Shut up, sit down, and enjoy Daniel Bryan's story

(Courtesy Photo)

In this day and age of information filtering out at a swift pace on the internet via social media and other channels, society is constantly in need of instant gratification. With that needs comes impatience.

Wrestling fans provided evidence of their neediness for instant gratification when it gave feedback over their disappointment of Daniel Bryan's WWE Championship reign lasting five minutes after an epic 25 minute match against John Cena. As Bryan was showered in cofetti and streamers with pyro going off in the background, his moment was crushed when Triple H, who was special referee for the WWE Title match, pedigreed Bryan, allowing Randy Orton to cash in his Money in the Bank contract and become the new champion.

Fans criticized WWE for taking away Bryan's moment. They felt last night was the night he would be cemented as WWE's new franchise player, establishing a title reign that would lead to four star main event matches as he has proven he can provide.

However, there were some who felt a bigger story can be told by having Bryan chase after Orton and conquer any roadblocks Triple H would throw at him en route to becoming WWE Champion again.

I have to agree the latter scenario makes better business sense for WWE. You have the fallen hero who finally won the big one, only for it to be taken away from him by the corporate exec and his chosen champion.

Wrestling promotions draw more money when the babyface chases after the heel champion. Jim Crockett Promotions drew a ton of money when babyface challengers like Dusty Rhodes, Magnum TA, Nikita Koloff, Lex Luger, Sting, etc chased after heel NWA World Champion Ric Flair.

After the fans turned Stone Cold Steve Austin babyface at Wrestlemania 13 during the famous I Quit Match against Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin went through various obstacles before becoming WWE Champion at the following Wrestlemania. Once he became champion, it was off to the races for WWE. Live attendance, merchandise, pay-per-view buy rates and television ratings went up.

From dealing with the Hart Foundation to battling the neck injury sustained at the hands of Owen Hart at Summerslam 1997 to winning the Royal Rumble and dealing with Vince McMahon not wanting him to become WWE Champion, fans supported Austin every step of the way and cheered him on when he defeated Shawn Michaels for the title at Wrestlemania 14.

Fans will follow Bryan on his journey as he goes through every obstacle Triple H and Randy Orton put in his way to prevent him from winning the WWE Championship. When Bryan and Orton finally meet in a one-on-one matchup, fans will be on the edge of their seats when the man formerly known as "The American Dragon" has Orton in the Yes Lock, and with no one to help him out, Orton will have no choice but to tap out.

Bryan would get back the moment that was taken from him at Summerslam, and fans will rejoice in the fact that justice was served. When he becomes champion again, a new chapter will unfold in the Daniel Bryan story. Hopefully over the next several months, WWE can establish characters that will be ready to challege Bryan for the title.

Until then, let's enjoy chapter two of the Daniel Bryan story as we anticipate him getting back what's rightfully his, the WWE Championship.

It's going to take time for the Daniel Bryan Phenomenon to spread

Daniel Bryan

If you are not feeling the Daniel Bryan frenzy that is seizing WWE programming then you truly don't have an appreciation for professional wrestling at its core.

At that core, professional wrestling is about entertainment and athleticism, displayed by hardworking talents in front of audiences on a weekly basis, regardless if it's at a small gym or Madison Square Garden.

Bryan may not wow people with a captivating physique and jaw-dropping size, but at 5 feet 10 inches and 210 pounds, he has amazed the WWE Universe with his spectacular athleticism and daft personality.

The uproarious chants of "YES"from fans all over the country have resonated through with WWE management, as they have given Bryan the position to challenge John Cena for the WWE Championship at Summerslam.

The company has been building Bryan up for months, and he has taken the proverbial football so to speak and ran with it. He may be the guy who can replace Cena as the No. 1 franchise player in the company.

While the die hard fans and the WWE Universe have given their 100 percent support to the wrestler known as the "American Dragon," the true question is can Bryan's popularity translate to non-wrestling fans. Can he draw viewers who are channel surfing onto Raw and make them watch the rest of the show? Can he draw huge crowds on a weekly basis at TV taping, pay-per-views, and house shows?

I checked out my Twitter feed last night and came across a conversation between ESPN Sportscenter anchor and wrestling fan Robert Flores and Austin American Statesman sports columnist Cedric Golden about this past Monday's Raw.  Golden told Flores that he glanced at Raw while channel surfing. The segment he looked at was Daniel Bryan versus Ryback.

After checking out the match, Golden quipped "makes me miss the NWO days. This Bryan dude passes for a superstar nowadays?"

Golden shared the same thought that maybe other non-fans would have if they saw that the main event of a WWE Raw telecast featured a guy with medial height.

For every 10,000 fans who bellow out "YES," there's 100 people channel surfing at home longing for the days of Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Rock, and wondering how a guy who is the same size, and maybe just as nerdy, as Bill Gates is main eventing Raw.

It is up to WWE Creative to keep Bryan's momentum at an all time high. John Cena is not getting any younger, and other than CM Punk, have failed to establish wrestlers who can be on Cena's level. It's time for the creative team to sustain Bryan's momentum, and with time, the jaded non-fans who might want to give wrestling a chance will get behind him as well.

