CM Punk and Daniel Brayan: Top Storylines in WWE
I know you guys are excited for the upcoming release of ARoleModel.com’s wrestling novel (which you’ll be able to pick up real soon). So, to celebrate everything that is stories and wrestling, let’s take a look at some of the best WWE stories of the past year, beginning with this look at the story and rivalry between CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.
What made the rivalry between CM Punk and Daniel Bryan so great? A huge part of the answer is that they are both down to earth, blue collar guys who most fans could actually imagine being. They’re not Cena, who is made to be a hero above the world who we could never reach. They’re not The Undertaker or Kane, who are presented demons of the underworld, that place we sometimes see in our imagination. No, they’re people who seem to have waltzed into the WWE as though from off the street.
CM Punk and Daniel Bryan represent you and I. They represent the struggling workers trying to get through the day, fighting to rise to the top. In this regard, they’re not too dissimilar to Stone Cold Steve Austin.
When Austin came on the scene, he stuck out like a sore thumb. Between wrestlers like the master Bret Hart and the playboy Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold Steve Austin was some dude off the street who didn’t give a damn about showing off, looking good or fighting the right way, he just kicked the crap out of everyone. He was unpretentious, unrefined, raw, visceral, animalistic anger. He was more real than anyone else in the WWE. That’s what made Stone Cold Steve Austin so popular, he represented how you and I often felt deep down. CM Punk and Daniel Bryan are similar.
While neither CM Punk nor Daniel Bryan shares Stone Cold Steve Austin’s ruthless aggression, they share his minimalistic, everyday-guy style. If you takeAustinand add a political charisma and intellect you get Punk, If you takeAustinand add heritage and tradition you getBryan. In this way, you could say that Punk and Bryan are like opposite sides of a coin forged by Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Because CM Punk and Daniel Bryan were liked for virtually the same reason (their indie style and down-to-earth-ness) it was hard to know who to cheer for. There was the sense that the two wrestlers belonged together, almost like brothers, but they were torn apart by having gone in different directions. In this way, their story was highly realistic. Most of us have either had or known someone who has had a brother or a best friend who they grew apart from and came to embittered terms with. There’s the sense that if only they could get over their rivalry, they could make a phenomenal tag tea. But they never did, and instead we all sat back and watch those two sides of the same coin clash. And oh did the sparks fly!
This was one of the greatest stories in WWE of recent times. It’s a story which has helped inspire the Arolemodel.com wrestling novel (remember to join ARoleModel on Facebook for updates on this). Not to spoil it, but the idea of two sides of the same coin (like Punk and Bryan) locked in bitter rivalry takes a key place in the novel. Remember to keep checking back here for updates as you will very soon be able to pick up your own copy of this amazing novel.
