Daniel Bryan / Bray Wyatt Part 3

The Rumble

From how it appears now, Daniel Bryan will not be a part of the 30 man battle royal to determine the number one contender for the heavyweight title.  Good idea?  Bad idea?  To me, it seems as though it robs the fans yet again of what they truly want--Daniel Bryan as champ.  If I had to place a wager, unfortunately I think I'd have to place my money on Batista winning.

WWE keeps talking about the chase, how that is more thrilling than the arrival at the desired destination as an explanation as to why they won't give Bryan that final nod.  The chase can only go so far before the fans lose interest and believe the character/wrestler has no chance at winning and move on to the next guy.  This is precisely where Dolph is right now--losing the fans by no fault of his own. 

So where does that leave us with Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt.  As I stated when I started writing this string of ideas for a storyline, the idea is to elevate both wrestlers--Daniel Bryan to unquestioned superstar and Bray Wyatt to main event threat.  The Rumble is where we solidify both of those.

Prior to the Rumble, on the SmackDown preceding it, this is what should have happened.  Instead of CM Punk receiving number 1 on Raw, that should have been the closing segment here, but with Bryan receiving the "unlucky" number.  As HHH makes the announcement, Bray Wyatt comes out onto the stage, the family flanking him, to cut a promo of his own.

"My children are very important to me, Hunter.  When you attack one of my own, you attack me.  We are one and the same, inseparable.  By placing him in harm's way, you've done yourself no favors, Hunter." Bray laughs,  "Hunter.  Funny, that is not what you right now, Hunter.  We are the hunters.  You are the prey.  By attacking my family, your own friends, your own family, they are fair game now, Hunter.  Remember that."

The idea here is not to position Bray as a babyface, but to position him as a villain with a code of honor which HHH has now breached.  So now we have the makings of a memorable Rumble. 

During the course of the Rumble, at various times Bryan is teamed up on by the heels, where they neglect other participants in order to go at him.  The announcers would of course mention that it seems odd they keep trying to eliminate other Bryan instead of those who are in a more weakened condition, playing up the conspiracy aspect.

HHH would be shown in the back.  Unlike previous years, he is drawing names out of a bin to see who the next participant to enter will be.  Against all odds, of course hinting at the names not being what HHH actually pulled from the bin, the Shield are selected back to back to back, but Bryan persists, holding on.

Twenty-seven participants have been selected.  Only the Wyatts have not called as HHH has thrown their names back into the bin, refusing to call them out.  Finally, with no choice in the matter, he calls their names, one by one, telling Bray to do the right thing as the final participant.  Bryan is outnumbered still--only he and the Shield remain, besides the approaching Wyatts.

HHH makes an executive decision and throws all three Wyatts into the ring at the same time, believing they have an understanding.  They enter the ring, facing Daniel Bryan.  "They know now what they do, Daniel Bryan.  But they are about to find out."

The Wyatts turn and go at it with the Shield.  Rollins is eliminated.  Roman Reigns is eliminated.  Dean Ambrose is eliminated.  HHH goes ballistic with each elimination as Daniel Bryan lays in the ring.  All that's left in the ring are the Wyatts and Bryan.

Pointing outside of the ring, Bray instructs Harper and Rowan to eliminate themselves, which they willingly do.  Bray calls for a microphone.

"Daniel Bryan, here we are, you and me.  I have protected you, Daniel Bryan."  Bryan gets to his feet.  "Do you accept Sister Abigail, Daniel Bryan?"  Bryan nods, extending his arms, saying, "Yes!"  Bray locks him into Sister Abigail, leaning him over.  "Do you accept your destiny, Daniel Bryan?"  "Yes!"  "Are you ready to take down the machine, Daniel Bryan?"  "Yes!"  Bray smiles.  "Are you ready to have your crown of gold, Daniel Bryan?"  Bryan's eyes widen, questioningly he says, "Yes?" 

Bray lays Bryan gently down to the mat instead of performing the Sister Abigail.  "Do not forget my sacrifice for you, Daniel Bryan."  The announcers would of course play up the fact that he's surrendering a chance at gold.

He starts walking toward the ropes to eliminate himself.  HHH is livid, starting to climb into the ring but Rowan and Harper stop him.  Bray climbs over the top rope, dropping to the floor as Orton explodes from the back.  Royal Rumble goes off the air with a brawl in the ring between Orton plus The Shield vs Bryan plus the Wyatts.

So now you have two storylines set up at this point in the narrative, which will widen as I progress.  As always, I hope those who are reading enjoy this as much as my writing it.

Please let me know how you feel about the story progression, where you see its flaws and strengths.

Daniel Bray / Bray Wyatt part two

The following week's Raw would open with a promo detailing the previous week and the questions that the audience was left with--did Daniel Bryan escape the Wyatts in more than one way?

We open with Bray and the family--sans Daniel Bryan--in the ring.

"Last week, as Daniel Bryan climbed from this ring, I knew how my father felt when I left his caring arms.  I felt the heartache because Daniel Bryan didn't understand what I did for him, the path I was paving for him.  Unlike my father, though, I will be there for you Daniel Bryan when you recognize the error of your ways.  I will welcome you back with open arms, Daniel.  You survived the den of lions because you are a lion.  The sheep do not see this in you, but I do.  Come back home, Daniel Bryan."

An hour into Raw, The Authority establish a Shield vs Bryan and Punk match for the main event.  At the two hour mark, Punk is attacked backstage by the New Age Outlaws, removing him from the main event.  Just prior to the main event, Triple H enters the ring apologizing for the main event being changed.  But as we saw last week, Bryan can handle a 3 on 1 match, if anything Punk may have hindered Bryan's chances.  After all, as we heard from Bray Wyatt earlier tonight, Daniel Bryan is a lion.  So tonight, it will be Daniel Bryan vs all three members of the Shield.

