This Sunday, Daniel Bryan will challenge CM Punk for the WWE Championship at the Over the Limit PPV in what believe could be an instant classic.  I spoke with Bryan about the upcoming match, the YES phenomenon and how it has changed his life, the reaction he has received from Vince McMahon about it, if he was disappointed in the quick match at WrestleMania 28 against Sheamus, Brock Lesnar’s return to the WWE and if he would like to have a match against him and more.

Subscribe to Between The Ropes on iTunes

Follow me on Twitter (@BrianFritz)

Follow Daniel Bryan on Twitter (@WWEDanielBryan)

Find out more about the Over The Limit PPV at http://www.wwe.com/shows/wweoverthelimit

When Brock Lesnar returned to the WWE two weeks ago, it was met with a roar from the audience.  He is bringing legitimacy back to the company.

That was shown last week when Lesnar and John Cena got into a brawl which left the latter with a bloody mouth.

The point was driven home either further last night on Raw during a video package with the former UFC heavyweight champion.  It was a slick video that felt much more like something produced that by the UFC than the WWE as Lesnar said his return is all about business.

That business right now means being as ass kicker and legitimizing the WWE, a company that includes Cena who everyone is tired of.  Lesnar went on to say that when he faces Cena at the Extreme Rules PPV, it won’t be a wrestling match: it’s a fight.  And right now, Cena is in total fear of him.

It set the perfect tone for Lesnar with it being serious and something different that we normally see from the WWE.  He not only looks like a monster but a monster star.  (Read more)

Cena did his part later in the show with a very serious promo saying that he is afraid of Lesnar.  After a year of catchphrases and plugging movies, this man’s return was about nothing more that destruction.  He might be afraid, that doesn’t mean he won’t fight and he is ready for a fight in two weeks, even if it means taking the biggest whipping of his life.

While the buildup last year for the match between Cena and The Rock was all about two stars colliding, this feud is all about a fight.  Nothing more, nothing less.  Brock Lesnar just doesn’t like John Cena and doesn’t think anything of him or his accolades since he left the company.  In fact, he says Cena would be carrying his bags if he had stayed.  Now all he wants to do is be happy – and beating people up makes him happy.

The curious part of this story is in the inclusion of John Laurinaitis.  I understand that one of the main reasons he is being used is because fans don’t like him and they want those same fans to boo Lesnar since he is tied to him.  Plus, he can be on the show every week.  Hopefully, this won’t overshadow anything that happens to the superstars.

Another interesting twist was when the GM set up a match at the end of the show which saw Lord Tensai – with a lot of inclusion from Sakamoto and David Otunga – score a win over Cena in an Extreme Rules match where everything was legal.  It seemed strange that Cena would lose a match to anyone just weeks before the huge showdown with Lesnar.  I think the bigger story is the fall of Cena after losing to The Rock at WrestleMania 28 and the fallout since then.  Eventually, it will lead to the comeback which is the big picture.

Other thoughts from the show …

• Daniel Bryan is huge in the UK.  YES!  The fans across the pond couldn’t get enough of him during his victory over Kofi Kinston.  It could get tough to keep him as a villain with crowds cheering him on like this.  I think it’s great but I hope there isn’t a panic move to turn him babyface just yet unless there is a double turn with Sheamus going heel.  Really, it’s too early for either of those to happen.
• CM Punk and Mark Henry had a great match to start off the show with Punk successfully defending the WWE Championship in a no-DQ, no countout match.  It was very physical and intense with Punk having to grit out a win with the help of a chair.
• Afterwards, Chris Jericho appeared on the screen and insinuated that Punk was falling into the pitfalls of alcohol like he predicted, showing footage of the straight edge man entering and leaving a pub earlier in the day.  Punk simply explained that he was meeting friends there for a bite but there could be more to the story here.
• There were several befuddling segments on the show with R-Truth dressed as Sherlock Holmes as he looked for a job for Teddy Long.  Really?
• Kane pummeled Zack Ryder in a match that never officially began.  He quickly chokeslammed him but rather than letting the match start, he grabbed a mic as he talked about Randy Orton laying down easier than his old man who he beat up last week on the show.  Kane is getting very tired once again as a weekly character on the show.
• I’ll admit than I am biased when it comes to Dolph Ziggler and I think he will be a major player for the WWE in years to come.  So it’s fair to say I was not a fan of his albeit quick match with Brodus Clay with the big man throwing him around before Jack Swagger ran in and got the same treatment.  At least the Funkasaurus only won by DQ.
• Another head scratching match saw Big Show and the Great Khali defeat Primo and Epico in a non-title match.   I know WWE isn’t big on tag-teams but there has to be something better than this.
• There was a very classy video package shown for the Chief Jay Strongbow who recently passed away.  The company almost seems to be at its best with tributes like this one.

