Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton: The Saga

Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton recently had a series of four matches over the course of eight days on WWE programming. WWE released these matches on their Youtube channel. Watch these matches here.

Raw
June 17, 2013

Orton and Bryan lost a PPV match to the Shield. Orton called Bryan the Weak Link. Bryan hates being called the Weak Link. Match.

The fans voted for this match to be a No Disqualification match. They went back and forth to start the match. Orton was in control for a few minutes, but Bryan managed to make a comeback. Orton got low-bridged to the floor. Bryan went for a tope suicida. Orton avoided it, and Bryan crashed into the barricade. Orton took out a Singapore cane and used it on Bryan several times.
Commercial Break

Orton was in control when the show came back. Another commercial. Not going to make a new paragraph. Bryan hit a missile dropkick. Bryan then delivered a series of kicks. Orton avoided a buzzsaw and hit an exploder. A doctor tried to take a look at Bryan. Bryan wouldn’t let him. Orton sent Bryan into the ropes. Bryan went to skin the cat, but Orton kicked him to the floor. The doctor finally was able to check in on Bryan. Bryan charged into the ring. They spilled to the floor, and Orton back suplexed him on the guardrail. The referee called off the match.

Bryan looked most upset. The crowd cheered when Orton was declared the winner. Orton actually consoled Bryan after the match. Apparently the ref stoppage was a shoot, and HHH was actually the one who called off the match. The story goes that Bryan was really upset.

This was supposed to be a big win for Daniel Bryan, but instead it ended up being a storyline reason for his continued fear of being thought of as a “weak link.” All things considered, I think it worked out for the best.
Match Rating: ***

Smackdown
[Taped] June 18, 2013

This was a main event of an episode of Smackdown. The match was quite physical at the start. Orton managed to get control of the match. Bryan got suplexed to the floor. Orton was in control for a while. 
Commercial Break

Back from commercial, Orton was still in control. Bryan made a comeback, but Orton caught him with a snap powerslam for a nearfall. Bryan came back with lots of kicks. He got a nearfall with a buzzsaw kick. Bryan called for the Flying Goat, but Orton crotched him. Orton hit a superplex. Orton then hit the elevated DDT. Orton got the crowd all fired up. Stop interracting with the crowd! Look like superstar! Orton called for the RKO, but Bryan rolled out of the ring. Orton hit the back suplex on the apron. Bryan came back with a running knee off the apron and the tope suicida. Bryan got back into the ring at the nine count, but Orton failed to beat the count. Bryan won by countout.

Bryan was furious that he won by countout. He wanted the match restarted, but the referee refused.

This was another really enjoyable match between these two. While the match is structured similarly to their first match in the “saga,” they managed to do a number of small things to play off the first match to make this match feel like it’s part of a larger story. Thumbs up!
Match Rating: ***1/4

Raw
June 24, 2013

This was the opener of an episode of Raw. Bryan cut a promo.  He let everyone know that he was not an extra on The Hobbit.  He said he’s also not the weak link. Bryan said the weak link would have accepted the countout win against Orton. Bryan says he will make Orton tap out or pin him. Orton came out and said he wanted a fight.

The match started as a brawl. They ended up on the floor. Orton hit nice-sounding lariat. Orton and Bryan ended up brawling near the commentation station (shaped like a table!). The referee was trying to break it up, but the wrestlers kept fighting. The referee called for the bell. They kept fighting. The referees had to split it up.

This is just a storyline driven match to set up a future match. I liked it as such, but unless you’re watching the full “saga” of matches between these two, there’s no need to watch this one specifically. It’s more of a segment, as opposed to a match.

This was the blowoff to the Daniel Bryan/Randy Orton “saga.” The fans voted for this match to be a Street Fight. This was the main event of the Raw it aired on.

They quickly ended up on the floor. Bryan got back in the ring and went for a tope suicida, but Orton blocked it with a chair! Orton and Bryan later got fined for doing a chairshot to the head.

Back from commercial, Orton was in complete control. Orton took out a table. The crowd chanted “We want tables!” Orton responded, “What is this?” while pointing at the table. Orton is great. Bryan came back, and they started brawling near the entrance ramp. Orton hit a backdrop onto the ramp.
Commercial Break

Orton was in control again. Orton brought the table into the ring, and he set it up in the corner. Bryan made a comeback. Orton threw a chair at Bryan to cut him off: 1…2…NO! Bryan tried to send Orton through the table on the floor. After multiple dropkicks failed, Bryan powerbombed Orton through the table! Bryan then got a Singapore cane. Bryan alternated kicks to the chest and cane shots to the shoulder. Orton caught him though and hit an exploder through the table set up in the corner! This match! Bryan was firing back, but Orton hit a dropkick to cut him off. Bryan went for a missile dropkick, but Orton reversed it into a powerbomb: 1…2…NO! Bryan tried to go for the LeBell Lock, and he locked it in! Orton managed to grab the Singapore cane and hit Bryan in the face! He then hit multiple shots to the shoulders and back. Orton then hit the elevated DDT and called for the RKO. Bryan reversed the RKO attempt into a backslide for a nearfall. Bryan hit multiple cane shots and got the LeBell Lock again! Orton grabbed the cane, but Bryan got the cane used it to lock in the LeBell Lock!!! ORTON TAPS OUT!!!

Orton followed the Code of Honor after the match. The fans chanted “You Tapped Out!” Bryan chanted “Yes!” a lot.

This was an awesome Raw main event, and it was very satisfying conclusion to this mini-feud Orton and Bryan had. They played off their past matches effectively, and they managed to keep the crowd entertained all the way through. The crowd wasn’t as molten as I would have expected, but from what I read, this crowd was pretty shitty by Raw standards.
Match Rating: ***3/4

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The 411: I really enjoyed this mini-feud between these two. Bryan has been on a tear for the last four months or so, and he brought the best out of Orton in these matches. It sucks that Orton is seemingly so stale at times, but he occasionally shows how good he is in big moments. He stepped up here and helped to put Bryan over in some really fun matches. I hope we see more of this side of Orton.
Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]