NIGHT OF CHAMPIONS REVIEW
LIKE: BRYAN DANIELSON, US CHAMPION
DISLIKE: MELINA'S TELL
Photo - WWE.com
Actually, I'm not going to do a Like/Dislike. There's not too much to say (Like: Kofi/Dolph, Punk's promo, Tyson Kidd's terrifying springboard moonsault, etc. - Dislike: Melina essentially telegraphing that she was going to lose by coming out looking pouty and not doing 30,000 poses on the way to the ring (we called this before the match started - Batista does the same thing, looking sad on the way to the ring = I'm about to lose), the Divas match was hilarious, Hart Dynasty getting buried for no apparent reason, etc.).
But the focus of this entire show for me (and hopefully most other people) was the unlikely story of Bryan Danielson. Let's look at a timeline here:
BRYAN DANIELSON TIMELINE
- Makes the leap from ROH to WWE
- Debuts on NXT by losing to Chris Jericho, begins epic feud with the Miz that tugs at IWC heartstrings across the globe.
- Eliminated from NXT. At the time this was thought to be the greatest injustice in wrestling history.
- Helps the Nexus destroy RAW by choking a topless Justin Roberts with his own tie and spitting in John Cena's face, getting him FIRED FOR REAL. The NXT elimination is now put into perspective.
- Works Indy dates while not saying much about his firing. Rumour is that a sponsor or higher-up of some kind complained that the Nexus segment was too violent, and Danielson, being the most violent, was the scapegoat for the WWE.
- Everyone accepts that it's not a work and crawls into bed sobbing (maybe that was just me).
- Returns at SummerSlam in the biggest angle (and biggest rub) of the summer by being the 7th member of Team WWE vs. The Nexus! More Mountain Dew: Code Red is spilled simultaneously around the world than ever before at this very moment.
- Helps John Cena defeat the Nexus, not before rekindling his feud with The Miz.
- Defeats The Miz at Night of Champions to become the new WWE United States Champion.
I don't think anyone could've predicted Danielson's first WWE year going like this. From being ranked first in the NXT polls to being first to be eliminated from NXT to being so violent he was FIRED FOR REAL to going back to the indies to being the 7th member of Team WWE to being United States Champion all in a matter of months. That's a mouthful.
Danielson vs. The Miz itself was an awesome match. There were near falls galore, all of which had the crowd hanging on for dear life - those flash roll-ups can be heart-stopping sometimes. There's too much of this match that I liked to list it all (Danielson recreating his first big dive onto Chris Jericho, for example - or Danielson and Miz doing the Jawbreaker Lariat spot with Danielson crotched on the ropes, then landing on his head, for another example!).
So, to celebrate the United States Championship victory of the "American Dragon" Bryan Danielson, here are some awesome photos of the former champions that lead to Daniel Bryan. Enjoy.
Image - WWE.com
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