It's going to take time and effort for a mass audience to ride the Daniel Bryan Phenomenon Train. WCW used to have a marketing slogan called "Where The Big Boys Play."

It's going to take effort and patience from WWE to convince audiences that the big boys don't necessarily have to be big.

WWE Summerslam: The Perfect Storm produced scattered showers

As the summer's hottest pay-per-view, WWE Summerslam provided very little sizzle to the paying customers last night.

While there wasn't a bad match on the card, most of the matches ranged from decent to good effort. In other words, save the $50 for the replay, and I wouldn't necessarily recommend the DVD, but I would suggest borrowing it from a friend.

Here's my thoughts on each match:

Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar: Both combatants put on a subpar match that wasn't on the level of the brutality of John Cena-Lesnar at Extreme Rules in April. The four-month rivalry culminated in with a subpar match that saw both wrestlers grapple, punch, and kick. The match lacked intensity for what was supposed to be a personal grudge match. The right guy won, as Lesnar needed the win after losing to Cena a month after returning from an eight-year hiatus to pursue football and mixed martial arts. Lesnar made Triple H tap out to the Kimura, breaking his arm in the process. After fans seranaded Triple H with "You Tapped Out" chants, "The Game" told the fans he was sorry and indicated he was retiring. We shall see tonight on Raw which direction both men go.

WWE Championship Triple Threat match-CM Punk vs. John Cena vs. The Big Show- The match was restarted by Raw General Manager AJ Lee after both Cena and Punk made Big Show tap out to their respective submission moves. Cena gave Big Show the Attitude Adjustment only for Punk throw Cena out of the ring to pin a fallen Show to retain the WWE title. The match was fine save for the predictable restart by Lee. With no logical challengers in place, I see Punk vs. Cena at Night of Champions in a few weeks, but Punk will probably retain to prolong his reign for an eventual showdown with the Rock at Royal Rumble.

World Heavyweight Championship-Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio- Nothing that we haven't see from these two, but both put on a decent match. The finish came when the referee attempted to eject Del Rio's ring announcer, Ricardo Rodriguez, out of the ring, only for him to overthrow his shoe to Sheamus to knock Del Rio out. Sheamus connected with the Irish Curse and defeated Del Rio, who had his foot on the rope before Sheamus knocked it off in time, for the second straight pay-per-view. There feud will continue, but I think it will end on Smackdown so Sheamus can possibly move on to a new challenger, and i'm guessing it will be Brock Lesnar.

Daniel Bryan vs. Kane- Bryan going over Kane via schoolboy roll up was the right call, as Bryan is picking up steam as a heel, and Kane winning doesn't do anything for him. Kane attempted to chase Bryan backstage, but ran into Josh Matthews who attempted to interview him. Matthews efforts were rewarded with serious whiplash, as Kane threw the small announcer like a rag doll.

WWE Tag Team Championship- Kofi Kingston and R-Truth vs. The Primetime Players- Kofi and Truth retained their titles, but if there was going to be a title change last night, the tag belts should have changed hands. I see money in the Primetime Players as a top act, even after their manager AW was fired last week. I think the Players are being punished for their departed manager's inappropriate joke about Kobe Bryant's rape case last month. Hopefully WWE sees the Players being money players, no pun intended of course, in the near future and gives them the tag belts.

WWE Intercontinental Championship- Miz vs. Rey Mysterio- Miz retained his title after delivering Skull Crushing Finale to Mysterio in a tightly contested matchup. I get a feeling that Mysterio is going to get pushed down the card and be used to elevate younger talent while Miz will defend the Intercontinental Title against a plethora of challengers to enhance the once-prestigious champioship, held by greats such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Rock, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, and the Mountie. Ok the Mountie wasn't great so sue me.

Chris Jericho vs. Dolph Ziggler- I didn't see this match, as we originally went to Buffalo Wild Wings only to find out they are no longer showing WWE pay-per-views. Me and my friends decided to hit to Fatso's, and the match finished before we got there. Anyway, I think Ziggler should have gone over as Jericho is expected to finish with WWE tonight on Raw to tour with his band Fozzy. Jericho could have told the crowd after defeat that he needed to re-evaluate his goals and see if wrestling was still in him after losing to Ziggler. In the process, it would have made Ziggler a bigger star for deflating one of wrestling and WWE's greatest superstars. I expect Ziggler to do something tonight to get his heat back, and when Jericho comes back, I expect their feud to pick up steam.

Follow me @LuchaLoco210 for wrestling tweets every now and then.

My prediction for Lesnar-HHH: The Perfect Storm

The Brock Lesnar-Triple H bout at Summerslam Sunday won't be your good ol' fashion wrestling match.

It will be a match for the ages and will feature a culture clash of sorts.

It will be the 13-time world champion and a man who represents one of the greatest eras in WWE history, the Attitude Era, in Triple H vs. a wrecking machine who has won championships in the NCAA, the WWE, and the UFC- Brock Lesnar.