STAMFORD, Conn., April 16, 2012 – WWE (NYSE:WWE) announced today that WrestleMania XXVIII, held April 1 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, set new records for pay-per-view buys and gross sales.  Preliminary estimates show that WrestleMania, featuring  the historic Once in a Lifetime match between The Rock^® and John Cena^®, garnered  1.3 million pay-per-view buys with global gross sales in excess of $67 million including the live event.

WrestleMania was seen around the world on pay-per-view in more than 105 countries and 20 languages.

Next year’s WrestleMania will take place Sunday, April 7, 2013 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.  Ticket information will be announced later this year.

——–

While it’s not as big as the rumored 1.9 million buys, this is still a big number and very good for the company.  1.3 million is nothing to sneeze about in the current economy and $67 million in gross sales is huge.

About a week before WrestleMania 28, I had thought that the show might not even hit one million buys but as the week went on, there was big time buzz for the show that made me change my mind.  But it still exceeded what I had thought the show would do.

I think it goes to show what can be done when have have big stars but also build up to not only a big match but make it into a huge event.  WrestleMania is a big deal every year but this year’s felt special because of what they did for the main event match and something I hope the WWE learns from and does more of.

When I saw that the WWE was promoting this week’s live edition of Smackdown as a ‘Blast From the Past” featuring legends, I didn’t have high expectations.

The company – especially the creative staff – was in a tough position with many of the superstars not available as they were on their way for an overseas tour starting in Russia. So, the legends had to be called in. But even more so, almost none of the storylines advanced with them being short-staffed.

The one standout segment of the show was Piper’s Pit with Rowdy Roddy Piper interviewing Daniel Bryan. Piper was fantastic as he usually is and Bryan more than held his out in a verbal exchange against Hot Rod.

Piper was upset at the way Bryan was treating AJ, blaming her for losing the World Heavyweight Championship in 18 seconds to Sheamus at WrestleMania. Piper called her to the ring to get her side but she said that the former champion was a good guy deep down which didn’t sit well with the legend. She took the blame for Bryan’s loss and hoped he would take her back.

Bryan seemed open to it and said if AJ really loved him, she would leave the ring which she did. But Piper wasn’t done yet as he dressed Bryan down, saying that while his new t-shirt said ‘Yes’, he had a bunch of no’s for him. Like you don’t tell a woman to shut up and you don’t use a woman as a human shield. Piper went on to say that he best part of the upcoming Extreme Rules PPV – where Bryan would face Sheamus in a 2-out-of-3 falls match for the championship – was that he would get to see Sheamus kick his head off twice.  (Read more)

Bryan came back with a smirk on his face and said his dominance of Sheamus would slap a lot of people in the face including Piper’s and proceeded to do just that to Piper before quickly leaving the ring.

Bryan has really opened up a lot of eyes, proving that he has plenty of charisma and he can definitely cut a great promo.

As for the rest of the show, there wasn’t that much. Sheamus apologized for losing his temper and laying out a referee the previous week. GM John Laurinaitis came to the ring and demanded he apologize again to the ref, then to all the referees and to the world which he did. Johnny wanted more and announced he fined Sheamus a record $500,000 for hitting an official. He then make a match for later with Alberto Del Rio and Daniel Bryan against the team of Sheamus and – believe it or not – Mean Gene Okerlund who had announced Sheamus to the ring.

Yes, that was the main event match. At one point, Okerlund got trapped in the corner before he got saved by a group of legends. Del Rio escaped through the crowd but Bryan caught a Brogue kick and was pinned.

Other thoughts from the show …

Remember the days of wrestlers being fined around $500? Inflation sure has gone up.

Randy Orton and Mark Henry were having an OK match before Orton ran to the back after Kane who had laid out his father Cowboy Bob Orton. It was a good way to use his father since they are determined to continue this feud. It’s good to see that Cowboy Bob’s broken arm has finally healed after more than 20 years. I assume it’s healed since he wasn’t wearing a cast.

There was a really bad match with The Great Khali along with Alicia Fox and Natayla beating Drew McIntyre and the Bella Twins. I do like Mae Young but I don’t need to see her make out with anyone much less Khali.

People still love Hacksaw Jim Duggan and he had a very brief match with Hunico before Sergeant Slaughter came down to stop Camacho who tried to interfere. I could see something more with Duggan and Hunico to really get people to hate him.

Damien Sandow had another strong pre-taped promo where he put down social media. I guess he isn’t following the WWE initiative and won’t be on Twitter. #NOPUSH

In case you didn’t know, Brock Lesnar is back with the WWE.

At the end of last week’s Raw, the beast made his return and quickly made his mark, laying out John Cena in the middle of the ring with an emphatic F5.

