Daniel Bryan talks WWE SummerSlam, Conor McGregor and more
By Ted Gruber
Daniel Bryan took the time to sit down with us ahead of one of the biggest events of the year, WWE SummerSlam
After WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan retired he wanted to take the time for himself and his family to figure out what was next. That opportunity arose only a few weeks ago as he was selected by Shane McMahon as the General Manager of Smackdown Live.
With the new title under his belt Bryan took time to talk to FanSided regarding the upcoming SummerSlam PPV, his thoughts on Conor McGregor and much more.
The last time you spoke with us you were still in the ring actively competing against some of the roster members you now oversee. How has that transition been for you coming from an active in-ring competitor to more of the administrative on camera role?
It’s tough. I loved the in-ring part so much. But now there is a lot of fun things. Being able to affect the change people want to see such as guys wanting an opportunity, I think that’s really cool on what wrestling can be. Is it different? Sure, but I get to see the other side of things which is something very different.
You spoke on the image of wrestling and there are many various definitions of what wrestling is. As the Smackdown Live General Manager, what is the image of wrestling in your eyes?
It’s weird because my idea of wrestling is always evolving. When I first started I wanted it to be a pure sport with rankings and that sort of thing. With the story-telling, it’s different on a week-to-week basis. The motto that was followed is that you build all the climaxes to the PPV’s. But now with the roster split, you need for people to watch the shows. I want to see mini-climaxes along with the actual climax at the end of the show.
I compare it to the show “Game of Thrones.” Every character and every segment is unique and interesting. Different characters main event Game of Thrones depending on where they are at on their particular story arch. To be honest, though, I’m not the smartest guy in the room but those are some of the suggestions I make.
The brand split developed your role as General Manager and each show with their own identity. With this being the second go-around with two separate rosters, what will we see that we haven’t seen in the past?
Well, before the brand split, you just got more of RAW in what you got on Smackdown, whereas now you are getting something totally different than what is on RAW and/or Smackdown. You can have people have breakthroughs for individual people. I would have never gotten my chance, because at the time, they were too high on certain individuals. I would have gotten a small percentage of what the opportunity I did get when the rosters did split. That’s what I hope that happens with these people who would never get a shot at building something; get that chance to shine.
Dolph Ziggler is taking on Dean Ambrose at SummerSlam for the WWE World Championship. As being the one putting this match into motion, what are you looking from each on Sunday?
I want to see what Dolph says he does all the time and that is “steal the show.” I want everyone at the end of SummerSlam to be talking about that match. I think they can do it. But don’t forget, there are a lot of great matches on this night so it’s going to be tough for both of them. I really want them to be the talk of the show and with their talent it’s very possible.
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Conor McGregor has been the talk of the town on social media with a recent tweet. What did you think of his tweet calling out WWE wrestlers and saying he would slap the heads off of everyone?
HA! I can’t imagine caring at all what Conor McGregor says about anything. It’s the same guy who said he retired on Twitter just to get a rise out of people. There’s a lot of awesome stuff going on like the Olympics and he’s out there trying to promote a fight. So I get it, but it doesn’t affect me one way or another. There’s been better people than him insulting wrestlers for years.