Breaking News: Daniel Bryan Retires - MEGA THREAD

[The GOAT]

Chances would most likely be much smaller. Especially for the smaller/non wrestling bodied one. I'll eat crow on Cesaro since he actually was under WWE contract in 2005 for a short while but got fired.

Bryan and Punk proved that independent guys could function and thrive in the WWE environment, one so more than the other. If not for those two the landscape would most likely still be dominated by bodybuilders and knock off NFL players

The Indies are also the main field to scope for new talent nowadays, though. WCW is long dead and companies like TNA are almost glorified indy promotions at best. From there, it's either guys starting out from scratch or guys wrestling in the Indies. John Cena himself competed in the indies before being signed by WWE.

Even then, the company is still largely dominated by big men. Cena is a big guy, the guys they've tried to push as his equal or successor (Ryback, Sheamus, Roman reigns, etc.) are all big men, Lesnar is the strongest booked guy on the roster, etc.

 

[Jacob Fox]

Keep fishing then good brother.

I myself find it hard to see this as a work. It has none of the usual elements of a worked retirement angle the WWE operates with.

If it is a work, semper fi. But all notes that I can find points to it being a retirement, forced or not. There's a lot of "hurt not injured" going around.

I honestly don't think it is a work. But I find all the speculation about it being a work reasonable due to everything I listed before.

 

[Aids Johnson]

Huge exaggeration, Bryan began getting really over in what late 2011 / 2012 (it was Mania in 2012 vs Sheamus wasn't it?) Let's evaluate when these guys were signed :
Cesaro - 2011
Ambrose - Signed in 2010 and was being planned to be put in a programme with Foley.
Rollins - 2010
Aries - It's pushing it but I can't particularly argue against this, it's all opinions. Just about Aries he had exposure from TNA which could have well helped.
Styles - Hottest talent outside of the E, I doubt they'd have skipped over him at any time. They offered him deals previously but it didn't make financial sense. Plus he was signed after DB's injury issues, which would put them off indy style worker's wouldn't it, if anything.
Kenta - See Aries
Generico - See Aries
Steen - See Aries.
Balor - See Aries

Basically there's little to say Bryan had a huge influence, he could have been seen as a benchmark of the talent which is available but he's not a huge reason IMO.

OOOH SEAB GET HIM!

 

[Stopspot]

Huge exaggeration, Bryan began getting really over in what late 2011 / 2012 (it was Mania in 2012 vs Sheamus wasn't it?) Let's evaluate when these guys were signed :
Cesaro - 2011
Ambrose - Signed in 2010 and was being planned to be put in a programme with Foley.
Rollins - 2010
Aries - It's pushing it but I can't particularly argue against this, it's all opinions. Just about Aries he had exposure from TNA which could have well helped.
Styles - Hottest talent outside of the E, I doubt they'd have skipped over him at any time. They offered him deals previously but it didn't make financial sense. Plus he was signed after DB's injury issues, which would put them off indy style worker's wouldn't it, if anything.
Kenta - See Aries
Generico - See Aries
Steen - See Aries.
Balor - See Aries

Basically there's little to say Bryan had a huge influence, he could have been seen as a benchmark of the talent which is available but he's not a huge reason IMO.

It's really not an exaggeration. Talk to all those talents mentioned and they will readily admit that they got hired because WWE dared take shots at guys like Bryan. Hell, Majority off them have spent the evening saying the very thing on their social media accounts.

Would they have been signed without signing Bryan? Probably, but not put in the positions they are. And Bryan only getting over in 2012 is a pretty big falsehood. WWE always had plans for the guy. Look back at his WWE career and you can see that he was always involved in something. He was the litmus test for Hunter's current recruitment strategy.

 

[Stopspot]

The Indies are also the main field to scope for new talent nowadays, though. WCW is long dead and companies like TNA are almost glorified indy promotions at best. From there, it's either guys starting out from scratch or guys wrestling in the Indies. John Cena himself competed in the indies before being signed by WWE.

Even then, the company is still largely dominated by big men. Cena is a big guy, the guys they've tried to push as his equal or successor (Ryback, Sheamus, Roman reigns, etc.) are all big men, Lesnar is the strongest booked guy on the roster, etc.

The indys are not the main recruiting field. But it is the recruiting field that works.

The performance center holds 120 trainees. Out of those roughly 80 come from football, amateur wrestling or modeling. Which is were Vince likes to recruit from. Triple H likes recruiting from the independent scene, but he only got put in charge of that in late 2011.

Independents are slowly catching up. But as long as Vinne Mac and his crew are in charge, majority of signing are still going to be clumsy NFL dropouts who take roughly 3 years to get ring ready

 

[Pop Tatari]

They know people will watch raw tonight now, Bryan is a big name in the company, this is not Heath Slater(no disrespect) we are talking about here.

 

[Snowman1]

Looking back on wrestling even back to 2011 and everything's so much different, from the fanbase to the roster and everything's in between. Even going back that far Seth Rollins holding the belt as long as he did felt practically unheard of, no?

 

[Mr. Roman Empire]

Daniel Bryan's Retirement Not a "Work"

 

[Rogue]

Bryan had a hand in signing Ambrose, that I can agree with. Bryan was U.S champion and they allowed him to compete against Moxley at the time for a test. So yeah, Bryan is an alright chap.

 

[Neptune]

I am still hoping... I want to see a Styles vs Bryan match :sad:

 

[Stopspot]

Watching some old Bryan matches tonight because why the fuck not?


This one vs AJ Styles is a doozy. Both men so young and crisp.

 

[Neptune]

Daniel Bryan's Retirement Not a "Work"

 

[Mr. Roman Empire]

Lol TNA is probably all like "hellĺlllloooo!!!'

 

[Jacob Fox]

Daniel Bryan's Retirement Not a "Work"

Eh, not two sources that I am going to completely rely on.

 

[Aids Johnson]

Bryan had a hand in signing Ambrose, that I can agree with. Bryan was U.S champion and they allowed him to compete against Moxley at the time for a test. So yeah, Bryan is an alright chap.

Mark.