Kemo
06-21-2017, 04:09 PM
SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan spoke with Sports Illustrated this week and discussed his relationship with CM Punk, which NXT performers he wants to see called up to the main roster and more. Here are some highlights:
The last time he spoke to CM Punk:
“I haven’t talked to Punk since I texted him when he came on the UFC show in a suit and said he was going to fight in the UFC. I just texted him and said, ‘Hey man, I just saw that and think it’s awesome. I hope you do great.’ Punk texted back, ‘Thanks.’ That’s the last I’ve heard from him. I’ve always respected and appreciated Punk, but we never really hung out. We came from the same route, but we didn’t necessarily hang out in the same circles. I’ve always had a great appreciation and respect for his hard work.”
NXT stars he’d like to see be brought up to the main roster:
“There are so many talented people in NXT, and I hate to single out any specific person because that alienates a whole group of people,” said Bryan. “I think the vignettes they’ve done with Roderick Strong have brought his personality to the forefront. I’ve known Roderick Strong for years, and as much as I would love to have him on SmackDown, I would like to take these ideas and use them for the people we already have who are already super talented.
“American Alpha is a great example of that, and the Colons, who were on the pre-show match on Sunday night. We have so many outstanding talents, and we need to do a better job of helping people relate to them. There always needs to be an infusion of new talent, always. That’s the cycle of wrestling. There also needs to be new talent to be excited about, and an example is Sami Zayn. I really wanted Sami Zayn to go from Raw to SmackDown, and I would like to use him better on SmackDown Live.”
The last time he spoke to CM Punk:
“I haven’t talked to Punk since I texted him when he came on the UFC show in a suit and said he was going to fight in the UFC. I just texted him and said, ‘Hey man, I just saw that and think it’s awesome. I hope you do great.’ Punk texted back, ‘Thanks.’ That’s the last I’ve heard from him. I’ve always respected and appreciated Punk, but we never really hung out. We came from the same route, but we didn’t necessarily hang out in the same circles. I’ve always had a great appreciation and respect for his hard work.”
NXT stars he’d like to see be brought up to the main roster:
“There are so many talented people in NXT, and I hate to single out any specific person because that alienates a whole group of people,” said Bryan. “I think the vignettes they’ve done with Roderick Strong have brought his personality to the forefront. I’ve known Roderick Strong for years, and as much as I would love to have him on SmackDown, I would like to take these ideas and use them for the people we already have who are already super talented.
“American Alpha is a great example of that, and the Colons, who were on the pre-show match on Sunday night. We have so many outstanding talents, and we need to do a better job of helping people relate to them. There always needs to be an infusion of new talent, always. That’s the cycle of wrestling. There also needs to be new talent to be excited about, and an example is Sami Zayn. I really wanted Sami Zayn to go from Raw to SmackDown, and I would like to use him better on SmackDown Live.”