Halfway through the match, the Wyatts come out to the stage, but do not make the save immediately.  The Shield are decimating Daniel Bryan who keeps looking at the Wyatts--causing the announcers to question the purpose of their presence on the stage.

Bray gets a mic, still on the stage.  "You need to ask for my help, Daniel Bryan.  I did not abandon you, remember that.  You abandoned me.  Ask for my help, Daniel Bryan."

During the course of this, a member of the Shield points at the Wyatt Family, yelling at them to mind their own business.  Daniel is attacked by the three Shield members again, escaping to the ropes, mouthing the words finally--"Help me."

The announcers ask, "Did he just ask Bray for help?"

Bray Wyatt: "Louder, Daniel Bryan, loud enough for these people to hear you!"

"Help me!"

The Wyatts erupt from the stage into the ring, each taking on a member of the Shield, clearing the ring after a few minutes of a scuffle.

Bray turns to Daniel Bryan who looks on in disbelief.  Bray simply extends his arms, inviting Daniel Bryan in for a hug, a return to the family, to accept his future.  Bryan looks to the crowd for an answer before finally giving in and embracing his destiny and the Wyatt Family.

The announcers are speechless.

Next up: Are you ready to Rumble?

Bray Wyatt / Daniel Bryan

To begin, I have to admit, I'm not a Bray Wyatt fan.  That doesn't mean there isn't potential in the character.  As a matter of fact, one of the flaws I see in the WWE currently is that the creative crew allow their own opinions of the talent to affect how they are booked.  Obviously there is a group of fans that like Bray and his delivery a lot; however, for the most part, the crowds are still relatively dead during The Wyatt Family matches and promos.  That isn't his fault--to a degree the wrestlers are at the mercy of creative and their biases.

Now to the storyline.  While I wasn't a fan of Daniel Bryan joining the Wyatt Family, I do believe there was a lot of untapped potential in the pairing.  Ideally, it would have elevated Bray Wyatt while giving the fans what they have been craving for the last six months--a Daniel Bryan title reign.  There is still the chance that the current storyline will lead to that, but I have a feeling it may be many more months prior to that, if at all.

The first blog post will lead us through Royal Rumble and the subsequent ones will move us further into the year.

This past Monday, Bryan apparently left the Wyatts, which I think was a mistake for all parties involved.  Yes, Bryan is back to being a full face.  Yes, it received an epic reaction.  Yes, Bryan is a superstar.  However, it didn't feel as though it did much for Bray.  Prior to the Bryan joining the Wyatts, he was already receiving those reactions.  So what was accomplished?  Currently, not much.  Bray isn't any more over than he was 3 weeks ago.

So let's start with this past Monday.  Bray Wyatt in a cage--there seems to be something iconic in that, even without being a fan of the man.  Instead of being a tag match against the Usos, which didn't serve Bryan or Bray in any way.  The talent that should have been built were the main eventers, not the tag team, yet the Wyatts lose with such frequency that it's difficult to take them seriously as a threat.  So what should have happened in the cage?

First, a promo, which the crowd was robbed of by a slapped together main event.  Bray needed to cut his promo in the cage, he needed to start drawing in the crowd, convincing the crowd he wasn't the bad guy--that there was a purpose to his madness.  In other words, play the cult leader to the masses. 

So who should the match have been against if not the Usos?  It should have been The Wyatts vs Daniel Bryan, though not in a traditional match. 

Sample portions of a promo:

"Daniel, this cage, it's like your WWE career.  Do you see it?  These walls, Daniel Bryan, they are the manifestation of what holds you in, prevents you from being what you can be, what you should be.  You are among the lions, tonight, Daniel.  Can you survive the lions, Daniel?  Can you prove to them you are what they cannot see?  This is for you, Daniel Bryan.  This is not a punishment, this is your freedom from your shackles, from your cage.  Accept your destiny, Daniel Bryan."

During the course of the match, it would have gone back and forth, until the Wyatts overwhelm the underdog Bryan.  At some point during the match, through a series of miscues, Bryan takes advantage and escapes the cage, slowly backing away from the cage once he does.

Raw goes off the air with the announcers in shock, asking, "Has Bryan left the Wyatts?  Did Bray lose his pupil?" as the camera zooms in on a smiling Bray.

Tomorrow will continue how I feel the storyline should have played out.  Hopefully you've enjoyed this first edition of the Raw Rewrite and will continue to follow along.

Thank you for reading.

Mission Statement

With this blog, it is the intention of the authors to offer alternative takes on current WWE story lines in order to improve their flow and ability to entertain. As a wrestling fan for over 30 years, spanning such federations as USWA, UWF, WWF/WWE, NWA, WCW, TNA, ROH, GLOW, POW and many more I'm sure I'm neglecting, I've watched various entities offer different slants on production, storytelling emphasis, and characterization of their wrestlers. None of them, even those who ended up shuttering their federations, necessarily did anything wrong. That brings us back to WWE Raw Rewrite, an endeavor not created out of anger--there's enough of that on various other sites. No, the intention here is simply to offer what my friend and I view as a more viable path to creating long term, memorable story lines while elevating the talent in the eyes of the fans. Strong characters and story lines are what draws an audience--the true hallmark of the Attitude Era, not the cursing and juvenile humor. With that, I hope you enjoy what we have to offer in this space. I'm sure there will be duds on our behalf but I hope there will at least be some fun had along the way. Our only rule within the framework of this project is an attempt to mirror the current ongoing storylines, yet find a way to strengthen what it has to offer.

The first post will be tomorrow.

Enjoy.