Bryan Danielson - What would you do?

Tommy Platinum · 10-23-2009, 06:55 PM

We have all seen how TNA decided to bring in their latest acquisition, Nigel McGuinness (or Desmond Wolfe) on IMPACT! this week. He went straight for the top guy, Kurt Angle, and is clearly getting a big push right off the bat. Nigel was expected to sign for WWE, but WWE still have another recent acquisition, Bryan Danielson, who had many epic battles with McGuinness in ROH.

Having seen Nigel's debut in TNA, how would you bring in Danielson if you had the chance to book his debut on WWE TV? Would you have him start at the bottom on ECW for a slow and steady rise, or would you have him make an instant impact, just as Nigel did in TNA, and guys like Chris Jericho and John Cena have in the past, interrupting established main event talent for their first appearance?

If you like, you can also give your predictions on how WWE will bring him in, as well as saying how you would book it personally if you had the chance.

Crest Fall · 10-23-2009, 07:27 PM

I'd like to see an instant impact. Slow-builds can always be fun, but WWE doesn't always handle slow-builds very well (especially in recent years). Those instant impacts are ones you'll remember for a while and WWE is fairly good at making stars right off the bat (Jericho, Lesnar, Cena, etc.).

There aren't a whole lot of match-ups on ECW I'd be interested outside of Christian and Regal. I'd much rather see him make a big splash at the expense of someone on Smackdown, such as Mysterio (heel) or Punk (face). That said, the way the roster's set up on Smackdown I don't think that an instant impact would be the right fit. So while I'd rather see him make an instant impact, I'd probably go with the slow build.

I wouldn't be totally unsatisfied with that, as Danielson's more than capable of carrying some of the guys there to a good match. Plus, ECW gives much more time to their matches than the other two brands so you'd be guaranteed to get some great matches when he starts moving up the card.

RaiZ-R · 10-24-2009, 08:20 PM

I'd have him start out on ECW, facing a heel opponent in his first match, but following his match in an in-ring interview with Striker he would make it clear that he's aimed at the Title and Christian had best be ready. Have him built slowly, but always with one eye on the Title, even tagging as Christian's partner against Regal and co and picking up the win after saving Christian from a pinning predicament. He'd be a tweener in my eyes, which would make him stand out in WWE who have very few tweeners, besides (arguably) Finlay. I'd have him take the Title after about six to nine months on TV or so, likely not from Christian in that case. Have a nice Title reign, then move him to SmackDown in The Draft for an IC Title run. After that, hopefully he'd be in a position to move into an uppercard fued with Punk and really get over big before a shot at the Heavyweight Title... Obviously, I'm optimistic about his success in the 'E but I can dream right?

Strong Machine · 10-25-2009, 12:40 AM

I would list Kane as a tweener, but that could be because he basically acts the same no matter if he is a face or a heel and switches so damn much

Lets say that at Bragging Rights, Team RAW wins. Triple H pins Matt Hardy or something. The next night on RAW, DX comes out to the ring and is celebrating. GMs come out and say since Triple H won for team RAW, he will challenge Cena. The next week, Jericho and Big Show say that Shawn Michaels has turned into Triple H's lackey and because of that Shawn will not get to compete on one of the biggest PPV's of the year, Survivor Series.

Shawn says he is no lackey and he will put together a team to challenge team Jericho at Survivor Series. Jericho and Show choose The Hart Dynasty and Sheamus. Shawn Michaels chooses Evan Bourne, Shelton Benjamin but needs two more people. Just as he is about to announce Cryme Tyme as the final members, they are found attacked in the backstage area. Shawn places the blame on Jerishow but there is no proof. Just as it looks as if Shawn Michaels will have to choose two losers as his partners, a somewhat familiar music starts to play. Lance Cade comes out.

"HBK, I know the last time I was around I was kind of a thorn in your side, but I have changed. Chris Jericho used me and pushed me to the side. I want a chance to prove he made a mistake by standing beside the man who trained me"

Shawn gives him that oppurtunity but says that they still need one more man. Cade says he knows just the guy. Someone Shawn knows too, in fact he trained him. Bryan Luther (Danielson). Shawn says alright but one night only. He doesn't know if it will lead to full time deal for Bryan but if he is willing to help, he will put in a good word with the office. During the elimination match, Danielson gets eliminated during a multiple person countout. At the end, it is just Cade and HBK vs. Jericho. Cade turns his back on Jericho costing HBK the match. Down the aisle comes Danielson to the defense of HBK. He runs off Jericho and Cade.

ShelleyMark · 10-25-2009, 05:33 AM

This would never work with how small ROH is, sadly, but in a dream world, this is how I would do it...

Have Jericho in the ring cutting a promo, saying he's the best in the world at what he does and all that stuff. And then The Final Countdown plays, Dragon comes out and says no, Im the best in the world, etc etc, and have them fued from there.

But, more realistically, I see him getting the slow build from ECW, ala CM Punk.

The Postman · 10-25-2009, 09:25 AM

Add him to the Roundtable on ECW.

1. Regal will help get him over as a threat.
2. The success rate of new talent is higher on ECW than any other brand.
3. He'll get the TV time he won't get on Raw to do what he does best. Wrestle.

King Steventon · 10-25-2009, 09:35 AM

Give him and Ki ten minutes against each other on ECW as part of the superstars initiative, they get themselves over, then either have them team up for a short time, or have them continue a low-card fued before moving up.

Or just have him be Cena to Regal's Angle.

ShelleyMark · 10-25-2009, 09:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Postman
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Add him to the Roundtable on ECW.

