipient.
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Daniel Bryan is the new WWE Champion, which didn’t catch many people–aside from me–by surprise, but the way he captured the title on Tuesday Night on Smackdown caught almost everyone off guard. The entire list of developments made for an entertaining final 30 minutes of the show.
Daniel Bryan-AJ StylesCredit: WWE
At the culmination of a long grueling battle with AJ Styles, which was orchestrated by Brock Lesnar’s advocate Paul Heyman, Bryan took advantage of a mishap that saw AJ land the Phenomenal Forearm on the referee. As the referee lay temporarily incapacitated, Bryan delivered a kick below the belt that put Styles out of commission.
When the ref came to, Bryan covered Styles to get the 1-2-3 count and the title. Now it will be Bryan representing Smackdown and facing Lesnar at Survivor Series on Sunday. Even after Bryan secured the pinfall, he battered a downed Styles to drive home his heel turn.
It seems the WWE is loosening its rigidness as it pertains to classic face and heel dynamics. Becky Lynch has become an anti-hero of sorts, while Elias has also picked up tons of fan support and is no longer chasing the negative crowd reactions. Perhaps it’s not the complete dismissal of the good-guy-bad-guy approach that would be best for the current era of professional wrestling fans, but it does at least pleasantly muddy the waters.
Whether this is a classic heel turn or part of something more major, Bryan’s character was badly in need of a change. Shortly after his return to the ring, his push and appeal seemed to fall flat. The heel turn and the title give him new life and relevancy. The reaction he’ll get from fans will likely be different than what he’s received over the past five years, but Tuesday’s booking makes him as relevant now as he’s been since he returned.
As great as Styles is, he was running out of angles and opponents on the Smackdown roster. Since it wasn’t likely Styles would go over against Lesnar, and the WWE still wants to maintain his status to a degree, it likely avoided sending him to the slaughter at Survivor Series.
With Tuesday’s developments, it’s possible Bryan could get himself disqualified after using a chair or some other weapon against Lesnar. That would further establish his persona shift and not have an impact on Lesnar.
In summary, the WWE got this one right. Taking the title off Styles was the correct move, and Bryan was the best recipient.
