At exactly the halfway point of this past weekend’s 2015 Royal Rumble match, Bray Wyatt had crashed into Daniel Bryan, who was posted up on the apron. As Bryan’s feet hit the ground, the fans packed in Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center were in utter shock and disbelief, not wanting to grasp the fact that the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion was snubbed from the winner’s circle so early into the match. Seconds after Goldust made his presence felt as the 16th entrant, the WWE Universe turned on the match (just like they did last year), booing mercilessly until the final frame since the result was obvious and it was written in the stars for Roman Reigns.

Despite fans wanting the leader of the “Yes! Movement” in the main event of WrestleMania 31 this upcoming March, it didn’t seem ideal to have him win at the Royal Rumble and repeat his fairytale run of last year. Despite WWE officials giving Bryan the nod after the revolt caused by fans, which was the reason Bryan became a late addition to the Triple Threat Match involving Randy Orton and Batista at last year’s WrestleMania 30, it seemed a tad too unrealistic to expect a repeat. However, Brock Lesnar’s inclusion would have made for an interesting contest, and truth be told, Bryan has the experience and skill to shine on the biggest stage of them all. After all, he’s a veteran at this point in his career, backed by the thousands of fans that cheer his every move.

With that said, why was Bryan thrown out so quickly? It could be because he really isn’t all that fit, coming back from multiple surgeries which took him out of pro-wrestling for almost a year. Yet, that seems a little too unconvincing, based on his recent matches against Wyatt and Kane on WWE programming leading up to the pay-per-view. Maybe WWE’s goal was to shun him out of the big picture, eliminating him in the early stages so fans wouldn’t start a racket.

If that was the case, WWE failed miserably.

via bleacherreport.com
via bleacherreport.com

After coming in at number 10 and lasting only five more spots, Bryan’s elimination saw the excitement fizzle out of the match fast, as fans started to boo quite loudly, turning on the match and becoming disinterested fast. Not only did the crowd chant his name, they also chanted “bullsh*t” and “we want refunds” when they saw Kane and Big Show, two seasoned veterans way past their prime, take the spotlight with Roman Reigns as the final three members, after the two giants eliminated Wyatt, Dolph Ziggler, and Dean Ambrose with ease after tossing them out effortlessly.

Not even The Rock, who returned to save his real-life cousin Reigns from additional punishment, could calm the fans down in his pointless inclusion.

It may not be a popular opinion, but the former Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling Noah superstar didn’t even have to win the Rumble. He just needed to last until the final four. If WWE was scared of the backlash, they turned to a worse idea, having Bryan eliminated before the likes of Big E, Adam Rose, and Titus O’Neil made their respective appearances. This was all predicted, too, since the majority of diehard fans wouldn’t have settled for a Reigns win if they witnessed Bryan written off in unfair fashion. Because of the events, not only did the Philly crowd storm the parking lot to block some wrestlers leaving the arena in their cars, the WWE Network’s cancellation page crashed after the event, with dozens of fans uploading their annulment images online.

It’s safe to say WWE doesn’t know what their audience desires, or they simply don’t care. If Reigns is believed to properly carry the torch into the near future, he’s going to have haters by the hundreds to fight off. It’s not exactly his fault, just like it wasn’t Batista’s fault when the brass decided “The Animal” would win last year’s Royal Rumble match. However, he’s still extremely green, and if the audience was going to settle for no less than a Bryan win, maybe they should have been heard earlier.

via 411mania.com
via 411mania.com

It may not even be about Bryan, more so than it is about the fans not getting what they want in a watered-down pro-wrestling world. WWE’s Reality Era isn’t pleasing everyone, even though PG-rated pro-wrestling isn’t the problem. It could be about the constant letdowns and unrealistic expectations that the bosses have (primarily Vince McMahon), and how they are completely out of touch with their audience. It raises concerns that WWE’s choices in the current main event picture means they may never again play caretaker, and that last year’s historical Bryan win was the only time they were going to please us after the fandom threw a boatload of fireballs in the opposite direction. Is it only Bryan, or is it fair to say the likes of Ziggler, Ambrose, and Cesaro have been suffering, too?

Also, how much rebelling can fans do? Can we fairly say they cause a stir whenever they don’t get what they want? It may be true, but in this instance, it felt like 90% of the fans hated to see Bryan out so early, and WWE had to know that. Something’s got to give.

Maybe WWE has a plan. Perhaps we’ll know more about Bryan on Monday Night Raw in the upcoming weeks, and there’s a good chance WWE inserts him into the match again this year so the fans won’t cause disorder from now until the very last second of the WrestleMania 31 main event. Whatever the case may be, WWE has some explaining to do, and what better time than on the Stone Cold Podcast next week, as WWE legends Stone Cold Steve Austin and Triple H discuss the state of affairs.

There’s a chance Bryan will continue his feud with Wyatt, which is appeasing for the hardcore fans, but bittersweet too, since these two have already struck while the iron was hot. Now, it just feels like overkill. With John Cena beginning a feud with Rusev moments after the show, all roads lead to a program against Seth Rollins.

Whatever the future holds for Bryan, Wyatt or Rollins will serve as great entertainment, yet it’s not what fans are expecting for the returning superstar while it would be in their best interest to cut costs on WWE and start indulging into Japanese wrestling and the booming Indy scene.