# Bryan Danielson says he didn't like Rock and Austin growing up because they "only talked"



## PhenomenalOne11 (Oct 2, 2016)

Good God I like Bryan but the dude is a bit of an idiot sometimes. Yes, Rock and Austin, totally known for not being good in ring wrestlers. This dude would have pushed Dean Malenko and other talentless dorks like Lance Storm if he was booking the 90s. 

Funny how all of these guys look up to HBK yet they only seem to adapt his in ring skills and not his charisma and promo ability, which is what made him the complete package. Too many workrate dorks.


----------



## ElTerrible (Feb 8, 2004)

The Rock vs. Bryan Danielson at DON confirmed.


----------



## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

PhenomenalOne11 said:


> View attachment 109884
> 
> 
> Good God I like Bryan but the dude is a bit of an idiot sometimes. Yes, Rock and Austin, totally known for not being good in ring wrestlers. This dude would have pushed Dean Malenko and other talentless dorks like Lance Storm if he was booking the 90s.
> ...


not everybody likes Rock and SCSA 🤷‍♂️


----------



## Geert Wilders (Jan 18, 2021)

I see nothing wrong with Danielson's opinion, here. He did not say there is no place for wrestlers like Austin (who was a great wrestler prior to his injury) and Rock. He said that they were his least favourite. That is his opinion.

It literally says in the quote "as a fan" as well. OP acting like he would push Dean Malenko and other robots lmao.


----------



## RamPaige (Jun 10, 2017)

They're some people like that, it's not a big deal. I had a friend in high school who didn't like any of the top guys like Cena or even Rock and Austin, he liked the "wrestler wrestlers" and the monsters like Brock and Batista. It's not like Daniel said Rock and Austin were bad wrestlers, just not his type. He never pretended Rock and Austin couldn't wrestle or were bad promos, like how people on here do with Becky.


----------



## IronMan8 (Dec 25, 2015)

I understand where he’s coming from with his wrestler’s wrestler perspective, but dissing Rock & Austin to make that point will lead to some fans liking him less.

Some people will see that quote and think that Bryan thinks it’s all about the in-ring wrestling while talking or charisma are not important. That’s not what Bryan said, but it’s how people will hear it.


----------



## La Parka (Oct 28, 2008)

Daniel Bryan does seem the type to rave about a Fit Finley and Billy Kidman match on thunder while everyone is talking about how amazing Goldberg is.


----------



## I eat mangos (Sep 23, 2014)

I felt the same way. I grew out of it as I got older and came to appreciate the whole package of pro-wrestling. I doubt Bryan is suggesting that's all that matters now that he is older and wiser.


----------



## the_flock (Nov 23, 2016)

Workrate guy prefers workrate guys shocker.

Which makes it even funnier that the only reason he got over was because of a stupid chant.


----------



## Ucok (Sep 29, 2017)

Did he know that Austin was in-ring skills or technical kind when he was Ringmaster and I believe The Rock could do those fancy wrestling skills action if he wants to, just look his match against Benoit at Fully Loaded 2000.

The problems is,fans back then were more into drama instead in-ring action.


----------



## LongPig666 (Mar 27, 2019)

For me this is pretty ironic. It was the Danielson v McGuiness' unified RoH title that made me love wrestling after years of being bored to tears with "If a ya can smell what the Rock is cooking"! for the billionth time. A great promo is great but its the in-ring wizardry which truly moves the crowds.



PhenomenalOne11 said:


> Yes, Rock and Austin, totally known for not being good in ring wrestlers.


That applies to the Rock (who was awful in-ring) but not Austin.


----------



## Lorromire (Jun 17, 2014)

Damn PO, you reaching hard as fuck for that one


----------



## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

I feel like the majority of wrestlers these days would have that same opinion. Business is full of life long fans these days. Back then it was mostly athletes and bouncers that happened to fall into wrestling.


----------



## PhenomenalOne11 (Oct 2, 2016)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> not everybody likes Rock and SCSA 🤷‍♂️


It's more that he said that all they did was talk than anything. I always thought Rock and Austin were pretty good in the ring 🤷


----------



## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

Geert Wilders said:


> I see nothing wrong with Danielson's opinion, here. He did not say there is no place for wrestlers like Austin (who was a great wrestler prior to his injury) and Rock. He said that they were his least favourite. That is his opinion.
> 
> It literally says in the quote "as a fan" as well. OP acting like he would push Dean Malenko and other robots lmao.


I mean we do know Bryan himself pushed for Drew Gulak to get more of a push. So yeah Bryan might have pushed Malenko hard


----------



## Erik. (Mar 17, 2014)

Pro wrestler likes Pro wrestling.

Shocker.


----------



## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

PhenomenalOne11 said:


> It's more that he said that all they did was talk than anything. I always thought Rock and Austin were pretty good in the ring


They're great in-ring, thing is online great wrestling is pretty much drawn down to folk who can chain grapple excellently and folk that can fly.


----------



## Geert Wilders (Jan 18, 2021)

RapShepard said:


> I mean we do know Bryan himself pushed for Drew Gulak to get more of a push. So yeah Bryan might have pushed Malenko hard


I mean even WWE saw something in him so we can’t put everything on Bryan here. Bro was signed twice lol.


----------



## That Green Mfer (Oct 1, 2021)

Nothing wrong with voicing his opinion considering some of you guys on here say worse than he just did. And it's not like he's lying. I couldn't get into the rock because his fans and his promos. Different with stone cold because he could cut a promo and wrestle but his fans made me not like him. So in a way, I agree with Bryan Danielson.🤷


----------



## yeahright2 (Feb 11, 2011)

RapShepard said:


> They're great in-ring, thing is online great wrestling is pretty much drawn down to folk who can chain grapple excellently and folk that can fly.


No they´re not. But they make up for it with personality and charisma. Especially Austin after the injury sucked as a pure wrestler, that´s why 95% of his matches went outside the ring -to hide the flaws.


----------



## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

yeahright2 said:


> No they´re not. But they make up for it with personality and charisma. Especially Austin after the injury sucked as a pure wrestler, that´s why 95% of his matches went outside the ring -to hide the flaws.


Yeah they are, there's a reason Rock and Austin are bigger draws than Bret and HBK. There's more ways to be a great wrestler than just being technical


----------



## That Green Mfer (Oct 1, 2021)

yeahright2 said:


> No they´re not. But they make up for it with personality and charisma. Especially Austin after the injury sucked as a pure wrestler, that´s why 95% of his matches went outside the ring -to hide the flaws.


Steve Austin was ALWAYS an excellent wrestler.


----------



## thorn123 (Oct 10, 2019)

Wrestling is the whole package but everyone is allowed their favourites. I like big character wrestlers and in ring technicians.


----------



## bmtrocks (Dec 17, 2012)

I think you're taking this out of context lol. This doesn't mean he views them as bad wrestlers just when he was younger he wasn't a fan of them because he preferred workrate guys. My favorite guy to watch in WWE is Cesaro but I still think Roman is killing it with his character work but could careless about watching his matches. There isn't anything mutually exclusive about this.


----------



## Peggio Boys (Aug 7, 2019)

It's his opinion. I think it's asinine and all, but he's entitled to it i guess.

Inviato dal mio SM-A125F utilizzando Tapatalk


----------



## Borko (Nov 2, 2007)

Austin was a great in ring performer before Owen Hart almost killed him at Summerslam in 1997.


----------



## Slickdude458 (May 26, 2020)

Well he's chatting rubbish promos and character work easily the most entertaining part of the product , not the fake fighting for 500 hours like we get in AEW to much wrestling is zzzzz


----------



## Interceptor88 (May 5, 2010)

Erik. said:


> Pro wrestler likes Pro wrestling.
> 
> Shocker.


Well, feuds, promos and characters are as important as in ring action in prowrestling, so I guess that's why some people don't understand why would Bryan say that.


----------



## God Movement (Aug 3, 2011)

"Growing up"

He is now older and wiser and understands why Rock and Austin are the GOATs. That's one of the best things about D-Bry, he is willing to evolve and change his perspective.


----------



## The XL 2 (Sep 13, 2016)

Rock and Austin had more captivating television matches weekly than anything Bryan has ever done.


----------



## Prized Fighter (Aug 31, 2016)

Guy who is a fan of technical wrestling say he always preferred technical wrestling. News at 11.



The XL 2 said:


> Rock and Austin had more captivating television matches weekly than anything Bryan has ever done.


Bwahahahahaha. So much hyperbole.


----------



## Dove* (Mar 15, 2010)

Well in his opinion one of the two greatests are HBK and RIc Flair. And they are much better wrestlers than The Rock and Stone Cold. I don't get it what you can't agree on that. It's a fact.


----------



## Nacho Esqueleto (Aug 5, 2021)

the_flock said:


> Which makes it even funnier that the only reason he got over was because of a stupid chant.


What an ignorant statement.
He was over long before he arrived in WWE.
He got over in WWE for many reasons, arguably the best in-ring wrestler of his generation, overcoming a career threatening injury, putting others over and he doesn't seem like a total tool like certain members of the roster.


----------



## Krin (Apr 8, 2018)

DB inspired a generation of mediocre vanilla acrobats. Austin and Rock are stars, he isn't.


----------



## the_flock (Nov 23, 2016)

Nacho Esqueleto said:


> What an ignorant statement.
> He was over long before he arrived in WWE.
> He got over in WWE for many reasons, arguably the best in-ring wrestler of his generation, overcoming a career threatening injury, putting others over and he doesn't seem like a total tool like certain members of the roster.


I meant over to the mass audience, not to a niche group of smarks who only care if you can wrestle for longer than 90 mins.

Also, what's his generation? He started wrestling in 99. I wouldn't say he's the best in the last 20 years.


