PWTorch.com - WWE FLASHBACK: Daniel Bryan's NXT promo 5 yrs. ago foreshadowed the rise of Roman Reigns

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WWE FLASHBACK: Daniel Bryan's NXT promo 5 yrs. ago foreshadowed the rise of Roman Reigns

Jan 30, 2015 - 10:50:13 PM

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Every so often, Daniel Bryan's famous "worked shoot" NXT promo from May 2010 becomes relevant again. With the rise of Roman Reigns culminating with a Royal Rumble victory in the face of a booing Rumble crowd, it's worth revisiting Bryan's promo.

Beardless and dressed in a sweater top over a collared dress shirt, Bryan does not look anything like the current Bryan who forced a change to last year's WrestleMania main event and was the vocal favorite for this year's Rumble and WM31 main event slot.

But, the passion in the voice is still the same. Back in May 2010, Bryan finished playing the role of the "indie darling" who heel Michael Cole ran down as not having the traits of a WWE star. Bryan addressed that element and Vince McMahon's preference for larger wrestlers in the worked shoot promo during the NXT competition show as pro judges C.M. Punk, William Regal, Chris Jericho, and The Miz sat on the stage.

In an interesting piece of timing, Roman Reigns joined WWE Developmental two months after Bryan's promo after finishing his football career. The type of wrestler that Bryan described on NXT foreshadowed Reigns's rise in 2015...

"I was eliminated by WWE management, not the pros. And there's a couple of reasons for that. When I came to WWE, I heard about the politics here. I heard the nightmares. How Vince McMahon loves big guys. And they like the guys that they make themselves, regardless of whether or not those guys can come out here and engage the WWE Universe," Bryan said.

"I was a self-made man. I was not invented by the WWE machine. And I would think with them having stockholders and this being a profitable company that they would want a guy who would make them the most money. They don't have the ability to judge by prejudice who they pick to be stars. They need to pick guys who are the best people for this job. And, the best person for this job ... is me!"

Bryan followed up with: "I don't need to tell anyone how good I am. When you people come out here and you see me wrestle, you know how good I am. Chris Jericho, you know how good I am. William Regal, you know how good I am. All the pros know how good I am. Even though The Miz doesn't like to admit it, he knows not only am I good, but he knows that I'm better than him."

After Bryan and Miz had an exchange playing up their Rookie vs. Pro feud, Bryan directed his final comments toward heel announcer Michael Cole: "There is one person who refuses to acknowledge how good I am (Bryan looked to the hard camera). And he keeps saying that I have no personality. He keeps saying that I don't have the 'it' factor. Michael Cole, you're just a parrot. You've got Vince McMahon in your ear telling you all the time to tell these people that I don't have 'it.' You think that because I don't watch television, because I'm a vegan, that I don't have 'it;' that I don't have personality. I have more personality in my little finger than you have in your whole being. You are a poor man's replacement for J.R. (Jim Ross)."

Bryan and Cole then infamously scrapped at ringside until Bryan was restrained to sell the angle. Flash-forward five years and Cole celebrated Bryan's WM30 triumph, WWE has co-opted Bryan's "Yes!" catchphrase for promotional purposes, and Bryan is one of the centerpieces of WWE's "Total Divas" reality TV show. But, he is not in the WrestleMania 31 main event. That goes to the wrestler who Bryan described five years ago.