Characters in Wrestling (Chapter Two, P1)

Yesterday i discussed to lack of evolvement in WWE's prize asset. Well today will be abit more cheerful as i dissect the best character creation in WWE today, one of their best in the Entertainment era.

Chapter Two : Daniel Bryan

In this modern age of watered down gimmicks and shallow characters, Brian Danielson is nothing short of a booking miracle. He is living proof/disproof of so many unspoken rules within the entire wrestling industry, things companies have tried doing repeatedly like a fly mindlessly bashing it's head against a window where WWE in Bryan has found the exit. Everything from where he was in the indies and ROH, all the way to what we see today is 100% believeable (unlike are taste the rainbow friend in chapter one). The personas have been well chosen, and he's fit into them like a glove.

Going right back to the beginning of his tenure in WWE, with all the prior knowledge we as fans had of his reputation on the circuit, they chose to pair him up with WWE's all time "success" story in Mike Mizanin, with another "success" story giving him stick at ringside, giving him justification for an underdog complex and siege mentality the second he put his foot in the door. A justification which to this day his character's mental stability is built on, but lets not race ahead of ourselves. Fast forward a couple of months and he, along with the rest of the NXT cast, decide to take their reputations by force with Bryan crossing the keyfabe line (a split second decision which has more than likely saved his career). But with this resting period, it gave the WWE a place to box him into upon his return, a place i had no problem with him being in because his on-screen reasons for being there extended beyond his light frame and weak statue. That place was of course, the "ultimate underdog" persona (or the Mysterio role for short, no pun intended lol). It wasn't the most imaginative course of action, but it was the safest one at the time, and has ultimately proven to be a masterstroke. But i'll get to that later.

After one of WWE's best mid-card title feuds in the last five years with Miz (that's not sarcasm, that's just the state of WWE's mid card unfortunately). He went about his business as the "ultimate underdog" naturally does, had a couple of down right cheesy but humorous bits on the side - then there was his ladies man gimmick lol ...... it was all starting to reach a point of stagnation until WWE shocked us all by giving him the MITB briefcase. The fast track, one way ticket to WWE character developmental destruction. Naturally, i'd already marked him down as another casualty of an era which makes the ebola virus look merciful in comparison. Especially when upon acquirement of his "golden ticket" his first stand was to proclaim it as a means of getting to Wrestlemania, so he got to discredit himself and put a dent into WWE's prize event at the same time (a la Miz), fan-bloody-tastic. And to compound this, WWE helpfully improved his stock by refusing to put him over while he was in possession of the briefcase, as if holding a prop had meant he could now be cast adrift to make way for future generations, to hold the same useless prop ...... OH how i was wrong about all this =)

Continued in Part 2