----------



## deadcool (May 4, 2006)

If infact Danielson made that statement, then he's wrong. Rock & Austin were the greatest talents of that generation and for a good reason; they knew how to cut a promo, delivered in the ring and had charisma. Furthermore, no sane person can say that about Austin after watching his match against Bret at WM. The Rock delivered the greatest match in wrestling history when he fought Hogan at WM.


----------



## yeahright2 (Feb 11, 2011)

RapShepard said:


> Yeah they are, there's a reason Rock and Austin are bigger draws than Bret and HBK. There's more ways to be a great wrestler than just being technical


I don´t think we disagree. But the topic is Bryan not liking them because they´re not "wrestler wrestlers". And in that regard he´s right. Neither of them wins any awards for being great in-ring talent like a Dean Malenko, Lance Storm or Chris Benoit (yeah, I said it)


----------



## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

yeahright2 said:


> I don´t think we disagree. But the topic is Bryan not liking them because they´re not "wrestler wrestlers". And in that regard he´s right. Neither of them wins any awards for being great in-ring talent like a Dean Malenko, Lance Storm or Chris Benoit (yeah, I said it)


What I'm saying is the idea of wrestler's wrestler is narrow. The fact so many wrestler's wrestler didn't make money highlights how maybe they ain't it.


----------



## Missionary Chief (Aug 1, 2021)

Cold Stone > The Rock


----------



## DaSlacker (Feb 9, 2020)

?????? 

When I was growing up Austin was having some fantastic back and forth matches with Dustin Rhodes, Barry Windham, Brian Pillman, Marc Mero, Bret Hart... 

He only really relied on talking after the neck injury.


----------



## Prized Fighter (Aug 31, 2016)

RapShepard said:


> What I'm saying is the idea of wrestler's wrestler is narrow. The fact so many wrestler's wrestler didn't make money highlights how maybe they ain't it.


That isn't Bryan's point though. He is giving his personal favorites, not saying the mass audience was wrong for liking Austin/Rock. Some people clearly do prefer in-ring savy over promo/strong personalities. It is just a personal opinion thing. It also isn't fair to say that the work rate style only works for a niche audience. Bryan Danielson had 75,000 people celebrating his win at Wrestlemania 30. It does take a proper story for anything to work, but paying off those stories with incredible matches is also key. If you have a shit match then the whole thing falls flat. No matter how many good promos are cut. The Rock vs Hogan was a garbage match from a technical standpoint, but it was enough of a spectacle to enjoy and the story was good. Bryan vs Kenny was also a big spectacle (different level), but if their match sucked then it would have been a big detriment to AEW's reputation. Those two thing can both work.

Me personally, I like anybody that is exceptional at something. Bryan is one of my favorite wrestlers ever because no one hits the highs he has in the ring and he versatility to have good matches with pretty much anyone. I also like The Rock because he has a presence about him and nobody pulls off the catch phrase style of promo as good as him. I also like Mick Foley, who was a garbage in-ring wrestler, but made up for it with a unique hardcore style. Kenny is another guy who's highs are the biggest in the current industry. I don't watch WWE enough to give an opinion on Roman, but I assume it is similar.


----------



## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

Prized Fighter said:


> That isn't Bryan's point though. He is giving his personal favorites, not saying the mass audience was wrong for liking Austin/Rock. Some people clearly do prefer in-ring savy over promo/strong personalities. It is just a personal opinion thing.
> 
> Me personally, I like anybody that is exceptional at something. Bryan is one of my favorite wrestlers ever because no one hits the highs he has in the ring and he versatility to have good matches with pretty much anyone. I also like The Rock because he has a presence about him and nobody pulls off the catch phrase style of promo as good as him. I also like Mick Foley, who was a garbage in-ring wrestler, but made up for it with a unique hardcore style.


Just because he's not saying folk are wrong for liking Rock and Austin, doesn't mean he's not drawing a clear line on what he defines as being a "wrestler". That's the thing Bryan and wrestlers and fans that prioritize that style he does tend to overly present that style as the real deal. 

Saying that I don't mean to say Bryan isn't fun go watch. But there's a pretentiousness attached to Bryan's style and it's silly because historically speaking it's not backed by the folk that drew the most.


----------



## thorwold (Dec 19, 2015)

Wow, he's not just entitled to like what he likes?  Rough fucking times.


----------



## DOTL (Jan 3, 2012)

Round about way of saying “I was a Benoit guy.”


----------



## rollinsnation91 (Nov 29, 2016)

RamPaige said:


> They're some people like that, it's not a big deal. I had a friend in high school who didn't like any of the top guys like Cena or even Rock and Austin, he liked the "wrestler wrestlers" and the monsters like Brock and Batista. It's not like Daniel said Rock and Austin were bad wrestlers, just not his type. He never pretended Rock and Austin couldn't wrestle or were bad promos, like how people on here do with Becky.


Totally understandable but sometimes having to cut a good promo is also a + skill though having better in-ring skills is def above it. Orton and Rollins are better wrestlers but has average mic skills. Hardy is a terrific wrestler/highflyer but terrible on the mic.


----------



## Undertaker23RKO (Jun 11, 2011)

So what? Bryan is clearly in love with the wrestling part of professional wrestling. It's not as though he said they sucked or didn't draw. He simply wasn't a fan.


----------



## Fearless Viper (Apr 6, 2019)

I think Bryan was one of the early smark on the IWC back in the day.


----------



## RainmakerV2 (Nov 8, 2017)

Nerds gonna nerd


----------



## Geert Wilders (Jan 18, 2021)

Fearless Viper said:


> I think Bryan was one of the early smark on the IWC back in the day.







__





The Rock Died!







groups.google.com





This must be him.



> Hi. I would like to inform you that Rocky Johnson Jr. otherwise known as
> the Rock has passed away in Brooklyn, New York at the age of 23!
> Well this is what happened. The Rock was SUCKING Stone Cold's COCK and
> by accident bit and took off Stone Colds COCK!
> ...


----------



## Prized Fighter (Aug 31, 2016)

RapShepard said:


> Just because he's not saying folk are wrong for liking Rock and Austin, doesn't mean he's not drawing a clear line on what he defines as being a "wrestler". That's the thing Bryan and wrestlers and fans that prioritize that style he does tend to overly present that style as the real deal.
> 
> Saying that I don't mean to say Bryan isn't fun go watch. But there's a pretentiousness attached to Bryan's style and it's silly because historically speaking it's not backed by the folk that drew the most.


Is that a triple negative statement? NVM, not important.

Your projecting in-ring fans opinions as a whole on to Bryan. Nothing he mentioned in that quote stated in-ring is better then promos or draws more. He was stating his preferred choice. It isn't deeper then that. 

Also saying historically one drew over the other is debatable. All parts are necessary to draw. If the Rock was Nia Jax levels of bad in the ring, then he wouldn't have drawn the same. At some point, you have to pay off all the shit talking. If Bret Hart didn't work on his promos, then he would have been just another guy. It takes both to be a mega star, but to just be a star you need to be exceptional at one or the other. 

We can have a separate debate about what is considered a mega star and why there aren't any currently in wrestling.


----------



## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

Prized Fighter said:


> Is that a triple negative statement? NVM, not important.
> 
> Your projecting in-ring fans opinions as a whole on to Bryan. Nothing he mentioned in that quote stated in-ring is better then promos or draws more. He was stating his preferred choice. It isn't deeper then that.
> 
> ...


What I'm saying is simple

1. Bryan is clearly saying what he defines as the real wrestlers. Because he framed it as the "wrestler's wrestler". 

2. Those guys historically aren't as great of draws as the guys that "all they did was talk" 

It's not a debatable conversation. There's no debate in who's the biggest draws between Hogan, Flair, Bret, HBK, Sting, Savage, Rock, and Austin. The reality is none of the "wrestler's wrestler" would win this.


----------



## Natsuke (Dec 2, 2009)

It's not bad to like more technical wrestling.

I don't understand for the life of me why people are taking this statement so personally. So what if he didn't like Rock and Austin?

Is it some sort of requirement on your wrestling resume that says "*Must have undying love for The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin*" in order to be hired or something?


----------



## Prized Fighter (Aug 31, 2016)

RapShepard said:


> What I'm saying is simple
> 
> 1. Bryan is clearly saying what he defines as the real wrestlers. Because he framed it as the "wrestler's wrestler".
> 
> ...


I am not debating that Austin or Rock weren't bigger draws then Bret or HBK. My point is that they didn't just draw because they could talk. They were exciting in the ring. They had good matches even if they weren't technical wizards. If they don't deliver in that area, they wouldn't have drawn the same. Brock is essentially a mute, but he is biggest draw in the industry currently. He gets over because he draws you into his matches with his presence and ability. In-ring wrestling is a necessary part of drawing, just like promos are. Cut promos as much as possible, but if you don't pay off that talk with physicality, it will fall flat.


----------



## reamstyles (Aug 9, 2016)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> not everybody likes Rock and SCSA 🤷‍♂️


But sure they are few in between..


----------



## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

Prized Fighter said:


> I am not debating that Austin or Rock weren't bigger draws then Bret or HBK. My point is that they didn't just draw because they could talk. They were exciting in the ring. They had good matches even if they weren't technical wizards. If they don't deliver in that area, they wouldn't have drawn the same. Brock is essentially a mute, but he is biggest draw in the industry currently. He gets over because he draws you into his matches with his presence and ability. In-ring wrestling is a necessary part of drawing, just like promos are. Cut promos as much as possible, but if you don't pay off that talk, it is falls flat.


Yes on some basis we agree. I'm saying that clearly folk didn't find guys like Hogan, Rock, and Austin to be uninteresting in-ring


----------



## reamstyles (Aug 9, 2016)

People cant just accept that for mainstream the only selling point for pro wrestling is the talking part and the wreatling they see it as "fake and choreographed"


----------



## The_It_Factor (Aug 14, 2012)

When I was 14 I liked watching guys fall through a pyramid of flaming tables and thumbtacks on CZW rather than watch Austin or The Rock because I thought the latter was boring.

