Should Daniel Bryan main event WrestleMania 35?
Let me start this off by saying that Daniel Bryan is a legend. Not a lot of wrestlers can cross barriers like he has. People outside of the wrestling bubble may not be able to pick him out of a lineup, but Daniel Bryan's story and Yes/No chants have meant something to people. His influence has spread across multiple sports. As much as he probably hates phrases like this, he's more than a wrestler. He is, indeed, a star.
Inside the ring, he's technical, yet brutal. His style reminds many people of the "vanilla midgets" that ran roughshod over the WWE back in 2004, Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero. He can out-wrestle someone, of course. But when it needs to get done, he can be downright vicious. He has a style that lends itself to his opponents. If you can't have a good match with Daniel Bryan, you might as well find a new line of work.
With his in-ring skills, his infectious charisma, and the connection he has with the fan base should he main event WWE's biggest show of the year?
Well, it's not as easy as yes or no, sadly. He has everything you need in a main event talent, everything you'd want in the face of your company. However, it takes two to tango, and for Daniel Bryan to main event WrestleMania, he needs the perfect opponent.
With the way the roster looks now, there's no shortage in talent. From top to bottom, the card is loaded. From guys like Mustafa Ali and Cedric Alexander to the Undisputed Era to Seth Rollins and AJ Styles, there's a wide assortment of top-level talent for the GOAT to face. Since his return, fans have been clamoring for a feud between he and current WWE Champion AJ Styles. The two could steal any show they're on with their fast and fluid motions around the ring.
Another contender is Shinsuke Nakamura. The King of Strong Style can bring out the beast, or possibly the Dragon, out of Daniel Bryan. With his mean streak drawn out, the leader of the Yes Movement and the Artist could put together a series of slobberknockers and barn burners that would catch the attention of any fans of strong style.
While in ROH, he had classic bouts and feuds with the likes of Seth Rollins and Samoa Joe, not to mention others like Hideo Itami and Nigel McGuinness. If there's one thing that Daniel Bryan has proven over the years, it's that he's able to morph his character to fit the needs of his opponent. Whether you need someone to stand up to Authority or remind you every second how much better he is than you, Bryan has the ability to bring it.
So, if he can have a feud with, theoretically, anyone on the main roster, who should he face at WrestleMania 35?
It's simple.
The Miz.
If there is one story that has been told well, from day one, in the WWE, it's the story of Daniel Bryan and The Miz. These two men are complete opposites of each other. One had to work the bingo halls and the high school gymnasiums, one got a shot after talking trash on the Real World. One is focused on bringing top-tier wrestling to the fans, one is focused on being a personality and getting a shot in Hollywood.
Since Bryan appeared on NXT Season 1 as The Miz's rookie, these two have had a chemistry that's almost impossible to find. When they go after each other, when they pick up a microphone and cut each other to the core, it feels real. The Talking Smack promo has been a consistent topic of debate since it happened back in 2016. The WWE Universe's golden boy had hung up his boots earlier that year, and his retirement was still fresh in everyone's minds.
It was understood that being forced to step away from the ring really affected Bryan, whose only true purpose in life, he felt, was to go out in front of a crowd and wrestle. Less than 6 months after the announcement was made, the Miz had grown tired of not getting the respect he felt he deserved. On an episode of Talking Smack, after Daniel Bryan said he felt the Miz wrestled like a coward, the A-Lister went off on the former Smackdown Live GM.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8d4SLA4HYp0
It didn't stop there, either. From then on, the Miz began taking moves from Bryan's repertoire and making them his own. The Yes Kicks? They're now known as the "World Famous It Kicks." The running knee? Miz has used that, too, from time to time. The Yes Chants? The Miz used them in every match for a while there. The Most Must See Superstar knew that, since he couldn't hurt him in the ring, he'd hurt him using the ring.
Oddly enough, Bryan's retirement back in 2016 only added fuel to the fire. And since his return to in-ring action this year, fans have been begging to see Bryan finally smack the taste out of his long-time rival's mouth. It's something Bryan himself has been waiting for, he revealed in an interview with Gorilla Position. And when asked about whether or not this slow-burning feud could be held off until WrestleMania 35, he was skeptical.
Why wouldn't he be? WrestleMania 35? That's nine months away. Odds are he'll have his blow-off match with the A-List Superstar sometime around Survivor Series or the Royal Rumble. He'll probably go on to Mania to take on someone like Samoa Joe or Roman Reigns or AJ Styles, and there's nothing wrong with that. Any of those talents would be a great opponent for the GOAT. Any of the previous names in this article would be fantastic choices...but none of them are riding on that almost decade's worth of story that Bryan and the Miz have between each other.
Imagine that video package. Imagine the footage of all their previous encounters in and outside the ring. All the interviews those two have been a part of over the years where they've had to talk about their feuds and how much they can't stand each other. Picture the reactions from the crowds as they both make their way down the ramp, one of them holding the WWE Championship.
It spells main-event. It spells investment. It spells WrestleMania.
Does Daniel Bryan deserve to main event WrestleMania 35? Absolutely. But so does the Miz.