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.