As an adult, I realize that my opinion was wrong.


----------



## RainmakerV2 (Nov 8, 2017)

I don't think Austin or Rock ever had a bad or even below average main event match. Maybe that Austin vs. Taker 2002 match when Austin was pretty much shot.


----------



## Sad Panda (Aug 16, 2021)

Danielson kicking fucking heads in verbally by just giving his perception as a kid growing up. Dudes a beast. 

Some of you are so butthurt for no reason lol


----------



## TonySirico (Sep 8, 2021)

he's entitled to his opinion. i loved austin and rock but van dam and super crazy were my two favorites from that era bc of all the crazy shit they did inside and out of the ring.


----------



## Prized Fighter (Aug 31, 2016)

RapShepard said:


> Yes on some basis we agree. I'm saying that clearly folk didn't find guys like Hogan, Rock, and Austin to be uninteresting in-ring


Fair, we can agree on that. Granted, I personally find Hogan uninteresting in the ring, but that is a different debate and I can accept that the wider audience liked him. Give Randy Savage the same push as Hogan and he draws the same amount.



reamstyles said:


> People cant just accept that for mainstream the only selling point for pro wrestling is the talking part and the wreatling they see it as "fake and choreographed"


There are literally people who give each other stunners, RKOs, and sleeper holds for fun. Do you think they got that from the promos?


----------



## Klitschko (May 24, 2020)

It's funny, all they did was talk, yet those two had better and more memorable matches inside that ring than anything Danielson ever did. Weird how that works. By the way, this is coming from a big Danielson fan.


----------



## Sad Panda (Aug 16, 2021)

Klitschko said:


> It's funny, all they did was talk, yet those two had better and more memorable matches inside that ring than anything Danielson ever did. Weird how that works. By the way, this is coming from a big Danielson fan.


His work during wrestlemania 30 was pretty darn memorable. Whether it’s up there with whatever Rock or Austin did is subject for debate, I think it’s one of the great moments in WWF/E history


----------



## Freelancer (Aug 24, 2010)

I respect his opinion. He's a excellent technical wrestler, so I would imagine thats what he liked to watch.


----------



## GothicBohemian (May 26, 2012)

Vegetarian? Check.
Environmentally aware? Check.
Anti-consumerist? Check.
Likes wrestlers who wrestle more than talkers? Check.

My kind of person. No wonder I like him.


----------



## Metalhead1 (Jan 21, 2019)

There is a reason that Stone Cold and The Rock became so huge. Not only were they solid in the ring (especially The Rock), they had extremely charismatic and magnetic personalities, created spectacular characters, and delivered awesome promos. Everything that I love about wrestling.

By contrast. WWE has plenty of "wrestler wrestlers" and they're boring enough to put insomniacs to sleep. Zero charisma or personality whatsoever.

But honestly, this is not a big deal. Bryan voiced his opinion and he was not disrespectful in doing so.


----------



## BlackieDevil (Oct 11, 2016)

PhenomenalOne11 said:


> View attachment 109884
> 
> 
> Yes, Rock and Austin, totally known for not being good in ring wrestlers.


The Rock and Austin were fantastic wrestlers.


----------



## CM Buck (Sep 2, 2012)

Very clever non offensive bait @PhenomenalOne11 you're forgiven for not bothering to listen or read what Bryan said to further your game here

I really enjoyed your Bryan would push lance storm Dean malenko hyperbole. Well done way to friendly rile this section up sir


----------



## TeamFlareZakk (Jul 15, 2020)

I agree with Bryan Danielson. I did like Stone Cold when he was opening the cans of whoop ass, but there was always the issue that he was working with Vince McMahon whom would always fuck it up with the clown shit. 

Never cared for The Rock at all, like Bryan said he is right all he ever did was talk and alot of the stuff Rock says is cringe and back then when The Rock was a wrestler there was alot of guys there better than him and nowadays The Rock just downright isnt a wrestler anymore.


----------



## AuthorOfPosts (Feb 9, 2020)

They did suck in the ring but they were entertaining enough on the mic to grow the business and make themselves stars. And to be fair, I don't think Bryan is disagreeing with that. He's just giving his opinion on who he preferred. Don't see the issue.


----------



## The XL 2 (Sep 13, 2016)

Anyone who thinks Austin and Rock sucked in the ring don't understand what they're watching. They don't have the technical ability of Danielson but they work absolute circles around him.


----------



## reamstyles (Aug 9, 2016)

Prized Fighter said:


> Fair, we can agree on that. Granted, I personally find Hogan uninteresting in the ring, but that is a different debate and I can accept that the wider audience liked him. Give Randy Savage the same push as Hogan and he draws the same amount.
> 
> 
> 
> There are literally people who give each other stunners, RKOs, and sleeper holds for fun. Do you think they got that from the promos?


Exactly, do they need 50 minute matches to do rko and stunners? Do they need to be in match to perform it. Do more people careon daniel bryan 50 minute match or do they care more on his yes kicks?


----------



## stew mack (Apr 24, 2013)

It is just his personal opinion growing up. It took me years to appreciate Flair, growing up I didnt like him at all. Does that mean I think he sucks? no, it just means I didnt like him. That being said, this opinion is indicative of a problem in wrestling today, far too often they push the "im a real rassler" types and leave money on the table like they did with Ryback. say what you want, Ryback was O-VER in 2012. But he jobbed out to CM freaking Punk by getting tapped out in what was technically a handicap match



Prized Fighter said:


> Bwahahahahaha. So much hyperbole.


this satement is not though: Austin and The Rock both have multiple moments where they got pops that were at least as big as DB's, perhaps louder


----------



## reamstyles (Aug 9, 2016)

Lets appreciate DB as guy who can be a good technical wrestler at the same time capable err excellent entertainer and lets respect him to go back in his roots maybe for the last time..


----------



## Jbardo37 (Aug 20, 2021)

When he was young he preferred more technical wrestlers, so what?

BTW Austin was great in the ring pre 98 and in 2001, he just worked the attitude era style in 99 where they were hardly any wrestling moves, Rock was good.


----------



## Stylebender (Oct 12, 2019)

Big deal, everyone has different taste. When I was a kid my favorites were the guys that looked the coolest. I thought Booker T coming out on smackdown in 04 with the can you dig it and flames was the coolest shit ever. 

Then as I became a teenager in the late 2000s and discovered japanese and indywrestling I became more of a purist and loved guys like bryan,devitt, aj styles, low ki and more. 

Now I can appreciate any talent. Whether its a really good promo or a really good match. We all have different taste.


----------



## validreasoning (Jul 4, 2012)

This might shock folk who weren't kids or young teens during AE but not everyone loved Austins schtick and especially Rock during that time period. Bryan grew up with Flair, Bret/Owen and Shawn who did cut promos but were great workers. 



RainmakerV2 said:


> I don't think Austin or Rock ever had a bad or even below average main event match. Maybe that Austin vs. Taker 2002 match when Austin was pretty much shot.


Sorry but Austin vs Taker buried alive is one of the worst ppv mainevents in WWE history


----------



## Prized Fighter (Aug 31, 2016)

reamstyles said:


> Exactly, do they need 50 minute matches to do rko and stunners? Do they need to be in match to perform it. Do more people careon daniel bryan 50 minute match or do they care more on his yes kicks?


You specifically said that the only selling point for the mainstream audience is "the talking part", though. That just isn't true. People reference sharpshooters, chokeslams, stunners, RKOs, etc because they get enjoyment from the matches themselves. They don't have to be 50 minute clinics, but matches do matter a lot. Also, 50 minute matches are very rare and was a bad example. Most TV matches go around 12-15 minutes currently. Some special situations (Bryan/Omega) happen, but they are not as normal as people make it out to be. A good quality match is one that is technically proficient and is accurate to the story being told. Omega/Page vs The Young Bucks at Revolution 2020 was a great example of how that works.


----------



## PuddleDancer (Nov 26, 2009)

Damn, one of the reason i wasn't a huge DB fan was because his talking wasn't believable and had to be booked as a constant underdog which gets tiresome after awhile.


----------



## Fwwla (Feb 27, 2021)

thorwold said:


> Wow, he's not just entitled to like what he likes?  Rough fucking times.


For fucking real, why are people attacking Bryan for this? It’s what he enjoys PERSONALLY, and I agree with him on The Rock. I think Austin was way better than Rock in the ring though, even though they’re both known for mic skills. Rock was always sloppy in the ring with his sharpshooter for example, but Austin could hit a good spine buster and be technical. Bryan didn’t say talking didn’t get them popular or anything, just that he preferred other wrestlers and people go fucking insane, it’s ridiculous. People on this forum are truly something else, other wrestling forums and dedicated to wrestling discussions I come across aren’t this bad.


----------



## PuddleDancer (Nov 26, 2009)

The XL 2 said:


> Rock and Austin had more captivating television matches weekly than anything Bryan has ever done.


literally


----------



## Wolf Mark (Jun 5, 2020)

That explains so much about the current state of pro wrestling. Bunch of workate marks. 

I'm guessing Danielson didn't watch Bret vs Austin at Mania. I don't think I have seen a BD match that was as great.


----------



## ThenWo/WCW (Jan 8, 2014)

the rock vs triple h judgement day 2000 >>> Daniel bryan career



stone cold vs triple h 2001 no way out >>>> Daniel bryan career ..


----------



## the44boz (Apr 29, 2014)

the_flock said:


> Workrate guy prefers workrate guys shocker.
> 
> Which makes it even funnier that the only reason he got over was because of a stupid chant.


Like he said he didn't like them because they only talked. Bryan likes wrestlers that only chant one word.


