Bryan’s role as gatekeeper

However, I think that his determination to make new stars and act as a gatekeeper is not quite having the effect it should, simply because a) he is still an excellent wrestler and b) he's doing it too often.

A lot of the guys he's jobbed to would be just as well off having competitive matches / feuds. Now, it could well be that Bryan simply doesn't care about his standing anymore, but he still has so much to give. There is some truth to the fact that he can be reheated at a moment's notice, such as the feud with The Fiend last year. Jericho managed to come back around with Owens but for a couple of years he became a bit of a non-entity due to jobbing to anyone and everyone – Ryback, Fandango, Bourne, etc.

This isn't a reaction to Bryan losing to Cesaro (who should be pushed) but more so tapping out. There was a story yesterday about how Bryan is using his creative influence to make stars, while Edge used his to win the Rumble. I don't think it's as straightforward as that but I would argue that Edge actually had the right idea; he SHOULD be winning the rumble / competing at the top of the card. Bryan is the same. A much better use of Bryan would have been winning the rumble and then losing to Reigns. Or winning the intercontinental title last year from Sami and then building up someone (say Cesaro) to beat him later on. But Bryan seems to have the idea that he should just lose to everyone. The more he loses the less value it has.

I think there's an inbetween that Bryan can reside in and I hope he realises that. I hope he sees the value he still has as someone at the top of the card. We know he's never going to be selfish and I assume the guys backstage know that too, so much so that I think they would trust him if he put himself over a bit more, knowing that it's part of a more long term plan. As it is, he's not even reaching the Shawn Michaels gatekeeper role but instead straying into Jericho 2011 – 2015 mid card purgatory.

More than anything, though, it makes me realise what a mistake it was to pull the plug on The Planet's Champion in 2019. Seriously, what was the purpose of that beyond giving The Fiend a good opponent? There was so much life left in that character and instead they or he chose to simply become a pretty bland mid card babyface. The Planet's Champion could have easily transitioned into something of an anti-hero tweener but after the feud with The Fiend they just sorta sanded all the edge off him.

What's your take? I know Bryan is winding down (so he says) but it feels like a missed opportunity to have him tapping out in 5 minutes on Smackdown and losing pretty much every match he has. I was certain we were heading for Reigns vs. Bryan at Mania, a culmination of a lot of what's been eating at the entire fanbase for the last 8 years, and instead it seems Bryan didn't even push for it at all. I honestly think Edge has the much smarter approach by making sure he's kept strong, and ultimately that's gonna lead to more value and entertainment long term.

Yeah but Edge is tanking the ratings HARD right now, so clearly Bryan is the one who still had the juice. I would have been good with Bryan winning the Rumble but he's clearly got it in his mind that he's gotta be the guy to put over newer talent even if it means destroying his own relevance in the present, and that's just the way he is. It's hard to tell someone to stop being so damn selfless, I guess.