We all know how Bryan Danielson will be treated out of the gate, or do we? That’s the big question. The cynic in us will make us believe that he’ll be given a lame name and be put into matches against Tyler Reks on ECW. Then again, he is politically connected to HBK, which gives him something that Colt Cabana, Chris Harris, Claudio Castagnoli and others could only dream of having.
Regardless of how he’s treated out of the gate, wouldn’t it be nice to see Danielson come out of the gates, guns blazing, going toe-to-toe with Chris Jericho, standing side-by-side with Batista as an equal, challenging for gold at the Royal Rumble? Think that couldn’t happen? Well, this scenario, which I think is very easily implemented, is one that would make many people happy if it comes to life. Booking 101 at its finest:
Five Days after Survivor Series...It’s the first Smackdown after Survivor Series. Chris Jericho and The Big Show have just defended their Unified Tag Team Championships again successfully, this time in a four-way match against Legacy, DX and Two Chubby Black Guys (i.e. MVP and Mark Henry). Jericho comes out with a microphone with Show looming behind him and starts cutting a promo about how he and Show have completely decimated all the competition in the WWE since forming their lethal tag team combination. He goes into his normal shtick, but when he utters the line “I am the best in the world at what I do…” a WWE-ized version of “The Final Countdown” cues up, and out walks Bryan Danielson.
Of course, most of the crowd won’t know who he is, but a portion will pop. For the viewing audience, Todd Grisham asks who he is, and JR replies that it’s the American Dragon, Bryan Danielson, the WWE’s newest signee and the reputed best technical wrestler in the world. JR puts over how Danielson is a student of Shawn Michaels’ and so on and so forth. Anyway, Danielson has a mic as well, and he says “Hold on, Chris. You say you’re the best in the world at what you do? Well, that’s not what I heard. What I heard is that mantel belongs to me.”
Of course, Jericho asks who this ginger-looking fellow is and Danielson responds “I’m Bryan Danielson, the American Dragon, and contrary to what you might think, I am the best wrestler in the world.”
Jericho responds with some snide comment about how Danielson ruled the bingo halls and minor leagues and then brush him off, but Danielson has other things in mind. He challenges Jericho to a one-on-one match later that evening. Jericho again brushes him off, saying that he doesn’t wrestle greenhorns and amateurs, and that Danielson would have to prove himself before getting a match with him.
So, on Superstars the following week, we see Danielson in action for the first time, against Charlie Haas. Haas gets the best of him at first, but Danielson comes back with a roll-up for the win. The next night on Smackdown, Danielson comes out and challenges Jericho again, and Jericho rebukes him once more, saying a roll-up win isn’t good enough. He needs something more decisive. Danielson is frustrated and asks Teddy Long for a rematch against Haas, which he grants for that night. This time, Dragon is more impressive, winning with the cross-face chicken wing. After the match, he asks Jericho if this is sufficient, and Jericho again refuses, saying that anyone can beat Charlie Haas. He wants a bigger win on the résumé.
(Note on the finisher: I chose the chicken wing because that’s the finish I think he’ll get to use once he gets to the ‘E. The Triangle Choke looks too much like Taker’s Hell’s Gate, and Cattle Mutilation might be a move too risqué for the WWE’s tastes at first. I think it’ll be a good move to break out in a huge match later down the line though. However, the chicken wing does present a problem. It would be hard to resist the urge to saddle Danielson with a Bob Backlund-esque gimmick. Danielson looks like he could be related to Backlund because hey, he’s a ginger. I still will go with the chicken wing here, but another submission finisher could be a better fit.)
So, on Superstars, Danielson wrestles David Hart Smith. The larger Smith has his way with Danielson early on, not only with power, but with shenanigans on the outside from Tyson Kidd and Natalya Neidhart. The ref catches wind of these shenanigans and tosses them, giving Danielson an in. He fights back, using leverage, key strikes and wear-down holds to get Smith in his grasps for another chicken wing victory.
We’re up to the Smackdown right before the Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view event, and again, Danielson is challenging Jericho, with Jericho refusing. This time, the reason is “just because I can refuse to wrestle you. I am the best in the world at what I do, and I deservedly get catered to. I don’t give into demands”. Danielson is furious. Just as Jericho is ready to walk away from the ring, Teddy Long comes out and tells Jericho that if he’s really the best in the world at what he does, he’s not going to fear some “greenhorn” or “amateur”. He makes the match for TLC, and if Danielson can score a victory, he’ll earn himself a Tag Team Championship shot with the partner of his choosing.
