WWE SmackDown: Daniel Bryan as a babyface just feels right

The Sept. 24 edition of WWE SmackDown saw a familiar sight of Daniel Bryan as a babyface, a scene that has eluded the WWE universe for nearly a full year at this point in time.

Last night’s WWE SmackDown kicked off with a bang when the issues between Erick Rowan and Daniel Bryan took center stage.  The attacker storyline featuring Roman Reigns went so many different ways over the past couple of months, but once the dust cleared, Bryan proved his innocence and Rowan proved to be the culprit.

Rowan feels he was being disrespected and wanted to bring The Big Dog down to size and expose his so-called dominance.  With his own dastardly actions coupled with the surprising return of Luke Harper at Clash of Champions, Rowan defeated Reigns and has brought the pain to his former friend Bryan as well.

Bryan wasn’t in a talking mood last night, however, despite Rowan coming out to open up the show to talk more of the same.  Bryan wanted a fight and once he came out, he got in the face of Rowan and challenged him to a match immediately.  Rowan agreed and a ref made it official, but it wouldn’t ultimately turn out how Bryan hoped for thanks, in large part, to Harper’s interference.

It was a solid match throughout with Rowan looking impressive and Bryan making him look like a million bucks, but Bryan started to get things going and had the momentum for a while.  It all came crashing down when Harper got involved and wound up helping Rowan gain the advantage back.  That advantage was all Rowan needed to get the win over Bryan, but after the match, Rowan and Harper weren’t content with just one-upping Bryan.

The Bludgeon Brothers looked to put Bryan down for good, but The Big Dog had other ideas and he came to the aid of Bryan.  The two would eventually fend off Rowan and Harper, but a big match was set in motion afterward when Bryan asked the WWE universe if they wanted him to team with Reigns to take on Harper and Rowan?  As expected, the crowd emphatically applauded.

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• WWE SmackDown Predictions: AJ Styles Will Help Randy Orton
• WWE SmackDown Predictions: Street Profits Will Dethrone Judgment Day
• SmackDown reminded us of how pointless the brand split is

This was a big night for the apparent babyface return of Bryan and even after a highly-successful heel run that has lasted for nearly a year, Bryan hasn’t lost a step as a babyface.  When thinking about some of the greatest babyfaces in the history of the WWE, Bryan’s name has to be towards the top of the list.  His rise to superstardom was one of the greatest the WWE has ever seen, but that made his heel turn last year even more surprising.

His in-ring return was surprising enough considering it appeared as if his career was over due to injury, but after a babyface run that didn’t quite click as it did in its heyday, the creative powers that be decided to roll the dice and give Bryan a villainous makeover.  It worked out tremendously for nearly a full year in which he had countless great matches and feuds while also being WWE Champion and SmackDown Tag Team Champion.

But even as great as his heel run was, there’s just something special about Bryan as a babyface.  That Bryan babyface comeback mid-match is unlike any other and no matter how many twists and turns his character takes on-screen, the fans are just waiting to finally be able to cheer Bryan and chant “Yes!”  The fans are getting that opportunity at the moment and unless this storyline takes a surprising turn, Bryan appears to be a babyface once again.

There are still many great matches, feuds, and moments a babyface Bryan can have and for someone as talented as Bryan, he can make it work with flying colors.  A good start would be this pending tag team match at Hell in a Cell alongside The Big Dog against Rowan and Harper.  After that, don’t be surprised to see Bryan reenter the WWE Championship picture regardless of if the champion is Kofi Kingston or Brock Lesnar.

The vibe and mood feel different when Bryan is a babyface and if the WWE plays its cards right, that can be used to the fullest extent with another memorable Bryan babyface run.