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Daniel Bryan on CM Punk WWE WrestleMania Match, Raw Overrun, Randy Orton Angle
Robin Marchant/Getty ImagesBleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe. Bryan Talks Wanting to Face Punk at WrestleManiaDaniel Bryan and CM Punk had a memorable feud and several great matches in WWE, but Bryan still thinks about the match that never was.In an interview with Cerrito Live (h/t H Jenkins of…
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Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.
Bryan Talks Wanting to Face Punk at WrestleMania
Daniel Bryan and CM Punk had a memorable feud and several great matches in WWE, but Bryan still thinks about the match that never was.
In an interview with Cerrito Live (h/t H Jenkins of Ringside News), Bryan discussed the fact that he wishes he and Punk could have faced off on The Grandest Stage of Them All:
“I always say it's always so enticing to come back, as much as you don't want to. I would hope yes and also—in the back of my mind and even after he left—I always had this thing where it just seemed to me there should have always been a WrestleMania match between CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.
“Now at this point, he may be past that and I know he's not big on people putting his name out there and saying, ‘Oh, I wanna do this.' That's not where I'm coming from with this at all. But just in the back of my head I'm disappointed that we never got a CM Punk-Daniel Bryan WrestleMania match.”
Punk has not been an active wrestler since leaving WWE in 2014, but he is back in the wrestling world as an analyst on FS1's WWE Backstage.
While Punk lends his expertise by breaking down current WWE storylines and offering his opinions, he has suggested that he isn't interested in an in-ring return.
If anyone could get the most out of Punk provided he does decide to return, however, it is likely Bryan. The two competitors showed over the years that they had great in-ring chemistry, and there is little doubt that the fans would embrace another bout between them.
It is far from a guarantee that it will happen, but Bryan certainly seems open to the possibility.
Why Monday's Raw Featured Overrun
WWE Raw has been ending promptly at 11 p.m. ET on USA Network in recent months, but Monday's episode featured 10 minutes of overrun to accommodate the Lana and Bobby Lashley wedding segment that closed the show.
According to Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t WrestlingInc.com's Marc Middleton), the overrun was a “one-time thing” and doesn't figure to be a regular occurrence moving forward.
Meltzer added that Vince McMahon and Raw executive director Paul Heyman were behind the idea to use overrun in order to fit in the entire wedding segment. Meltzer also reported that ratings for the segment were “way up.”
Lana bragged about that fact on Twitter:
CJ “Lana” Perry @LanaWWE
I hate to rub it in all my haters & naysayers faces right now but MY wedding on #Raw was the highest part of #MondayNightRAW going up 40 percent from the rest of the show & the highest ratings of the year ! #LanaAndLashleyWedding #Lana #movingtheneedle
The wedding was interrupted by several people, including the returning Liv Morgan, who professed her love for Lana. Rusev also jumped out of the wedding cake and attacked Lashley. The show ended with Morgan and Rusev covering Lana in cake.
Although the segment endured a lot of criticism on social media, the ratings were strong and the video produced millions of views on YouTube.
It appears as though WWE made a smart move by using overrun to its advantage and creating an unpredictable feel that kept viewers glued to their televisions.
While overrun may not be used much, the success of Monday's Raw may result in WWE continuing to utilize that strategy for certain segments in the future.
Details on Orton's Fake Injury Angle
This week's angle featuring Randy Orton selling a fake injury in order to trick AJ Styles on Raw was reportedly a calculated move on WWE's part.
According to Meltzer (h/t Jenkins), Heyman was behind the idea, and it is meant to help boost struggling ticket sales to WWE live events.
At a live event in Hershey, Pennsylvania, on Sunday night, Orton appeared to suffer a leg or knee injury, and he was helped to the backstage area. The news spread quickly on social media and there was genuine concern for Orton's health.
On Raw, Orton went to the ring on crutches and cut a promo in which he said the injury was serious and potentially career-threatening. Styles showed up to taunt Orton, but everything turned out to be a ruse, as Orton hit Styles with an RKO and showed the crowd that his knee was fine.
The segment was one of the best angles in recent memory in terms of making the audience believe it was real, much like Mark Henry's famous retirement segment that ended in him taking out John Cena.
With the Orton injury angle originating at a house show and Andrade beating Rey Mysterio for the United States Championship at a house show last week, there may now be more incentive for fans to attend those events.
Listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot wrestling topics. Catch the latest episode in the player below (warning: some language NSFW).
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