With that one move, Lesnar brought with him plenty of excitement and the curiosity of what would be next. Last night, we saw the next step in not only his return but in his new blood feud with Cena.

John Laurinaitis began the show by announcing Lesnar was bringing legitimacy back to the WWE. Now that he was back, he would be facing Cena at the April 29 Extreme Rules PPV. Lesnar then came to the ring and thanked the General Manager for having him but was quickly cut off by Cena who entered the ring and slapped the former UCF Heavyweight Champion in the face. An angered Lesnar immediately took Cena down and busted him lip with a short right hand.

It turned out to be a fantastic segment with the entire locker room from superstars to producers and referees trying to hold these two wild men apart. Both broke free at different times, trying to get their hands on the other until Lesnar was physically pulled from the ring. Lesnar walked away with a smug grin, knowing that he had busted up the WWE’s golden boy.  (Read more)

This wouldn’t be the end of the two on this evening either. After the main event where Cena defeated David Otunga, Lesnar snuck up behind him with a vicious low blow followed by another devastating F5. Yes, Brock Lesnar is a man to be dealt with and doesn’t just want to beat John Cena – he wants to make an example out of him.

While the interaction between the two has been tremendous so far, I think it’s too early to have them meet in a match. Lesnar just came back and in four weeks, he’ll be having his return match on a ‘B’ PPV. While he is hot at the moment, I think it would make more sense to hold off on his first match back until Summerslam in August against Cena. By then, the feud between them should be boiling. Plus, he should only get in the ring for the biggest shows.

While some people thought the build between Cena and The Rock for WrestleMania 28 feel a bit short, when it came time for the match it was a big deal. It was an event. This was The Rock taking on John Cena on the biggest stage, a match for the ages. It was once in a lifetime.

When Lesnar gets back in the ring, it should be an event. It should be a really big deal. That is why I think this feud should have played out until then.

Still, I won’t say that they’ve slowed Lesnar’s momentum one bit. The monster is back and is ready to attack and Cena is his first target.

One thing that did almost slow his momentum and the entire show was the appearance of The Three Stooges. I’ll admit that I’m not a fan of theirs and the movie looks awful. They were probably booked for the shows weeks before the company had reached a deal with Lesnar to come back. But it seemed very awkward to talk about how Lesnar’s return was bringing legitimacy back to the WWE on the same night that those three were playing out their goofy shenanigans.

Others thoughts from the show …

• Give WWE a lot of credit for replaying the opening brawl between Lesnar and Cena throughout the show and the close-ups on Cena busted lip. They don’t do blood very often these days but showing it here added to the realism of the segment and the hatred between these two men.
• While Lesnar is not the greatest talker in the world, he can handle himself. I liked the backstage interview he did near the end of the show talking about how he is proud of himself. “I’m not here to make friends. I’m a war machine … an ass kicker.” That was just a small portion of what he said but he said it with such conviction and arrogance. He’s a bully and nothing more.
• It did seem a bit weird that a fired up Cena should have looking to take out his frustrations on Otunga and give him a beating instead had a wrestling match with him, exchanging hip locks and other moves before getting the upper hand and the win. I thought he should have gone after Otunga and tore him apart.
• Speaking of goofy shenanigans, I understand that this is sports entertainment and having comedy segments with guys like Brodus Clay and Santino. I’ll even admit that I got a good laugh out of the Funkasaurus and his momma at WrestleMania. What I don’t understand is having them beat Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger making the two former world champions look bad because they can’t even win a match like this. Both Swagger and especially Ziggler have tremendous potential and I think deserve a little better, especially when the WWE needs to be pushing some younger guys and get them ready for the main event level.
• One more thing on the Stooges … while Will Sasso does a great Hulk Hogan impression, him coming out in the yellow and red didn’t go over one bit and all three of them got booed out of the building. Luckily, Kane put an end to this segment and chokeslammed the fake Hulkster. Anyone else catch Michael Cole’s joke on the very round Sasso when he first came out in Hogan gear when he said, “He’s lost some weight”. Ouch.
• I thought that CM Punk did a very good job explaining all the reasons why is upset with Chris Jericho although the live crowd in Washington DC may have thought it went on a bit too long. The best part was after Mark Henry once again defeated Punk by disqualification, Jericho mocked and taunted Punk by dumped a 12 pack of beer on him one can at a time. Jericho is looking like a massive jerk here which is exactly what they are going for. I’m sure Punk will try to get his revenge at Extreme Rules. In the meantime, Henry will get another show at the WWE Championship next week on Raw in a no-DQ match.
• It looks like Alberto Del Rio is getting back on track with a convincing win over Zack Ryder.
• Too bad Daniel Bryan wasn’t on the show considering all the ‘YES’ signs in the crowd.