----------



## Fwwla (Feb 27, 2021)

I find it funny people are here now suddenly jumping on the Bryan hate bandwagon and trying to claim Bryan was never that great anyways which is an absurd claim considering Bryan’s one of the best of all time in the ring, all because there are a bunch of fans can’t take an opinion on preferences. It’s not like he said they weren’t influential or nobody else was allowed liking them jeez. There’s also more to his career than just Daniel Bryan, I can guarantee most of the people commenting are only looking at his WWE career and even his WWE career was hall of fame worthy. It should be no surprise to anyone Bryan prefers in ring action more considering what kind of wrestler he is, but people are shocked by this for some reason.


----------



## Bobholly39 (Jan 24, 2010)

PhenomenalOne11 said:


> View attachment 109884
> 
> 
> Good God I like Bryan but the dude is a bit of an idiot sometimes. Yes, Rock and Austin, totally known for not being good in ring wrestlers. This dude would have pushed Dean Malenko and other talentless dorks like Lance Storm if he was booking the 90s.
> ...


 Agreed with pretty much everything you said, and I'm one of Daniel Bryan's biggest fans.

I mean it's his right to like and dislike whoever he wants - but I agree he probably would have pushed Dean Malenko above them lol. I also agree 100% on Shawn Michaels - as great as he was in the ring, it's all the flamboyance outside of the ring that is the reason people cared about what he does inside the ring. So, being the total package was a huge factor.

Still - it's always fun to read a Daniel Bryan interview. He's genuine and honest, and isn't afraid of controversial opinions.


----------



## the_flock (Nov 23, 2016)

Fwwla said:


> I find it funny people are here now suddenly jumping on the Bryan hate bandwagon and trying to claim Bryan was never that great anyways which is an absurd claim considering Bryan’s one of the best of all time in the ring, all because there are a bunch of fans can’t take an opinion on preferences. It’s not like he said they weren’t influential or nobody else was allowed liking them jeez. There’s also more to his career than just Daniel Bryan, I can guarantee most of the people commenting are only looking at his WWE career and even his WWE career was hall of fame worthy. It should be no surprise to anyone Bryan prefers in ring action more considering what kind of wrestler he is, but people are shocked by this for some reason.


No one is jumping on the hate bandwagon. They are simply saying that workrate guys don't draw. Whereas guys who "talk more" do. 

Also Bryan is far from being one of the best of all time.


----------



## Prized Fighter (Aug 31, 2016)

the_flock said:


> No one is jumping on the hate bandwagon. They are simply saying that workrate guys don't draw. Whereas guys who "talk more" do.
> 
> Also Bryan is far from being one of the best of all time.


You literally wrote that Bryan only got over because of a chant. Do you even read what you write? You tried to reduce his career to one chant and act like that isn't hating. Come on now.


----------



## Fwwla (Feb 27, 2021)

the_flock said:


> No one is jumping on the hate bandwagon. They are simply saying that workrate guys don't draw. Whereas guys who "talk more" do.
> 
> Also Bryan is far from being one of the best of all time.


That’s your opinion though and I have mine, a lot of people always list Bryan on the same caliber as people like Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit. None of those guys are as iconic as someone like Stone Cold but they’re still great. It’s just people on this forum that I always see that’s not representative of wrestling. Bryan was winning the best technical wrestler award for straight years for a while. And there’s clearly a lot of pissed off fans lashing out with insults in this thread because he dared make an observation on Rock and Austin, which what he said isn’t wrong. Rock and Austin did talk a lot, what’s untruthful about it? It’s not necessarily saying it’s a bad thing. Bryan didn’t say talking didn’t get them popular or anything, just that he preferred other wrestlers that’s literally it. People are way overthinking what he said, I don’t even know why this needed to go viral lol.


----------



## The XL 2 (Sep 13, 2016)

Fwwla said:


> I find it funny people are here now suddenly jumping on the Bryan hate bandwagon and trying to claim Bryan was never that great anyways which is an absurd claim considering Bryan’s one of the best of all time in the ring, all because there are a bunch of fans can’t take an opinion on preferences. It’s not like he said they weren’t influential or nobody else was allowed liking them jeez. There’s also more to his career than just Daniel Bryan, I can guarantee most of the people commenting are only looking at his WWE career and even his WWE career was hall of fame worthy. It should be no surprise to anyone Bryan prefers in ring action more considering what kind of wrestler he is, but people are shocked by this for some reason.


Bryan is nowhere close to the greatest of all time in the ring. That's just an opinion shared by Meltzer and his fanbase, nothing more. Rock and Austin have had many matches better than anything Bryan has ever done.


----------



## GothicBohemian (May 26, 2012)

I don't see any reason why someone's favourite has to be a draw or good at any specific skill, even if that someone is now a pro wrestler himself. All Danielson said is that, growing up, his favourites were the workrate guys and not the more popular folks who spent most of their on-screen time talking and engaging in storylines. There's nothing wrong with that.

Pro wrestling has been around for a long time and in various forms across various cultures. In America, for example, it had specific roots and was tailored to audiences that, initially, didn't know it was mostly all a work. If you look at, let's say, Mexico and lucha libre, the style that's developed is very different in some ways, while similar in others, to traditional American pro wrestling. What we've been seeing more of as each decade passes is a blending of different approaches to the art, taking bits from one school and chunks from another. Modern pro wrestling is diverse and serves audiences with varied tastes. Not everyone in the business today is going to be a large man with charisma, maybe some rough edges and an easily defined gimmick. Not all of the matches are going to be at the same speed or trying to tell a similar story. And all of that is ok.

Today's pro wrestlers have grown up exposed to wrestling from around the world and from all sorts of promotions - from WWE-style extravaganza big events to backyard deathmatches. The internet opened all that up. Talent flies in from all over these days and they bring the styles common in their home base with them. Gaming and modern action movies have changed what younger wrestlers consider cool moves too. There are more people with university degrees and acting aspirations in locker rooms now than ex-cons and guys trying to make a buck doing something a bit carney. It shouldn't come as a surprise that someone can have a successful career in wrestling and not fall in line with what the "casual fan" or old school American fan (and no, you don't have to be old to be an old school fan) might have as favourites.


----------



## the_flock (Nov 23, 2016)

Prized Fighter said:


> You literally wrote that Bryan only got over because of a chant. Do you even read what you write? You tried to reduce his career to one chant and act like that isn't hating. Come on now.


I didn't reduce his career to one chant, I said that's what got him over with the mass audience and its true.


----------



## Fwwla (Feb 27, 2021)

The XL 2 said:


> Bryan is nowhere close to the greatest of all time in the ring. That's just an opinion shared by Meltzer and his fanbase, nothing more. Rock and Austin have had many matches better than anything Bryan has ever done.


Yeah it’s definitely only shared by Meltzer when I see tons of other wrestling fans sharing the same opinion, I see it on r/Squaredcircle, wrestling podcasts, etc. Bryan is also highly respected and considered one of the greatest performers by even a lot of WWE legends such as Kurt Angle, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Stone Cold etc. They’ve all said in interviews over the years, are they all wrong too and just apart of “Meltzers fan base?”


----------



## ByOrderOfThePB (Jul 31, 2019)

Eh, To each his own. It’s not like Bryan should be forced to enjoy something he doesn’t like, it’s his own taste. However, it does project some sense of cluelessness if he thinks that all these guys did was “talk”. Wrestling and iconic matches aside - and let’s not kid ourselves they had much more legendary matches in their short careers than Bryan has - these two made their legions of fans fall in love with their characters and create a dynamic between them that even 20 years later is still considered the high standard bar. .

The irony is while Bryan marks may claim that other fans are stuck in the past, Bryan is a guy living off of his glory back in 2014.. Up until he joined AEW he did nothing of note in the past 7 years, not one feud, match or promo of Bryan was iconic or groundbreaking. Not implying that he was a bad wrestler or talker, but that’s just it he never did stole the show after he got his moment. After Wrestlemania 30, it was all downhill from there on.
Quality IMO isn’t just in wrestling skills or in promos, it’s the character and how well does everything that character does “fits” it’s own narrative, and how much dimensions it could have, giving the viewer a guy/girl you could be emotionally invested in. Bryan so far, could only play the ultimate underdog role, he’s very two- dimensional (again, IMO) and you can’t do much with him. This AEW run however could be a good change for him, I just hope it’s not two guys that keep rubbing their egos together in the middle of the ring saying “You and me We’re gonna tear the house down!!” and we actually get to see some character development from Bryan and feuds to get hyped up by and invested in


----------



## Jbardo37 (Aug 20, 2021)

The XL 2 said:


> Bryan is nowhere close to the greatest of all time in the ring. That's just an opinion shared by Meltzer and his fanbase, nothing more. Rock and Austin have had many matches better than anything Bryan has ever done.


I couldn’t care less about Meltzer and I happen to think Bryan is one of the greatest in ring performers of all time, what you said doesn’t make it a fact.


----------



## adamclark52 (Nov 27, 2015)

I hope Sheamus kicks his ass


----------



## Brad Boyd (Jan 28, 2020)

I don't know who gave Daniel Bryan a platform to mouth off about The Rock and Stone Cold. Personality and charisma go a lot further than technical workrate shit.


----------



## Blade Runner (Jan 24, 2012)

He also said that Ultimate Warrior was the character that made him fall in love with wrestling.


----------



## Kenny's Ghost (Nov 23, 2020)

RainmakerV2 said:


> I don't think Austin or Rock ever had a bad or even below average main event match. Maybe that Austin vs. Taker 2002 match when Austin was pretty much shot.


Austin had plenty in 2002. Particularly at No Way Out 02 vs Jericho. He was burnt out physically and mentally and destroyed himself having that awesome 2001 run. The lumberjack match he had with Booker T on RAW you could see him struggling big time.

Also as validreasoning said, that Buried Alive match is a all time bad WWE main event

Editing in case of outrage: Austin is one of my favorite wrestlers by the way lol


----------



## The XL 2 (Sep 13, 2016)

Jbardo37 said:


> I couldn’t care less about Meltzer and I happen to think Bryan is one of the greatest in ring performers of all time, what you said doesn’t make it a fact.