1. Regal will help get him over as a threat.
2. The success rate of new talent is higher on ECW than any other brand.
3. He'll get the TV time he won't get on Raw to do what he does best. Wrestle.

Quote:

Originally Posted by King Steventon
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Give him and Ki ten minutes against each other on ECW as part of the superstars initiative, they get themselves over, then either have them team up for a short time, or have them continue a low-card fued before moving up.

Or just have him be Cena to Regal's Angle.

Fuck yes to any of these ideas.

Tommy Platinum · 10-25-2009, 10:26 AM

Yeah I don't want to see him just randomly face a few jobbers for a slow push. I want to see him make an instant impact in some way or another. Although the fans have no idea who is Low Ki is, having him and Dragon go one on one and get themselves over just by putting on a great match would be a good idea. The Regal idea would be fine too.

This one is probably in the realm of fantasy booking but I'd love to see him make an instant impact on Smackdown by attacking Punk.

The Half Boy · 10-25-2009, 11:43 AM

Alfonso Castillo is a reporter for Newsday on Long Island, and he has a blog called the steel cage. When Danielson signed, he posted this, which is essentially my feelings on the situation...

Quote:

Coming down on the same day as one of WWE’s more memorably events in some time, news of WWE’s signing of "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson got a little bit lost in the mix over the weekend. The move has the potential to have major ramifications in WWE, but I’m not at all convinced that WWE will properly handle the career of Danielson – a wrestler whose size and look is not at all the kind of thing the company scouts for. If WWE’s handling of other former ROH wrestlers, like Scotty "Colt Cabana" Goldman or Evan "Matt Sydal" Bourne, are any evidence, than there’s little reason to believe that WWE appreciates what it has on its hands in Danielson.
Both Cabana and Bourne spent a lot of time in WWE’s developmental system before debuting on TV at the bottom of the WWE ladder. Goldman never moved up beyong jobber status and was quicly let go. Bourne seemed to be on the verge of a major breakthrough on ECW before being moved to Raw, where he had predictably been treated as feeder fish for the company’s established giants.
All things being equal, it may make perfect sense for Danielson to learn the WWE style for several months, or even more than a year, in Florida Championship Wrestling before being brought into WWE, perhaps on ECW, and then slowly bringing him up the cards. WWE may also be tempted to change Danielson’s look, his tights, and maybe even his name – as they usually do with outside talent.
But Danielson should be treated differently. Whether WWE officials, wrestlers and many fans agree or not, Danielson has earned an underground reputation over the last several years as the very best technical wrestler in the country, if not the world. Of course, a lot of it is just a marketing gimmick, just as C.M. Punk’s straight edge lifestyle is as well. But it’s an effective one.
WWE has the opportunity to make the arrival of Bryan Danielson seem as important as they want it to be. On one hand, they can bring him in slowly through the developmental system and then debuting him under a different name as just another new wrestler.
Or, WWE could take advantage of Danielson’s reputation – well earned or not – and boast having signed "the best technical wrestler in the world." I’m sure it wouldn’t take much for WWE to make deals with ROH or other independent groups to buy some video footage of Danielson in action. Imagine the buzz that WWE could create by featuring grainy, gritty videos of hundreds of fans chanting "Best in the world! Best in the world!" during Danielson’s matches. If you've ever Bryan Danielson ring entrance, you know it's one of the most exciting things in all of wrestling. If WWE could negotiate to get the right to Europe's "Final Countdown" and show videos of his entrance, spliced together with clips from his matches, it could go a long way toward making Danielson a star before he even steps into a WWE ring. When he finally does debut, he should do so as "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson, and be part of a main brand. He should go on a winning streak against some mid-carders, and within six months be feuding for a secondary championship.
WWE may argue the fact that the vast majority of fans have never even heard of Bryan Danielson, and they’d be right. But that only presents an opportunity to package Danielson as an "underground sensation" – a wrestler that only a small group of fans are familiar with, but those who are have long been onto something special. It’s a marketing ploy that has worked for years with music artists, actors, and even painters for centuries. Fans want to feel like they’re part of something special – something exclusive.
WWE did a good job treating MVP as a hot free agent signing, despite Montel Vontavius Porter never having made much of an impact outside of WWE. In Danielson, WWE could legitimately lay claim to signing a wrestler that, for years, has been talked about as one of the most talented in the world.
Whether you buy into his hype or not, the fact is that Danielson’s signing can be as important as WWE wants to make it. With no WCW to sign top stars away from, and TNA being more concerned with signing WWE cast-offs than developing home grown talent, the opportunities to make a big splash with a new roster addition in WWE are few and far between these days. This is just such an opportunity. I hope WWE realizes that.
Whether he ends up wearing a world title, or doing jobs on ECW for the rest of his career, I don’t blame Danielson at all for signing with WWE and taking the money. While still relatively young, Danielson has put a lot of miles on his body, and needs to earn as much as possible while he still can.
Between his old trainer Shawn Michaels, and fans of his work,including Jim Ross and William Regal, hopefully "Dragon" will have enough advocates to earn himself a fair shake in WWE, and potentially open the door for other ROH talent to be brought into WWE with serious pushes.
Source: The Steel Cage at Newsday.com

Bryan Danielson - What would you do?

This is a discussion on Bryan Danielson - What would you do? within the WWE Discussion forums, part of the Wrestling Forums category; We have all seen how TNA decided to bring in their latest acquisition, Nigel McGuinness (or Desmond Wolfe) on IMPACT! ...