Characters In Wrestling Part 2: Daniel Bryan

This is part two from a poster called Torres's Psychologist on JA606. This is about Daniel Bryan:

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 =)

As an avid storyteller, i've always placed large emphasis on the need for characters to be believeable and have a back story, which is the only way they can naturally evolve. This mindset is the reason i can't get behind Barney The Green/Blue/Orange/Red/Purple Dinosour because he wasn't allowed to evolve into his gimmick, he was shoved into it in a blind panic when WWE lost their insurance policy in Brock Lesnar (btw, i know this multi colour shirt stuff came way after Lesnar, but the Hogan-esque gimmick started planting it's roots immediately). But again i digress. There are a few wrestling gimmicks that just naturally fuse into each other, but Danielson's particuplar evolvement i've been predicting for years. I cringe at some of the ways WWE have tried to give credability to their "weasel heels", usually by lebelling it on a smark favourite as a cheap solution to keep everyone happy. The heel wins, the face loses with dignity. It's biggest abuse was on Orton 07-08, going from him brutally sidelining people to slapping referees in the face??? Seriously, i'm supposed to buy that??? It preplexed me for so long that WWE hadn't figured out how to get the weasel heel over because it was so obvious to me. It's simple psychology, which stereotypical wrestling gimmick leaves it's products with a siege mentality combined with a sense of inferiority??? Just as a catterpillar transforms into a butterfly - the "ultimate underdog" transforms into the "weasel heel". Daniel Bryan is our butterfly!!!

There isn't one thing about Bryan's current character that isn't completely relateable. His superiority complex is a rebellious stance against a former mentality which yielded next to nothing (which one of us hasn't been there in the past), his possessive mindset is a classic symptom of both small man syndrome and the bad boy fixation (the male side obviously). His on-screen character has had a checkered past when it came to feeling small in and outside the ring, so this is a fantastic demonstration of evolvement i keep harping on about. His girlfriend's feelings towards him throughout this transition adds another fascinating dimension to his character, HOW relateable is this? Incredibly would be the answer to that rhetorical question, for both observers and players from both sexes in this particuplar dance. I know this isn't the first time WWE has played to this concept, but the man/the woman/and the situation make this angle superior to any other time they've played it. The 'YES' chanting is a great piece of psychological continuity mixed with wrestling's personal showmanship touch, successfully covering all bases ....... but if there's one priceless event that's come out of this fantastic piece of booking, something that i'm going to have to hold my hands up too because it's disproved one of my fundamental wrestling beliefs, is that it's given credability to the World Heavyweight Championship as this great source of power from a prospective i didn't think it should be used.

Although relatively a new school guy, i've always stuck to the old school attitude that the title belts in wrestling should be kept as the ultimate mark of achievement - and NOTHING more. When i see guys like Sheamus, Del Rio, The Miz, etc... get handed the title belt for no other reason than to promote their stock, i cringe like nobodys business. Then guys like Mysterio, Henry, Kane (even though i like him) given the strap as some kind of gesture. This backwards attitude that the title is a means of getting over rather than the epitome of being over. But Daniel Bryan is living proof that the title has it's place as a promotional tool. Without the catalyst that was winning the World Title undeservingly, we don't get this evolvement in his character. To put it quite poeticly, wrestling's fictional aspect allowed the title belt itself to create a champion as apposed to vaildating one. Although WWE's treatment of it's belts still remains an insult, and even though i wouldn't recommend they do this often, that was refreshingly inventive.

I don't know whether his booking was by chance or not (probably was knowing WWE), but that's irrevlant. What matters is the future for this character, and i DEARLY hope he gets nurtured further.

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Thoughts?