That's great, and you're entitled to your opinion. But the reason the prevailing narrative is that Bryan is an all time great stems from Dave Meltzer and his posse.


----------



## yummydaddy12 (Oct 6, 2021)

I never like him , a vanilla midget poorman benoit


----------



## Erik. (Mar 17, 2014)

Interceptor88 said:


> Well, feuds, promos and characters are as important as in ring action in prowrestling, so I guess that's why some people don't understand why would Bryan say that.


Then they're abit dense.

Some people like to watch pro wrestling when they turn on a wrestling show. That's someone's preference.


----------



## MarkOfAllMarks (Apr 7, 2018)

That's his opinion and you can't hold it against him. Not everybody likes the same things. Just because it's unpopular opinion doesn't mean he is t entitled to have it.


----------



## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

Fwwla said:


> That’s your opinion though and I have mine, a lot of people always list Bryan on the same caliber as people like Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit. None of those guys are as iconic as someone like Stone Cold but they’re still great. It’s just people on this forum that I always see that’s not representative of wrestling. *Bryan was winning the best technical wrestler award for straight years for a while.* And there’s clearly a lot of pissed off fans lashing out with insults in this thread because he dared make an observation on Rock and Austin, which what he said isn’t wrong. Rock and Austin did talk a lot, what’s untruthful about it? It’s not necessarily saying it’s a bad thing. Bryan didn’t say talking didn’t get them popular or anything, just that he preferred other wrestlers that’s literally it. People are way overthinking what he said, I don’t even know why this needed to go viral lol.


But I that's the thing folk are disagreeing with, this notion that only technical wrestling is really pro wrestling. When you're calling a certain style of wrestling the "wrestler's wrestler" style you're inherently saying "us in the know say ____ is the right way to do it". 

Which is kind of a thing with artist and art in general lol. There's this ever present smugness about " oh no that thing that was really popular isn't real art. Folk in the know, know that this less popular thing is the real art".


----------



## thisissting (Aug 14, 2018)

The rock was terrible when he first came on the scene but eventually did talk his way over. Certainly wasn't his in ring. Austin was a solid wrestler but again talked his way to being over. So to some extent he is right. Although it's not like Bryan didn't sell out with his shitty yes movement gimmick. His matches are also as formulaic as the rocks were - chops shitty kicks suicide dive label lock running drop kicks flip over in corner leaping knee strike. Bryan has basically done the same match for 10 years. It's not like he is some wrestling guru like William regal or someone or at least we haven't seen it.


----------



## Honey Bucket (Jul 3, 2012)

Jesus wept, god knows what the reaction here would be if Danielson tried to pass this off as fact. Some of the touchy gets here would want his smarky smarky neckbeard on a spike.

It’s merely an opinion of his (no matter how weird) but as stated, it was when he was growing up. I guess the guy should have had his head buried in TV ratings statistics or something.


----------



## Cydewonder (Oct 4, 2013)

Austin was always just ok to me in the ring, as far as wrestling skills go - for those saying he was good or excellent...post a match. Hell, his finisher isn't even his he bite it off Mikey Whipwreck









Mikey Whipwreck vs. Steve Austin vs. Sandman - ECW Championship Elimination Match: December to Dismember 1995


With Mikey Whipwreck eliminated, Steve Austin reaches for brass knuckles as he tries to put Sandman to sleep and win the ECW Championship on December 9, 1995.




www.wwe.com


----------



## thisissting (Aug 14, 2018)

He is right but he is a hypocrite too after his wwe run.


----------



## Brad Boyd (Jan 28, 2020)

Cydewonder said:


> Austin was always just ok to me in the ring, as far as wrestling skills go - for those saying he was good or excellent...post a match. Hell, his finisher isn't even his he bite it off Mikey Whipwreck
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Even in 2001 Austin was having great matches with the likes of Angle and Benoit. But I suppose you could argue that they carried Austin. But I don't believe it for a second. Austin might've lost some steam as a worker since his injuries fucked him up good, but he still was pretty damn impressive at the end of his career. Heck even his last match- Rock vs. Austin III was decent.


----------



## promoter2003 (Nov 1, 2012)

I got a kick out of Daniel Bryan's quote because for some reason I remembered when a fan brought a sign to RAW one night with the sign of "Shut Up And Wrestle". What was funny about that sign was the camera man panning to the sign when Shawn Michaels was blabbing lol.

It was during the time HBK was out with his "knee injury" in the summer of 97. I tried to find the clip online to illustrate the humor of it all seeing Bryan's quote. I wonder if Bryan was referring to RAW in 97 and 98 when WWE obviously had Taker, Austin, Rock, HBK, DX talk much longer to stretch out segments to counter NWO long talking segments.


----------



## Cydewonder (Oct 4, 2013)

Brad Boyd said:


> Even in 2001 Austin was having great matches with the likes of Angle and Benoit. But I suppose you could argue that they carried Austin. But I don't believe it for a second. Austin might've lost some steam as a worker since his injuries fucked him up good, but he still was pretty damn impressive at the end of his career. Heck even his last match- Rock vs. Austin III was decent.


Bret vs Austin WM & Rock vs Austin (I forget which WM) - were probably his best matches, imo


----------



## BOOTS 2 ASSES (Mar 8, 2013)

At least they could talk unlike chanting one word like a comic goof.🙄

And anyone who says Rock and Austin couldn't wrestle and ONLY talked need to get his mind checked. 'Nuff said.


----------



## DoctorWhosawhatsit (Aug 23, 2016)

This is really a shock?

You couldn't tell Bryan was a work-rate guy from... say... his entire career?

William Regal being his mentor wasn't a give away?

The Bob Backlund tights weren't a give away?

His ENTIRE CAREER wasn't a give away?


----------



## troyag93 (Apr 9, 2016)

Cant believe people are saying Rock and Stone Cold aren't great wrestlers. Why, because they didnt do 100 flips in the ring? Rock and Stone Cold only did 4 moves and those matches were better then any workrate match


----------



## Klitschko (May 24, 2020)

DoctorWhosawhatsit said:


> This is really a shock?
> 
> You couldn't tell Bryan was a work-rate guy from... say... his entire career?
> 
> ...


Nope. Came as a giant shock to me.


----------



## Arkham258 (Jan 30, 2015)

Meh, seems like something he would say. Bryan is a lot like a gamer who plays really difficult games with demanding gameplay that also don't waste your time with story and cutscenes. The type who are all about the gameplay and not story or graphics. Pro wrestling is many things, but for him what happens in the ring is what he loves the most. In that sense, he's very much a "modern" wrestler seeing how work rate is focused on more now in general than it was in the Attitude Era or the 80s

I actually respect the fact that for a guy whose main focus is what happens in the ring, he has shown great charisma during his career and occasionally can drop an awesome promo too. He's versatile, more versatile than someone like a Chris Benoit, but what he does best is his in ring. Bryan reminds me of Kurt Angle in some ways.


----------



## Thanks12 (Dec 23, 2014)

Arkham258 said:


> Meh, seems like something he would say. Bryan is a lot like a gamer who plays really difficult games with demanding gameplay that also don't waste your time with story and cutscenes. The type who are all about the gameplay and not story or graphics. Pro wrestling is many things, but for him what happens in the ring is what he loves the most. In that sense, he's very much a "modern" wrestler seeing how work rate is focused on more now in general than it was in the Attitude Era or the 80s
> 
> I actually respect the fact that for a guy whose main focus is what happens in the ring, he has shown great charisma during his career and occasionally can drop an awesome promo too. He's versatile, more versatile than someone like a Chris Benoit, but what he does best is his in ring. Bryan reminds me of Kurt Angle in some ways.


I can see the similarity of Kurt and Bryan buy imo Kurt was more entertaining in the ring and of course his character work.


----------



## Arkham258 (Jan 30, 2015)

Thanks12 said:


> I can see the similarity of Kurt and Bryan buy imo Kurt was more entertaining in the ring and of course his character work.


I can kind of see that. Kurt had a great personality and was funny, but Bryan surprised me with the Team Hell No stuff, plus his work with AJ Lee. He can display a lot of personality and humor too, but you could make the case that it came more naturally for Angle. 

As for the in ring, it's hard to say. I haven't seen Bryan's Ring of Honor matches, which probably are his best work I hear. 

Frankly though, it doesn't matter. BOTH of these guys are widely regarded as being amongst the best wrestlers of all time. Hall of Fame material


----------



## That Green Mfer (Oct 1, 2021)

That Green Mfer said:


> Nothing wrong with voicing his opinion considering some of you guys on here say worse than he just did. And it's not like he's lying. I couldn't get into the rock because his fans and his promos. Different with stone cold because he could cut a promo and wrestle but his fans made me not like him. So in a way, I agree with Bryan Danielson.🤷


Ooooh. An angry emoji. Who gives a shit? I stand by opinion.


----------



## attituderocks (Jul 23, 2016)

Austin should say "Bryan is my least favorite wrestler. I prefer great promos not guys who only do moves. BORING."


----------



## That Green Mfer (Oct 1, 2021)

attituderocks said:


> Austin should say "Bryan is my least favorite wrestler. I prefer great promos not guys who only do moves. BORING."


You sure are mad at HIS OPINION huh? Hell, as long as you're around, why have an original opinion right? And if you ever seen Danielson work, which you probably haven't, he can wrestle and talk. But hey, let's get mad at someone else opinion.


----------



## attituderocks (Jul 23, 2016)

All the Bryan fans attacking Rock lmao


----------



## Jammy (Jan 3, 2012)

Big deal, he is entitled to his opinion

I like Bryan more than Austin and the Rock... so?


----------



## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

I don't think Austin and Rock were bad wrestlers when they got in there they just generally did 5-10 things really really well and that's all they needed. Austin for example was a phenomenal brawler, lots of energy and he did the "Pub brawl" style really really well. Perhaps one of the best ever at that style really.