These two workhorses are sure to put on a match for the ages, and i've loved the feud that's been brewing since Lesnar broke HHH's arm the night after the Extreme Rules pay-per-view.

This is how I see the four-month feud culminating Sunday in Los Angeles.

Lesnar dominates HHH for the first half of the match in the same manner he manhandled John Cena in his return match since leaving WWE eight years ago.

HHH makes the proverbial comeback, and the sledgehammer comes into play. As Triple uses his might to utilize it, Lesnar stops him and punishes him with more brutality until Shawn Michaels makes a surprise return after Lesnar broke his arm on Monday.

When Lesnar has "the Game" in his submission, the Kimura, Michaels stops the match on behalf of his buddy so no further damage is caused.

Lesnar is once again established as a dominant beast after losing to Cena at Extreme Rules and being gone for four months.

Since the WWE Championship picture will be occupied with, more than likely, CM Punk and John Cena until the Rock makes his return at the Royal Rumble, I see Lesnar going after Sheamus' world heavyweight title after Summerslam.

With no credible challengers lined up for Sheamus, I see no bigger challenge to give Sheamus and the world title credibility than WWE's ultimate monster.

The story they can tell is Sheamus has taken out Triple H before, so why doesn't Lesnar try taking out someone who is younger and hungrier to make his mark in WWE history.

While it may not be an ideal matchup like Lensar vs. Punk, Lesnar vs. Randy Orton, or Lesnar vs. the Undertaker, Sheamus and Lesnar have the potential to put on an entertaining feud that could produce a few quality bouts.

My prediction for how Lesnar-Triple H is booked is just that- a prediction, but i'm sure the match will be one that fans will be talking about the day after Summerslam.

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WWE's Superstars stepping up?

I had the pleasure of going to WWE Raw 1,002 last week at the AT&T Center here in San Antonio, and it was one of the best shows i've been to awhile.

But it's not because I witnessed a "match of the year" candidate or a moment that will stand the test of time in WWE annals.

I had a blast watching some of the WWE Superstars find their groove and get over with the WWE Universe.

For the past couple of year, every time i've gone to see a WWE show with my father, we always discuss whether we enjoy the the show and why or why not.

Every time we've had this discussion, it begins the same way on my dad's part: "It was ok, but the matches were too short, and the wrestlers of today don't have any charisma."

I always want to diss my pop's comments because he really doesn't watch wrestling other than when passing by the living room or when a big star returns like the Rock or Stone Cold Steve Austin.

But i've kinda agreed with him on his comments about the lack of charismatic stars that have entertained us on WWE television.

Ever since the end of the Attitude Era, very few WWE Superstars have stepped up to that main event level to lead WWE into a new era save for John Cena, Randy Orton, and recently, CM Punk.

But as I enjoyed Raw live last Monday, I realized that quite a few talents have stepped up their game recently and are finding their groove.

Daniel Bryan has been getting quite the crowd following ever since winning the World Heavyweight Title in December of last year and then losing it in 18 seconds at Wrestlemania 28 in April.

The Yes chants have had WWE live audiences breath life into live shows be it Raw, Smackdown, and pay-per-views. After Bryan's engagement to AJ went south, Bryan has embraced No chants to distance himself from being cheered by the WWE Universe.

For a guy who wasn't pegged to be a main eventer because of his lack of charisma, Bryan has found his stride thanks to his overzealous character and his ability to have great matches with everyone from Punk to Cena.

Dolph Ziggler has really stepped up his game to another level in his current feud with former Undisputed WWE Champion Chris Jericho. Ziggler has the ring skills and the mic ability to cement himself full time into the main event scene after his feud with Jericho presumably concludes at Summerslam.

Ziggler just needs a few more credible wins after that rivalry is done, and I see him being a guy who can carry WWE into a new era of superstardom.

There are also quite a few who have been given chances for superstardom, but for whatever reason, WWE hasn't put their full investment into them.

Alberto Del Rio, Miz, and oddly, Zack Ryder have been given or found characters that the WWE Universe would love (Ryder) or hate (Del Rio, Miz). Those three superstars are still able to generate favorable or unfavorable crowd reactions despite the company's hesitation to give them sustained pushes. With the right backing, those three are one good push from reaching the upper echelon of superstardom.

Even the Primetime Players, who have been on television for over three months, found their groove under manager AW. With AW's recent firing due to a poorly timed Kobe Bryant joke, I hope the charismatic tag team doesn't get lost in the shuffle as they have the tools to be a terrific pair in the tag division.

One up and comer who has gotten my attention lately and has the tools to be a big time player is Damien Sandow. The self-proclaimed "martyr" of the WWE has elicited jeered responses from the WWE Universe due to his "I'm better and smarter than you" attitude, but he also has an aggressive ring style that could lead him to the next level.

Little by little, piece by piece, the superstars of WWE, present and up and coming, are finding their stride, and the superstars I mentioned could lead to WWE to new heights just like its predecessors did.

Follow me @LuchaLoco210