Their match opens TLC, with it getting about 8 minutes of solid, back-and-forth action which spills to the outside. With the ref keeping watchful eye on the Big Show while making his count, Jericho and Danielson throw each other into guardrails and steps and everything. At 9, both men scramble to get back in the ring. Danielson slides in first, kicks Jericho in the face to keep him out, and makes it while Jericho is counted out. Danielson wins and gets his shot at the Tag Team Championships. Both Jericho and Show are LIVID!
The next Smackdown, Show and Jericho open the event running down Danielson, telling everyone that he only won on a technicality and shouldn’t be allowed to contend for the Tag Team Championships because he didn’t pin or submit Jericho. They demand Teddy Long come out and reverse the decision, but instead, they get Danielson. Dragon has a mic and he tells Jericho that if he really were the best in the world at what he did, he would have been smart enough to realize what was going on and jockeyed for position a little better. He then goes on to say that he’s chosen a partner through the recommendation of a friend. Out comes Batista. Jericho looks like he’s seen a ghost, while Show looks a bit nervous.
Since there’s a lot of time between TLC and the Royal Rumble, there’d be a lot of ground to cover, and a lot of different matches to hype things up. Basically, there would be a lot of six-man matches and a lot of matches between Batista and Jericho or Show between then and now. The object would be to protect Danielson at all costs while using disqualifications or off-man pinfalls (say, like Finlay taking a fall in a six-man) to keep the heat going. The match is set for the Rumble though, getting 10-12 minutes. Batista and Show spill out to the outside of the ring, while Danielson and Jericho are the legal men inside it. Danielson has Jericho dead to rights, tagging him with a step-up enzugiri and ready to lock in the chicken wing. As he’s standing near the ropes, Show tosses Batista into the guard rail, hops on the apron, turns Danielson around and knocks him the fuck out with his big right hand. Jericho snaps up Danielson for the roll-up vulture win.
Later on in the Rumble match, Danielson eliminates Jericho, but gets eliminated by Mike Knox. Next Smackdown, we have a six-man tag match. Finlay, Batista and Danielson taking on Knox, Jericho and Show. The finish is irrelevant compared to what happens after the match, where Knox goes apeshit and just starts wailing on Danielson from behind. From there, Danielson can begin his real building process getting wins in the mid-card, starting with the feud with Knox.
The Whys
Why Smackdown? Everyone thinks he’s going to ECW, but I think it’d be neat to bring him to a wider-release show from jump. He has the in-ring tools, and actually, I think his mic skills are underrated and he could hold his own with Jericho from the start. He won’t be as good as Jericho, but he won’t be embarrassed by him.
Why Jericho? From start, Jericho and Danielson already have a natural rivalry over being called the best. Plus, Jericho feuded extensively with HBK last year, so feuding with Michaels’ pupil is natural as well.
Why debut him without fanfare? It'll have more impact that way. Even if the crowd doesn't know who Danielson is, they can pick up on what he's all about within the first segment. The viewing audience at home has Jim Ross to fill in the details for them. While having vignettes prior to his debut would be a smart idea in any form, I don't use them here because the entrance doesn't call for them.
Why the countout win? Because Danielson shouldn’t be going over Jericho via pinfall cleanly from jump, and it’s a good way to prolong a feud without doing a Dusty finish.
Why Batista? Because it provides a link to Michaels without dragging Michaels over to Smackdown. It also provides physical credibility to the challenge to JeriShow.
Why would Danielson take a clean pinfall in the tag title match? A few reasons. One because he needs to take pinfall losses here and there. Two, because it’s a good way to get him out of the tag title feud without dragging it along so he can get valuable pinfall/submission wins sooner rather than later. Three, because taking a KTFO punch from Show isn’t something to be ashamed of. Four, because the nature of the pinfall, as well as eliminating him in the Rumble, is such that he can have something to lord over Jericho in the future when he’s ready for a full singles program with him.
Why have him eliminate Jericho and then get eliminated by Knox? The former is already answered. The latter is a feud starter.
Yeah, it may seem absurd to put Danielson against Jericho right away, but I think there’s something special about him. I also think the WWE realizes that as well. Danielson, as mentioned before, has the connections, and with TNA not really being all that much competition, being the best across a spectrum of indie feds across the country, from PWG in SoCal to indies in Chicago and Dayton all the way to ROH in Philly and even in the South before IWA-MS went belly-up might give Danielson the same oomph and same importance that a Jericho coming in from WCW in 1999 had.
How’s that for full-circle?
Banner by K. Sawyer Paul
