Daniel Bryan and The Authority storyline must conclude at WrestleMania 30
Daniel Bryan vs. The Authority
Daniel Bryan is headed for what could very well be the biggest night of not only his WWE career, but his professional wrestling career. That’s because Bryan will be facing off against WWE’s Chief Operating Officer Triple H at WrestleMania 30. If he defeats The Game, then he is added to the main event of Randy Orton versus Batista for the WWE World Championship.
While some fans may not have wanted to see Daniel work Triple H, the fact is that match had to happen. It had to happen not only because it gets Bryan into the title match, but also because it is by far the most logical way to end the underdog’s storyline with The Authority.
Truth be told, the WrestleMania event itself is the most logical way to wrap up the angle that has been on WWE’s front burner since SummerSlam in 2013. It was on that night that Daniel defeated John Cena for the WWE Championship. When John’s shoulders were counted down and Bryan’s arm was raised in victory, some fans were likely very shocked by the win.
It seemed that everyone’s new favorite Superstar had achieved greatness in the blink of an eye. Then it ended just as quickly. As fans know, Bryan was double crossed by Triple H, which opened the door for Randy Orton to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase to become the new WWE champion.
When that moment happened, it began what became the single biggest storyline that the company had seen since the summer of Punk back in 2011. Unlike CM Punk‘s road to the top, however, Bryan had not been there before. He had never really been given the opportunity to main event in any real capacity—he was not battle-tested like Punk was. So when he began the angle against The Authority of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, no one was really sure what to expect.
Bryan excelled. He shined in every conceivable way, from his ring work to his mic work to the way he fully embraced the new direction he was going in. Bryan went from being the independent star that could not get the time of day from fans to being the absolute hottest act in the industry. Every week Daniel would fight and every week he would get destroyed. This happened practically through the entire summer of 2013 and continued into 2014.
Bryan would rise up and Triple H would knock him back down. This became the formula on WWE programming and each week brought a new chapter in the “how to hold Daniel Bryan down” series that fans were being forced to witness. After all, some drama is understandable. A protagonist is only as good as the antagonist he fights, and in this case, Bryan had WWE’s entire corporate structure working against him.
The truth is that adversity builds character, so fans fully expected Daniel to emerge from the storyline fully ready and more than capable of being a major headlining Superstar in Vince McMahon’s company. The only problem was he never emerged from it. If that was indeed the case, then why propel him up the ladder in WWE, give him main event exposure and get him over, only to just keep taking it away from him?
What was the reasoning behind it all? But while fans were left outraged and disgusted by WWE’s apparent lack of focus in the Daniel Bryan angle, the truth is that everything was leading to WrestleMania 30. After CM Punk left WWE, Triple H was left without an opponent for ‘Mania. Considering that Batista was hated the moment he came back and had to turn heel, WWE could not move forward with his match versus Randy Orton for the unified title. Virtually no one wants to see that match take place.
So for Bryan, there is new life, a new opportunity at WWE immortality. Even though some may feel that he is getting this opportunity by default, the fact is that no one has worked harder or deserves it more than he does. And the fans want Bryan in this spot.
WrestleMania is the showcase of the immortals, the night when dreams come true. WrestleMania represents the crowning of new champions, the beginning of new eras and the overall feeling of transformation. For WWE fans, ‘Mania is the night when anything can happen and, most importantly, when major payoffs should happen.
Daniel Bryan vs. The Game
So what better night, what better event for Daniel Bryan to finally overcome the ruthless grip of The Authority than during WrestleMania 30? The reason for that is if Bryan beats Hunter and then becomes the new WWE World champion, his angle with The Authority should end.
Given all that has happened since SummerSlam and Bryan’s character being hotter than ever before, though, this angle needs a resolution. If that resolution happens at WrestleMania, then Bryan needs to move on to the next challenge. Going back to revisit the same old storyline will not do anything for Bryan and could actually do more harm than good.
WrestleMania 30 is the night when Bryan could finally have his revenge on Triple H and possibly become WWE World champion. It’s the best night for him to realize his dream and by far the most logical night for his storyline with The Authority to finally come to an end.