Rock was a great seller and great at getting sympathy from the crowd. The rest was pretty average but he got the people emotionally invested and was good enough in ring to not look bad.

Danielson one of the greatest tech wrestlers of all time but I can't say I was ever as emotionally invested in all of his matches as I was with Austin and Rock.


----------



## The XL 2 (Sep 13, 2016)

Chip Chipperson said:


> I don't think Austin and Rock were bad wrestlers when they got in there they just generally did 5-10 things really really well and that's all they needed. Austin for example was a phenomenal brawler, lots of energy and he did the "Pub brawl" style really really well. Perhaps one of the best ever at that style really.
> 
> Rock was a great seller and great at getting sympathy from the crowd. The rest was pretty average but he got the people emotionally invested and was good enough in ring to not look bad.
> 
> Danielson one of the greatest tech wrestlers of all time but I can't say I was ever as emotionally invested in all of his matches as I was with Austin and Rock.


That's because technical ability doesn't mean shit. Look at William Regal in his prime, crowds would shit all over what he did in the ring. He only got over because of his charisma and ability to talk. Telling a story and getting the crowd emotionally invested is what matters in ring. Of course your shit needs to look good and be believable, but being a great technical wrestler doesn't necessarily matter.


----------



## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

The XL 2 said:


> That's because technical ability doesn't mean shit. Look at William Regal in his prime, crowds would shit all over what he did in the ring. He only got over because of his charisma and ability to talk. Telling a story and getting the crowd emotionally invested is what matters in ring. Of course your shit needs to look good and be believable, but being a great technical wrestler doesn't necessarily matter.


Regal's a great point actually, another amazing technical wrestler who had good matches almost every single time he got out there but most people remember him for being the serious guy in a comedy duo with Tajiri, kissing Vince McMahon's ass and teaming up with Eugene.


----------



## Thomazbr (Apr 26, 2009)

People are just looking for a reason to get mad tbh.

The tagline of this forum not gonna lie

Everyone has their perspectives and you're not obligated to just like the popular guy. If you work in the movie industry are you just supposed to say that "My favorite actor is Robert Downey Jr" because he just drew the much. People get attached to their characters, actors or stories for the most wacky ways

Anyway my perspective as a latecomer to the wrestling business is, of course, different. Of course, I respect those two guys for what they are and Austin is just great fun to watch, but I have problems with the whole deal with The Rock which never let me enjoy him truly. Was never a fan of his promo style and his whole wrestling presentation is cartoonish at best as the crowning example of the "You know pro wrestling is fake right?" canned answer. Everything he does from the punches to the gestures to the submissions to the elbow to the selling is so magnified to 1000% that its an offense to reality which IMO makes the whole highspots discussion thing here very silly in my head.

Danielson is also of course a great storyteller too. People might shit on the reign that followed but the Wrestlemania Kofi match is as close as perfect pure heel vs face wrestling storytelling as it can possibly be.

Anyway personally if we're rating people I'd rather watch on their primes I'd probably go Austin, Danielson and then The Rock tbh. But for me, circa 1999 Tajiri trumps them all as the coolest and craziest mothefucker in the world.


----------



## The XL 2 (Sep 13, 2016)

Chip Chipperson said:


> Regal's a great point actually, another amazing technical wrestler who had good matches almost every single time he got out there but most people remember him for being the serious guy in a comedy duo with Tajiri, kissing Vince McMahon's ass and teaming up with Eugene.


It's more than that, go and look at the reactions he got in cold midcard matches that went more than 3 minutes, particularly in WCW. Fans would shit all over it. Absolutely no one gave a fuck. In can work in doses with the right opponent, but in the grand scheme of things it means nothing. The average fan historically has appreciated a guy who can sell and had a legit looking working punch like the guys from Memphis, particularly Jerry Lawler, than guys like Regal or even Bryan. The average fan would also rather watch powerhouses like Goldberg, Lesnar or Batista run someone over, at least they used to until over half the fanbase got run off. If people want to watch technical grappling, they'd watch elite college wrestlers or BJJ tournaments.


----------



## Randy Lahey (Apr 14, 2014)

The Rock was actually a pretty shitty wrestler. He was a cartoon in the ring.


----------



## bdon (Nov 12, 2019)

PhenomenalOne11 said:


> It's more that he said that all they did was talk than anything. I always thought Rock and Austin were pretty good in the ring 🤷


You are misunderstanding his words. “All they did was talk” means he didn’t like sports entertainment and wrestling shows opening up with a 15 segment of back and forth arguing. I fucking hated that shit myself.


----------



## BOOTS 2 ASSES (Mar 8, 2013)

Looks like someone is still pissed for receiving a thunderous Rock Bottom😂😂:


----------



## GothicBohemian (May 26, 2012)

I'm loving all the folks stating their opinions as facts and treating Danielson's opinion as him trying to state facts. 

He had a preference. Other people have preferences. It's normal and shouldn't be controversial. It's ok to find different things entertaining. Entertainment media in general would be pretty dull and repetitive if all of us enjoyed the exact same thing.


----------



## attituderocks (Jul 23, 2016)

Rock promos are corny but Daniel Bryan's "YES!" chants are gold. Okay lmao.


----------



## The XL 2 (Sep 13, 2016)

yummydaddy12 said:


> I never like him , a vanilla midget poorman benoit


Chris had the look, intensity and believable offense to look credible against behemoths like Lesnar, Sid, etc. He truly was a great worker. Bryan lacks that, he always looked like a charity case against Batista, Kane, etc.


----------



## Fwwla (Feb 27, 2021)

The XL 2 said:


> Chris had the look, intensity and believable offense to look credible against behemoths like Lesnar, Sid, etc. He truly was a great worker. Bryan lacks that, he always looked like a charity case against Batista, Kane, etc.


So you’re a fan of Benoit, but not Bryan? Yet you’ve been going on about how important you think mic skills are over everything else, how does that make sense? Lol Benoit was the very definition of work rate guy ironically and definitely wasn’t a mic guy. Bryan’s offense is plenty believable, did you not see him in his match against Nick Jackson? His offense was brutal looking, you’ve probably never watched him in ROH against people like Morishima either. And you do know Benoit was a big fan of Bryan before he died? It’s fine not to like him, but people are fucking blind if they think Bryan lacks intensity. Just because Benoit was on steroids?


----------



## The XL 2 (Sep 13, 2016)

Fwwla said:


> So you’re a fan of Benoit, but not Bryan? Yet you’ve been going on about how important you think mic skills are over everything else, how does that make sense? Lol Benoit was the very definition of work rate guy ironically and definitely wasn’t a mic guy. Bryan’s offense is plenty believable, did you not see him in his match against Nick Jackson? His offense was brutal looking, you’ve probably never watched him in ROH against people like Morishima either. And you do know Benoit was a big fan of Bryan before he died? People are fucking blind if they think Bryan lacks it.


I never said Chris was better than Austin or Rock, I said he was more believable than Bryan. Bryans offense looks like a joke next to anything Chris has ever done. Chris was presentable vs top guys in the ring, Daniel isn't. His whole WWE run was selling, throwing shit roundhouse kicks, yelling Yes like a muppet, doing the top rope backflip duck under clothesline, and then doing his finish. Hardly revolutionary stuff and it looked like shit.


----------



## Fwwla (Feb 27, 2021)

The XL 2 said:


> I never said Chris was better than Austin or Rock, I said he was more believable than Bryan. Bryans offense looks like a joke next to anything Chris has ever done. Chris was presentable vs top guys in the ring, Daniel isn't. His whole WWE run was selling, throwing shit roundhouse kicks, yelling Yes like a muppet, doing the top rope backflip duck under clothesline, and then doing his finish. Hardly revolutionary stuff and it looked like shit.


It’s obvious you’ve never watched him in ROH or probably AEW right now, he’s doing way more than that what you just described. He pulled out a Regalplex, cattle mutilation, there’s the elbow forearms that look brutal, stomps to the opponents face, German suplex, backdrop suplex, ( which he did all this in his Nick Jackson match it’s obvious you didn’t watch, he did some of this in WWE as well but not as much ) etc. Sorry but if you think all he does are kicks, you have no idea what you’re talking about. Him and Benoit basically had the same moveset. Bryan’s offense looks just fine to me and most other people, Bryan’s also bulked up since leaving WWE. I didn’t say you said Benoit was better than Austin or rock, I said you’ve been claiming work rate doesn’t matter whatsoever, yet it turns out you like Benoit which is a contradiction. Someone who got popular with fans basically purely because of his ring skill, I don’t think you really care this much about how much it allegedly doesn’t matter, you just don’t like Bryan and wanted something to hate on him for.


----------



## BigRedMonster47 (Jul 19, 2013)

The XL 2 said:


> Anyone who thinks Austin and Rock sucked in the ring don't understand what they're watching. They don't have the technical ability of Danielson but they work absolute circles around him.


^^^ This ^^^


----------



## troyag93 (Apr 9, 2016)

The XL 2 said:


> I never said Chris was better than Austin or Rock, I said he was more believable than Bryan. Bryans offense looks like a joke next to anything Chris has ever done. Chris was presentable vs top guys in the ring, Daniel isn't. His whole WWE run was selling, throwing shit roundhouse kicks, yelling Yes like a muppet, doing the top rope backflip duck under clothesline, and then doing his finish. Hardly revolutionary stuff and it looked like shit.


Yeah never understood the Chris Benoit comparison. Chris was the only guy I liked that was just workrate. He was so intense and believable. Bryan isnt even close to that. I dont think he's even that good tbh.


----------



## The XL 2 (Sep 13, 2016)

troyag93 said:


> Yeah never understood the Chris Benoit comparison. Chris was the only guy I liked that was just workrate. He was so intense and believable. Bryan isnt even close to that. I dont think he's even that good tbh.


