WWE Superstar Shakeup 2019 will begin tomorrow on April 15 and will take place on both Raw and SmackDown Live. Here are three reasons why Daniel Bryan should be among the names switching brands over the two-night affair.
Daniel Bryan was at the epicenter of one of wrestling’s greatest underdog stories at WrestleMania 30, and it has stood as a blueprint for WWE telling these types of underdog stories. However, Bryan has been even better as a heel in the latest iteration of his character, and it really shows you just how incredible Bryan is as a performer both in and out of the ring.
After winning the WWE Championship from AJ Styles prior to Survivor Series and putting on a nail-biting, short-but-sweet classic with Brock Lesnar at the “Big 5” Pay Per View, Bryan held the title for several months, feuding with Kofi Kingston this spring. Kingston and Bryan told an absolutely wonderful story of historic magnitude, and Kofi finally won the WWE Title at WrestleMania 35 after 11 years of hard work.
Now that Bryan has dropped the title but is stronger than ever as a performer, it’s time for him to make the switch to Monday Night Raw. Since the brand split, Bryan has been a part of SmackDown Live as either a wrestler or general manager, and it’s time he makes his presence felt on WWE’s flagship show.
Daniel Bryan needs to fight for the Universal Title
Seth Rollins vs. Daniel Bryan is a match that absolutely sells itself, and a match between them would be quite the throwback to the Ring of Honor days when Bryan Danielson and Tyler Black would square off against each other, including a Triple Threat with Kenny Omega.
Though Bryan was unable to defeat Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series, Rollins accomplished this tallest of tasks on the first match of the WrestleMania 35 card. He stomped Lesnar three times, captured the Universal Title, and gave Monday Night Raw a champion they can be proud of again.
But it’s only a matter of time before everyone else on the Raw roster comes knocking. Rollins, as Intercontinental Champion, showed that he’s willing to take on all comers and is capable of defending a title night-in and night-out.
Defending the championship in a grueling feud with Bryan, though, would be Rollins’ toughest challenge yet. Bryan is a wrestling machine at this point in his career, and he’s basically unmatched in terms of technical expertise. Oh, and he’d challenge the heck out of Rollins on the microphone, and it is that part of Bryan’s game that deserves the utmost praise right now. This would be a Universal Title feud worth watching intently.
A missing piece on Monday nights
Even with stars like Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley, Raw’s male main event scene felt awfully stale without Roman Reigns for that stretch of several months when he was fighting a far more important fight against leukemia. Reigns is back and ready to watch over his yard, but his absence was a reminder that a missing piece is needed on Raw.
With Braun Strowman seemingly ready to feud with Samoa Joe on SmackDown Live and McIntyre likely moving away from Reigns and Rollins, too, Monday nights need an additional shot of star power. And that kind of star power could be provided by Daniel Bryan, who is no stranger to Raw, recalling his famous #OccupyRaw moment on the road to WrestleMania 30.
Bryan’s ability to put together classics for any championship are a huge reason why he’d help Raw, but his character work would mean even more to the show. As The Planet’s Champion and WWE’s biggest intellectual, Bryan can make any feud feel of the utmost importance with his work on the stick, and only a handful of wrestlers can match his intensity.
Everything Bryan touches turns to gold, and this is especially true for his work as a villain. With Rowan by his side and potentially Harper joining him, Bryan could even create a key faction that would compete for the Raw Tag Team Titles.
We’d love matches against Roman Reigns, Finn Balor
Not only would a renewed rivalry between Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship be awesome, but The Planet’s Champion would also have a couple of other dream rivalries on Monday Night Raw against Roman Reigns and Finn Balor.
Wrestling fans have been hoping for a Bryan vs. Roman Reigns match, and it would a crazy dynamic to see Reigns as the babyface and Bryan as the heel. The promos in this feud would be off-the-charts good, especially with Bryan antagonizing Reigns. Plus, the targeting of Reigns’ legs during their matches would be intense; Reigns is one of wrestling’s best sellers and does everything in his power to make his opponents look good.
I mean, Reigns vs. Bryan wouldn’t even have to be a Universal Championship feud. Just give these two a few matches and weekly segments on Raw, and watch the fans enjoy two of WWE’s best performers at their best.
Finn Balor vs. Daniel Bryan could be just as good as an Intercontinental Championship feud, and an upset over Bryan would help raise Balor’s profile big-time. There’s huge potential for Balor to have a superstar-making reign as IC Champ in Raw’s mid-card, and a heated rivalry with Bryan could bring out the best of his character. WWE has only given us flashes of Balor’s most intense brilliance on the mic, and we could see it all come together for him in a feud with Bryan.