WWE SmackDown: Daniel Bryan is still as great as he has ever been

The Aug. 20 edition of WWE SmackDown was a big night for Daniel Bryan, one of the top heels in the business and a superstar that continues to prove just how great he is in a variety of different ways.

Last night’s WWE SmackDown Live saw the next chapter in the Roman Reigns attacker saga, heavily featuring Daniel Bryan and Rowan in the process which included a standout singles match between Bryan and another key piece in the ongoing storyline, Buddy Murphy.

The past few weeks have seen two separate attempted attacks on The Big Dog and upon first glance, it appeared as if the culprit was Rowan after Reigns confronted Murphy backstage looking for answers.

However, this didn’t sit well with Bryan and Rowan, who both accused Murphy of lying about saying Rowan was the attacker.

Murphy has greatly benefited from his inclusion in this storyline and he has found a purpose as of late while also reminding fans of how great he is in the ring.  He pushed Reigns to his limits last week and got a similar opportunity last night when he took on Bryan, and what a match it would be.  No matter how much Bryan tried to put Murphy away, he just couldn’t.

Rowan’s attempted interference towards the end of the match paved the way for the confusion that would help take Rowan out of the equation, opening the door for Murphy to defeat Bryan and get the biggest win of his WWE career.  However, Bryan and Rowan wouldn’t react very well and they attacked Murphy backstage after the match.  It was also announced last week that Bryan would reveal the real culprit behind the attempted attacks on Reigns.

Bryan and Rowan had someone backstage with a bag over their head who they were claiming was the culprit.  And at the end of the show, the man was revealed to be an older man that looked just like Rowan as the show went off the air with The Big Dog standing in confusion.  This extends the saga into another week, but credit must be handed out to Bryan and his role in making this storyline what it is.

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When Bryan turned heel nearly a year ago, many questioned the move and believed it wouldn’t turn out the greatest.  But those doubters were quickly silenced and Bryan has had a tremendous heel run that should be considered the best heel work in his entire WWE career.  This just further proves that even with his career supposedly over due to injury, Bryan is still as great as ever and in some cases, even better.

His in-ring work hasn’t diminished in the slightest and during this heel run, he has produced countless outstanding matches, including a very good one against Murphy last night.  Bryan is still arguably the best at putting his opponent over, as was evident last night.  Murphy is great enough in the ring in his own right, but Bryan made Murphy look like a million bucks.  And then there’s his character work, which doesn’t quite get the respect it deserves.

The creative team could not have chosen a better top heel to be included in this Reigns attacker storyline than Bryan.  He has an uncanny ability to make whoever he’s working with better after they are done working with Bryan.  He is such a great heel to the point where even though his tendencies on screen are ones that rub fans the wrong way, he commands everyone’s respect and is viewed as a bonafide star.

Everyone is doing their part in this current storyline, but Bryan is arguably the biggest key component.  You just can’t quite figure out where he stands with it all, did he have something to do with the attacks or is he innocent?  Those questions will be answered in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, Bryan can help further this angle even more than what he has already done.

Imagine two years ago that fans would be talking about Bryan is this light.  That’s a testament to his comeback and a testament to the all-time great superstar that he is, a superstar that hasn’t lost a step even when facing seemingly insurmountable odds.