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| Photo Credit: WWE.com |
It would have been a cool moment, especially with the result of the next match being CM Punk being crowned as WWE's other World-level Champion. I want to see Bryan win the Championship, but I don't want to see him go back on his word and cash in before WrestleMania. If it hasn't been readily apparent to the reading populace, I like solid and strong character build in my wrestlers. If John Cena lives by the credo of "Hustle, Loyalty and Respect", I don't think he should be blackmailing Vickie Guerrero to get inserted into a WrestleMania main event or dropping chairs on a clearly defeated Wade Barrett. It's far more important to me to have consistent characters rather than a black and white definition of what a face or heel should be. If a character acts out of character, there should either be a damn good reason, or there should be a follow up to denote that yes, that character is changing.
So, why would Daniel Bryan, an honorable hero, going against his word be something that's desired? Again, the answer that "everyone else is doing it" or "it's the smartest way to go" are out of the question. Bryan, the character, knows all this full well, and he's stated that in the face of those odds, he'll do it the honorable way, the hard way. It's a potentially great story. I understand getting into the moment, marking out literally and asking why Bryan would be stupid enough to do it, but when we start talking about this from an analytical standpoint, that somehow, it makes Bryan look "stupid" or "weak" or somehow less of a character because he's waiting is where I have the problem.
If Bryan were to cash in now, he'd be acting in the same way that everyone else has acted. I'm sorry, I thought we wanted diversity in character and story. When everyone's the same, no one stands out. The show gets boring. That's why I have a problem with Bryan acting like Alberto del Rio acting like The Miz acting like Kane acting like Jack Swagger, acting like CM Punk acting like Edge. That's why I have a problem with John Cena acting like CM Punk acting like Randy Orton acting like Steve Austin. At some point, I'm just tired of seeing people doing the same shit. Why can't Cena pull back and leave Barrett laying in the ring after defeating him clean? Why can't he think twice before getting into a HOMOPHOBIA WAR with The Rock? Why can't he be content with being the hero for the kids and skirts? (note, I realize he's okay with this as a person if there's a kernel of truth to his promos when he's "real", this is a criticism of the writing)
That's why Bryan not cashing in Sunday, and not cashing in until April 1, 2012 for that matter, is so refreshing and necessary. He has the chance to reintroduce the honorable hero back to the lexicon. Unlike Cena, he's got a nerdy charm that makes him come off as likable and not lame, but that's kinda besides the point. If he's still a good guy doing the same things everyone is doing, he's an automaton. If he turns heel with that cash-in, then he's shoved into the bad guy midcard, where he has to fight Barrett, Jack Swagger, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler and soon (maybe?) Brodus Clay for scraps of meat. Either way, it's a loss.
Variety is never a bad thing. Bryan being the "nerd" is more than okay. It should be what we want. Not only is it because it's what he's good at playing, it's a different character, someone special in a sea of backstabbing twats who get cheered for reasons other than their honor. For that reason, no one should be disappointed he didn't cash in on Henry at Survivor Series.