Bryan is fine but I'll never get the whole all time great thing. Even if we're going by purely workrate, guys like Benoit, Guerrero, Angle, Bret Hart etc worked absolute circles around him. Good worker but not that class. Would have made a great cruiserweight champion if he was in WCW or the early-mid 2000 WWE cruiserweight division, but never had any business against top guys. Couldn't suspend disbelief like Benoit. Hell, I thought he way Rey worked vs bigger guys made more sense. Bryans whole be 180lbs and yet stretch and throw shit roundhouse kicks vs guys over 200lbs never was believable whatsoever.


----------



## 5 Star Giulia ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Apr 21, 2014)

PhenomenalOne11 said:


> View attachment 109884
> 
> 
> Good God I like Bryan but the dude is a bit of an idiot sometimes. Yes, Rock and Austin, totally known for not being good in ring wrestlers. This dude would have pushed Dean Malenko and other talentless dorks like Lance Storm if he was booking the 90s.
> ...


*He's entitled to his wrong opinion, that's fine.*


----------



## Fwwla (Feb 27, 2021)

troyag93 said:


> Yeah never understood the Chris Benoit comparison. Chris was the only guy I liked that was just workrate. He was so intense and believable. Bryan isnt even close to that. I dont think he's even that good tbh.


That’s your opinion though and some other people’s, like I said Bryan’s considered great by a lot of other fans and wrestlers. It’s not a fact that Bryan’s offense isn’t believable to you or The XL, 2 it’s based on opinion. Which people who claim this usually have only watched him in WWE as Daniel Bryan and not Bryan Danielson, he’s no longer the “yes” guy in AEW. Even in WWE he had his moments though, so the opinion that he isn’t that good isn’t what the majority of the wrestling world seem to think. I just find it funny how a lot of the same people saying ring skills don’t matter whatsoever and doesn’t draw happen to be hardcore fans of Benoit, a guy who got popular basically solely because of that. Isn’t it a contradiction to say in ring skill doesn’t matter then?



RainmakerV2 said:


> I don't think Austin or Rock ever had a bad or even below average main event match. Maybe that Austin vs. Taker 2002 match when Austin was pretty much shot.


I thought Rock always looked sloppy in the ring with his sharpshooter and pretty much anything he executed, but Austin could hit a good spine buster and be technical. I think Austin was way better as a wrestler than The Rock.



DaSlacker said:


> ??????
> 
> When I was growing up Austin was having some fantastic back and forth matches with Dustin Rhodes, Barry Windham, Brian Pillman, Marc Mero, Bret Hart...
> 
> He only really relied on talking after the neck injury.


I thought Rock always looked sloppy in the ring with his sharpshooter and pretty much anything he executed, but Austin could hit a good spine buster and be technical. I think Austin was way better as a wrestler than The Rock.


----------



## troyag93 (Apr 9, 2016)

Fwwla said:


> That’s your opinion though and some other people’s, like I said Bryan’s considered great by a lot of other fans and wrestlers. It’s not a fact that Bryan’s offense isn’t believable to you or The XL, 2 it’s based on opinion. Which people who claim this usually have only watched him in WWE as Daniel Bryan and not Bryan Danielson, he’s no longer the “yes” guy in AEW. Even in WWE he had his moments though, so the opinion that he isn’t that good isn’t what the majority of the wrestling world seem to think. I just find it funny how a lot of the same people saying ring skills don’t matter whatsoever and doesn’t draw happen to be hardcore fans of Benoit, a guy who got popular basically solely because of that. Isn’t it a contradiction to say in ring skill doesn’t matter then?


Who ever said wrestling doesn’t matter? Not one person on this forum ever said wrestling doesn’t matter.


----------



## Fwwla (Feb 27, 2021)

troyag93 said:


> Who ever said wrestling doesn’t matter? Not one person on this forum ever said wrestling doesn’t matter.


A lot of people on here say that, I see people saying in ring skill gets you nowhere.


----------



## troyag93 (Apr 9, 2016)

Fwwla said:


> A lot of people on here say that, I see people saying in ring skill gets you nowhere.


Yeah ring skill alone doesn’t get you anywhere , but that doesn’t mean the wrestling doesn’t matter


----------



## The XL 2 (Sep 13, 2016)

Fwwla said:


> That’s your opinion though and some other people’s, like I said Bryan’s considered great by a lot of other fans and wrestlers. It’s not a fact that Bryan’s offense isn’t believable to you or The XL, 2 it’s based on opinion. Which people who claim this usually have only watched him in WWE as Daniel Bryan and not Bryan Danielson, he’s no longer the “yes” guy in AEW. Even in WWE he had his moments though, so the opinion that he isn’t that good isn’t what the majority of the wrestling world seem to think. I just find it funny how a lot of the same people saying ring skills don’t matter whatsoever and doesn’t draw happen to be hardcore fans of Benoit, a guy who got popular basically solely because of that. Isn’t it a contradiction to say in ring skill doesn’t matter then?


The only reason Bryan was even somewhat over in the first place was the whole Yes thing. He never would have gotten over as Dean Malenko 2.0. He could never get over with just his work like Chris Benoit did.


----------



## Fwwla (Feb 27, 2021)

The XL 2 said:


> The only reason Bryan was even somewhat over in the first place was the whole Yes thing. He never would have gotten over as Dean Malenko 2.0. He could never get over with just his work like Chris Benoit did.


He was still very popular outside his WWE career, just not to the same extent. He was pretty much the very top guy in ROH and there was a lot of buzz surrounding his in ring work, that’s a big part of his appeal. It’s not everything, but tons of people mention Bryan’s work in the ring when he’s brought up too. Why is Bryan still popular now then? He’s no longer doing the yes chant right now.


----------



## DaSlacker (Feb 9, 2020)

Fwwla said:


> I thought Rock always looked sloppy in the ring with his sharpshooter and pretty much anything he executed, but Austin could hit a good spine buster and be technical. I think Austin was way better as a wrestler than The Rock.


He was to be fair. By the time his ring work improved (2001-2002) he was already a part timer.


----------



## Jbardo37 (Aug 20, 2021)

I love Bryan and I think Austin is the greatest all around talent of all time. You can be a big fan of both you know.


----------



## Nacho Esqueleto (Aug 5, 2021)

DaSlacker said:


> ??????
> 
> When I was growing up Austin was having some fantastic back and forth matches with Dustin Rhodes, Barry Windham, Brian Pillman, Marc Mero, Bret Hart...
> 
> He only really relied on talking after the neck injury.


THIS!!!!


----------



## Jbardo37 (Aug 20, 2021)

Austin has a really good in ring year in 2001, his Summerslam match with Angle is a classic.

I don’t know where people get this idea from that he was just a brawler after his neck injury.


----------



## Nacho Esqueleto (Aug 5, 2021)

Wolf Mark said:


> I'm guessing Danielson didn't watch Bret vs Austin at Mania. I don't think I have seen a BD match that was as great.


The Mania match is only that good because Bret was his opponent. 
Austin was a great wrestler (especially before the incident with Owen) but anybody else other than Bret and the match wouldn't have been half as good imo.



The XL 2 said:


> The only reason Bryan was even somewhat over in the first place was the whole Yes thing.


Danielson was over as hell before he signed for WWE and if you have watched any of his work in ROH or NJPW you would understand why.
If WWE hadn't dropped the ball with him so badly in the first place the Yes thing you refer too would never have happened but luckily there are discerning WWE fans who can identify with wrestlers who aren't just roid addled monsters with the gift of the gab.


----------



## BOOTS 2 ASSES (Mar 8, 2013)

Lol at haters saying Rock was a bad wrestler because of bad execution of one wrestling move i.e., The Sharpshooter. What about his athletic prowess, the floating DDT, and other drops and slam? 

Sure he wasn't a flip monkey but he understood the fine nuances of wrestling, that's why his match against Hogan at WM 18 and against Austin at WM 17 are two greatest matches of all time. His Ironman match against HHH at JD 2000 is considered as the best ever IM match by many. His matches against Benoit and Angle were also awesome back in the day.

Stop hating The Great One. And since this is AEW section, recently Jericho called Rock as one of the best ever in terms of in-ring:

" 
Going down the @YouTube rabbit hole tonight and one thing is clear....he may be the biggest box office draw in Hollywood today, but my goodness, let’s not ever forget how GREAT @TheRock was in the ring. One of the best ever ...
11:50 AM · May 27, 2021
"

Link: AEW's Chris Jericho Calls WWE Legend The Rock '1 of the Best Ever' In-Ring Wrestlers

Suck it haters.


----------



## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

Fwwla said:


> I thought Rock always looked sloppy in the ring with his sharpshooter and pretty much anything he executed, but Austin could hit a good spine buster and be technical. I think Austin was way better as a wrestler than The Rock.


But that's the thing you're simply over rating crispness. You're saying Rock looked sloppy but he's not know to have majorly injured anybody. Crispness and technical ability is good and all, but the best wrestler are the ones who keep fans interested the most. What Austin and Rock did in ring keep fans interested, therefore they are in fact great wrestlers.


----------



## Bubbly2 (Jan 15, 2021)

Not gonna lie....I prefer Rock and Austin's best matches to Bryan Danielson's best. By far.


----------



## Prized Fighter (Aug 31, 2016)

The XL 2 said:


> *The only reason Bryan was even somewhat over in the first place was the whole Yes thing.* He never would have gotten over as Dean Malenko 2.0. He could never get over with just his work like Chris Benoit did.


This is revisionist history stuff. Some people act like Bryan first started getting cheers when he started doing the yes chants. They ignore that he was the most over guy on NXT, his feud with Miz, the huge push to bring him back from being fired, the large reaction he got at Survivor Series for his return, and his MITB run. Not to mention, even Vince knew he was getting over since he was put MITB on him and had him run with the World Heavyweight Championship. Bryan has always been over even with some shit booking at times.

I can only assume that the people who think this must be younger then 25 and completely missed Bryan's rise.


