Using Daniel Bryan's MMA and grappling skills as a draw for SummerSlam

I appreciate what WWE is trying to do with Daniel Bryan as we lead up to SummerSlam. They build him up as an underdog who is persistent. That is fine.

Now it is time to put over how dangerous he is. His grappling skills are well known and celebrated.

The Xtreme Couture MMA gym has put over how good he is. So why is this not being promoted on tv? This would do a lot for Bryan's credibility, and build him up as a real threat to John Cena. This surely would lead to more people watching SummerSlam, in the interests of seeing whether Bryan can unseat Cena?

WWE needs to trust in Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan has seen a meteoric rise to the top of WWE. In a time when WWE is lacking legitimate top tier main-event stars that can draw, it is time for WWE to take a chance on Bryan.

Think back to the Attitude Era - Mick Foley, HHH, The Rock, Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Vince McMahon, Kurt Angle, Kane, Chris Jericho, and others were all a staple part of main-event WWE programming.

The number of current established main-event stars could be described as: Cena, Punk and Orton as the top three, followed by Del Rio , Sheamus, Big Show and Kane. In my opinion, once Orton / Cena / Punk are removed from the picture, the current group really struggles to compare to the previous era. The depth of talent at the top is clearly smaller.

 It is clear. WWE needs to build to the future. How much longer does CM Punk have in the ring? This is man who has one goal left in the business, to main-event Wrestlemania. His frustration dealing with the system is well documented. This is a man that could leave when his contract is up and not look back.

John Cena started wrestling for WWE in 2002. He grew into the company's number one star. Years of carrying that mantle must take a toll on the mind and body. Whilst Cena appears to thrive under the pressure, how much longer will his body hold together? Steve Austin remarked on Twitter recently that Cena should look after his health - perhaps implying the need to slow down to preserve his long-term career.

Randy Orton  is on strike number two of the Wellness Policy. It is indeed surprising that he won Money in the Bank, indicating perhaps that the company is willing to trust him as a firm fixture in the main-event scene. However, how long till strike three?

So, if Cena, Punk and Orton all departed, what would the WWE be left with in the main-event scene? Del Rio vs Big Show for an eternity?

Therefore, the WWE must take a risk with Daniel Bryan. Arguably, he rivals Cena in terms of crowd reactions. Some would say he is already a main-eventer based on reaction alone. It's just that WWE does not seem to fully accept him as a main-eventer. Bryan's road to SummerSlam hopefully allows for complete company and fan acceptance of his main-event status. If WWE are to build for the future, Daniel Bryan needs to win the title. Cena will not lose any momentum. Not only that, Bryan should walk out of SummerSlam still as the champion - i.e. no Orton cash-in.

Let him run with the title for two or three months. See what impact this has on ratings, house show attendance and PPV buys. More importantly, make him look strong. Daniel Bryan presented as a lame duck champion who struggles to win matches convincingly will not help his cause. WWE need to take a chance with Daniel Bryan as a fully fledged main-event star who overcomes John Cena. They have no choice. 

The future will soon be calling, and if WWE are not careful, they will have little  to show for it in the main-event scene.

Brock Lesnar vs CM Punk? Will WWE rush it?

So, there are rumours over who CM Punk will feud with when he returns to the WWE. Brock Lesnar's name has come up as a logical choice. After all, Lesnar and Punk are both connected through Paul Heyman. It is interesting to note that neither Punk or Lesnar have appeared on-screen together. You would think that WWE would have seen Dollar signs in promoting such a pairing. Remember the 'two man power trip' from 2001? Steve Austin and HHH were built up as an unstoppable pairing, taking over and ruling the WWE. They were unseated by Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit, through a classic tag match on WWE Raw, which saw Jericho and Benoit win the tag titles.

So why have Punk and Lesnar not been seen together? Did WWE want to keep them apart with the intention of having them feud later? Were they kept apart because both wrestlers had such different characters and philosophies? Lesnar, the part-time main-event fighter going after the big dollar fights. CM Punk, striving day in and day out to be the best in the industry. Punk was on every show, celebrating his lengthy title reign. Lesnar appeared sporadically, feuding with John Cena and then HHH. Lesnar's appearances were designed to shock and awe - drawing the biggest box office dollars.

If WWE decides to pit Punk against Lesnar, I am happy with that. However, as always, it is the process that matters the most. Am I confident in WWE's ability to book this feud successfully? No. What would I want to see? Firstly, this feud should not be rushed. In an era where the immediate concern is how to fill three hours of WWE Raw programming on Monday nights, I am sure WWE will rush this feud through.

In my ideal world, we go through the following stages:

1) Punk returns - confidence returned. Attacks a popular WWE face - e.g. HHH. He realigns himself with Paul Heyman.

2) We build up to SummerSlam with Punk and Lesnar as a team. They are billed as unstoppable. In the main-event, they destroy HHH and another face - e.g. John Cena. HHH's concussion story can play a part in the outcome.

3) We lead to Survivor Series - team HHH vs team Heyman. Punk plays a part in accidentally costing his team the match. Heyman and Punk start to have issues - yet still stay together. However, the tension is evident.

4) Come the Royal Rumble, Lesnar wins the world title from Cena (presuming he has not lost it to Ryback). Punk wins the Rumble.

5) The next night on Raw, Heyman turns on Punk - believing Lesnar to be his one true meal ticket. Lesnar attacks Punk.

6) We build to Mania - with an incredible series of microphone showdowns between Punk and Heyman.

7) At Mania, Punk beats Lesnar and wins the title in the main-event.

The above is unlikely to happen for two reasons:

a) WWE will likely hotshot this feud and make it happen instantly to fill immediate storyline needs presented by the damning three hour Raw schedule.

b) WWE would not be able to afford to have Lesnar appear so many time in a one year span to build this feud for Wrestlemania. His contract has limited dates after all.

Regardless, there is one thing I hope for here. WWE can't afford to turn Lesnar face. He does his best work as a heel.

But then again... so does CM Punk...

So perhaps, Punk vs Lesnar is not ideal after-all.