photo courtesy: allaboutwrestlingstars.blogspot.com
It hasn’t even been six months since Daniel Bryan turned heel.
While Bryan did pin fellow baby face (at the time) Big Show to win the World Heavyweight Championship at WWE TLC last December, his heel turn was a rather lengthy process.
Bryan’s gradual turn progressed slowly as he began to do heel-like things until he was eventually recognized and treated like a heel by the WWE fans.
But when Bryan’s first-ever heel run was climaxing around WrestleMania time, all it took was one three-letter word to make Bryan one of the most popular heels in recent memory: “Yes.”
Bryan’s actions undoubtedly still made him a heel, sure. But the reaction he received from the Miami crowd at WrestleMania 28 and the ones he continues to receive since then have essentially turned him into a tweener.
The “Yes” chants have continued to echo throughout arenas ever since Mania, and Bryan has begun doing what CM Punk did last year: Get more over despite being a heel.
And just to remind you guys and gals, exactly what happened when Punk was such a popular heel in the summer of 2011?
Oh yeah, he turned baby face.
Prior to his face turn, Punk had done a number of cowardly things in late 2010 early 2011, such as the insane acts he made the New Nexus members participate in, his heinous attacks on John Cena and Randy Orton, etc.
CM Punk Entrance At Money In The Bank
Yet, oddly enough, Punk somehow managed to get more of a baby face reaction at the time, partly because of his sharp-witted comments when he worked as a commentator and partly because of who he was attacking (Cena).
No matter why Punk was getting cheered, though, the bottom line was that the fans were starting to like him again for the first time since his first baby face run in the WWE.
As a result, the WWE had no choice but to listen to the fans and eventually give them what they wanted: That Punk baby face turn that I was talking about earlier.
But Punk’s turn wasn’t the only huge face turn we’ve seen recently.
Rewind even further back in the WWE history books to the end of 2009 and beginning of 2010, when Randy Orton began having problems with his Legacy stablemates Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase.
With the way that stable was booked during the initial phases of its breakup, it didn’t seem like Orton was going to be the member of the group who turned face.
But as their gradual split continued on the road to WrestleMania 26, it became clear that Orton was the one who was getting over as a good guy.
The fans cheered for him, they loved him, and they all but forced the WWE to turn him baby face.
Sound familiar? Because it sure sounds familiar to me.
Both Punk and Randy Orton (and to an extent, even Sheamus late in the summer of 2011) were heels who got so over that—even if the booking was designed to do this as well—the fan reaction to these supposedly bad guys turned them into good ones.
Bryan now finds himself in an eerily similar situation now.
Even though it hasn’t been very long into his heel run, the WWE fans recognize him for what he is, and that’s a great performer.
Regardless of whether Bryan is supposed to be a heel or not, the fans continue to pop for him, and the “Yes!” chants have taken over the WWE and pro wrestling as a whole.
Punk, Orton and Sheamus forced the WWE’s hand and basically made them become baby faces because of it.
And guess what? History says the same will happen with Daniel Bryan.
source: bleacherreport.com