----------



## Fwwla (Feb 27, 2021)

RapShepard said:


> But that's the thing you're simply over rating crispness. You're saying Rock looked sloppy but he's not know to have majorly injured anybody. Crispness and technical ability is good and all, but the best wrestler are the ones who keep fans interested the most. What Austin and Rock did in ring keep fans interested, therefore they are in fact great wrestlers.


You can be the most unpopular wrestler and still be a safe worker though. Where did I say Rock and Austin didn’t keep fans interested? I just made an observation about The Rock in the ring, it’s not that deep. Which the reason he was popular was mainly his charisma and mic skills, it’s not a lie that in ring work wasn’t his strong suit or what him and Austin were most known for. Rock was great in other aspects such as his charisma and mic skills which I don’t disagree, you’re acting like I said Rock had no good qualities as a wrestler. I just said I don’t think he was that good in the ring specifically, but good in other aspects that made him popular. Not all wrestlers get popular exactly the same way.


----------



## Cooper09 (Aug 24, 2016)

It was their talking that gave his midget ass a strong platform to make major money on.


----------



## the_hound (Jun 14, 2016)

oh bryan byran bryan didn't take long in toeing the company line.......fedbad dubgood


----------



## attituderocks (Jul 23, 2016)

Prized Fighter said:


> This is revisionist history stuff. Some people act like Bryan first started getting cheers when he started doing the yes chants. They ignore that he was the most over guy on NXT, his feud with Miz, the huge push to bring him back from being fired, the large reaction he got at Survivor Series for his return, and his MITB run. Not to mention, even Vince knew he was getting over since he was put MITB on him and had him run with the World Heavyweight Championship. Bryan has always been over even with some shit booking at times.
> 
> I can only assume that the people who think this must be younger then 25 and completely missed Bryan's rise.


The fans hating on Rock / Austin are under 25 and probably didn’t watch AE


----------



## THANOS (Jun 20, 2006)

It's his opinion, he's not saying they weren't great, just that he didn't like them as a kid. Nothing wrong with that at all. There are plenty of people like that.

Growing up as a 8-15 year old, my favourite wrestlers were Big Bossman, Kane, Rey Mysterio, Randy Orton and Ultimo Dragon. I liked Glacier & Mortis as well.

Rock & Austin were cool to me as a kid but I never marked for them.


----------



## Not Lying (Sep 9, 2013)

Austin and Rock marks are the most sensitive pussies ever.

All a wrestler's gotta do these days to get heat from their fans is be compared to them 'OMG how dare you compare this millennial to the GOATs' or dare not say these 2 didn't rule the world.


----------



## Slickdude458 (May 26, 2020)

A bit rich coming from one of the most bland babyfaces in wrestling absolutely nothing cool and interesting about the bloke he's Mr wrestling who loves to wrestle and that's about it. Thank god his cheesy babyface medicore promos are in AEW now, the guy bores me to death . No surprise Edge was getting louder pops at the end Bryan's run the guy is a nerd babyface for die hard marks will suit AEW.


----------



## BOOTS 2 ASSES (Mar 8, 2013)

Bubbly2 said:


> Not gonna lie....I prefer Rock and Austin's best matches to Bryan Danielson's best. By far.


This.

Bryan says Rock/Austin only talked, yet Kurt Angle: a far better wrestler than Bryan says Rock is the best athlete he has ever been in-ring with. 

Kurt Angle's opinion(after being in ring with both Rock/Austin)>>>> Daniel Bryan's opinion.

Link: Kurt Angle picks The Rock as "the best athlete I ever got in the ring with”


----------



## Ham and Egger (Dec 13, 2005)

As a kid I was more of a fan of Bret, Benoit, and Angle because of their technical abilities. I still enjoyed the "stars" but I did love me a great wrestler.


----------



## MarkyWhipwreck (Dec 20, 2014)

Austin is one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time with his 1997 & 2001 being two of the all time great individual years in the ring by a performer. Crazy that we may have reached a point where even an in-ring savant like Bryan has forgotten how good Austin truly was in the ring.


----------



## Fwwla (Feb 27, 2021)

The Definition of Technician said:


> Austin and Rock marks are the most sensitive pussies ever.
> 
> All a wrestler's gotta do these days to get heat from their fans is be compared to them 'OMG how dare you compare this millennial to the GOATs' or dare not say these 2 didn't rule the world.


yeah really. All these users getting this upset over a wrestler’s personal preference lol, oh wow Bryan doesn’t like The Rock or Austin? Must be the end of the fucking world. Why should you be required to like certain wrestlers? Some people will like different stuff than others. These are probably the same people who go around calling other wrestling fans crybabies too. Bryan himself didn’t choose to highlight this quote, it was one of many things he said in an interview about other things and people choose to take/make such a big deal out of it. It wasn’t like he said this about Rock and Austin out of the blue. People here are also acting like Bryan is some rookie all of the sudden when he’s been in wrestling for over 20 years.


----------



## BOOTS 2 ASSES (Mar 8, 2013)

MarkyWhipwreck said:


> Austin is one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time with his 1997 & 2001 being two of the all time great individual years in the ring by a performer. Crazy that we may have reached a point where even an in-ring savant like Bryan has forgotten how good Austin truly was in the ring.


Anyone who has followed WF history knows that I am not an Austin fan at all. But every word you have typed is spot on. Austin's 1997 and especially 2001 runs as far as in-ring performance is concerned was nothing short of epic.

Anybody who says he doesn't like Austin because he ONLY talked has to be one of the following:

1. A hater.
2. An idiot.

And Rock is one of the greatest athlete of all time to have ever stepped inside the squared circle.

I liked Bryan, but sorry I've lost all respect for him now.


----------



## shandcraig (Mar 23, 2008)

MarkOfAllMarks said:


> That's his opinion and you can't hold it against him. Not everybody likes the same things. Just because it's unpopular opinion doesn't mean he is t entitled to have it.



absolutely but the fact that this has been brought up really makes it seem like he thinks what he is doing is much more popular. Now could anyone with the right mind believe this. so you really have to wonder with all these dudes and what is going on in their head. like do they still believe what they are doing is appealing to so many people when clearly not. the business has shrunk a lot the past 15 years and these new guys seem far worse than the guys before thinking what they do sells.


----------



## Lady Eastwood (Jul 10, 2006)

Perhaps in the minority here, but, I would take a million Rock and Austin matches to even a handful of BD's. I never found him to be that interesting of a wrestler, I still don't get the hype past the YES chants. I am not saying he is awful in the ring, I just don't really like his character and don't see how he is some kind of GOAT in the ring.

Saying that, I do respect his opinion. It's no different than what the rest of us do here, we share our opinions on wrestlers/wrestling. Some people acting like he straight up said they sucked...ehhh, he didn't even elude to that, really....


----------



## attituderocks (Jul 23, 2016)

When a famous person praises Roman or hates on Becky, they get hated on or laughed at. But if people here judge Bryan for his unpopular opinion, they are called "sensitive pussies." Fans can disagree/judge Bryan's opinion if they want just like fans can also agree with his opinion.


----------



## DammitChrist (Apr 3, 2016)

attituderocks said:


> When a famous person praises Roman or hates on Becky, they get hated on or laughed at. But if people here judges Bryan for his unpopular opinion, they are called "sensitive pussies." Fans can disagree/judge Bryan's opinion if they want just like fans can also agree with his opinion.


Dude, it's like your gimmick to defend anything contrarian to what most people enjoy. It's almost like different people have various preferences. It's not a novel concept.

Oh, for the record, Bryan Danielson's points are valid. Those who agree with him actually understand where he's coming from.


----------



## YoshiMadness (Jul 25, 2021)

DammitChrist said:


> Dude, it's like your gimmick to defend anything contrarian to what most people enjoy. It's almost like different people have various preferences. It's not a novel concept.
> 
> Oh, for the record, Bryan Danielson's points are valid. Those who agree with him actually understand where he's coming from.


Maybe on the Rock, but Steve Austin was a fantastic in-ring wrestler before the neck injury and put on countless great matches, especially in his WCW days. To act like he was never good in the ring and that talking was the only thing he was ever good at is objectively revisionist history. But it was his talking that actually got him over, no doubt about that. But even after the neck injury, you could argue that he was still good in the ring, because believe it or not, there's more than one style of wrestling that's valid. A lot of people, myself included, love wild, out of control brawls, and Austin excelled at that style better than almost anyone.

I'm a huge fan of Bryan by the way, and he's certainly entitled to his opinion, but we're also entitled to ours, and it's okay to disagree with him.


----------



## DammitChrist (Apr 3, 2016)

YoshiMadness said:


> Maybe on the Rock, but Steve Austin was a fantastic in-ring wrestler before the neck injury and put on countless great matches, especially in his WCW days. To act like he was never good in the ring and that talking was the only thing he was ever good at is objectively revisionist history. But it was his talking that actually got him over, no doubt about that. But even after the neck injury, you could argue that he was still good in the ring, because believe it or not, there's more than one style of wrestling that's valid. A lot of people, myself included, love wild, out of control brawls, and Austin excelled at that style better than almost anyone.
> 
> I'm a huge fan of Bryan by the way, and he's certainly entitled to his opinion, but we're also entitled to ours, and it's okay to disagree with him.


Oh, I also believe that Steve Austin was an excellent wrestler (even doing his time as a brawler post-neck injury) back in the day. I just thought the poster I quoted was being disingenuous with his mini-speech when he was reaching for “hypocrisy” that isn’t really there


----------



## BOOTS 2 ASSES (Mar 8, 2013)

YoshiMadness said:


> Maybe on the Rock,


Not even on The Rock. Many wrestlers that are considered GOAT in-ring performers like Angle, Y2J and many more have gone out of limb to praise The Rock's in-ring prowess. I've already shown the quotes in this thread itself. That should settle the debate as to whether Rock was a good wrestler or not.


----------

