Daniel Bryan On WWE Prioritizing RAW Over SmackDown, Disappointment Over Women's MITB Finish, Cena
SmackDown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan spoke with FOX Sports following the conclusion of Money in the Bank. Below are some of the highlights from the interview:
His reaction to the Women's MITB controversy:
"I was disappointed. And I think if it were like the fifth women's Money In The Bank match, right, I wouldn't be so disappointed – because that's a part of WWE, it's a part of sports entertainment that stuff like that happens.
"But I think when you build something up as far as like 'hey, this is this really important moment for women in WWE,' and then a man is the one who climbs up to the top and grabs the briefcase? I think that that really rubs people the wrong way and it sends the wrong message.
"And I don't have any way to gauge people's response to that other than Twitter, which I think is not a very good metric. But it's still one metric that we have, and so the Twitter response that I got when I was looking through it, from female fans, they didn't like it at all. I hope we can fix the wrongs tomorrow."
The AJ Styles spot where he hung onto the chain before falling:
"It's interesting, because when you're faced with real danger, they say that you don't really think anything. That's when your mind is actually completely in the moment, is when you're facing that. That's what I feel.
"There's no words when I'm falling off a ladder, doing something like that, that I think as I'm going through my head. Other than just a guttural sound that just like an "AHHHHH!" That's the same thing that's going on in my brain."
John Cena no longer exclusive to SD Live, whether it is unfair?:
"I don't know how it's going to play out. Traditionally, this is what happens: Nothing is spared for SmackDown. And that's part of what makes us the underdog, and the underdog brand, right?
"The WWE, as a corporate entity, puts Raw first. They're the flagship show, and SmackDown Live is always kind of playing second fiddle when you're talking about the executives and how they look at the two shows. So they are always going to do what they think is best for Raw."
"And sometimes, that actually makes SmackDown better. So yeah, I'll be interested to see how it plays out, but I think the crew that we have for SmackDown Live right now is really good. And if we can optimize the men and women that we have right now, I think we can put out a product that is much better than Raw."
Bryan also spoke about his experience as a new father, how his outlook has changed, getting valuable advice from Shane McMahon, and more. Read the entire interview here.
Source: Fox Sports