Maybe it is a work. Maybe it isn't.

If it is a work it's the storyline of the decade. If it isn't a work it's the worst mistake made in pro wrestling since Verne Gagne let Hulk Hogan leave the AWA.

Either way it keeps people talking.

This is a work. Cena's comments make no sense when you consider that John Cena HAS ALREADY wrestled Daniel Bryan (Bryan Danielson). If this isn't a work, why make a comment about wanting to wrestle the guy if you've already done it. Check out the you tube link below. Its fairly conclusive proof that this is either a work, or Cena has been hit in the head one too many times:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tcy0vzb5gnw

hi i am a major fan of john cena and i know if anyone in the wwe deserves to be wwe world heavy weight champion or to ask to have another wrestler brought back its john cena hes a great person in and out of the ring and i think he is admired by all walks of life because of his personality loyalty and the respect he gives to all the fans all around the world

It just has to be a work.
There's too many coincidences to suggest otherwise.

If it does indeed prove to be a work it makes for an interesting blurring of the lines because for so long the WWE have kept their 'news' page legitimate despite being surrounded by a world of make believe.

Very interested to see how it plays out because there will be some interesting ramifications be it work or legit.

Thw Twitter community has been up in arms. A petition to the WWE to bring Danielson back has recieved more than 10,000 signatures in less than 48 hours (including John Cenas, mentioned above).

I maintain this is some kind of hype-generating social media experiment from the WWE, with Danielson as the test subject given his fanatical online fanbase. I truly hope I'm right.

http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?bdaniels&1

I thought Vince Russo was on TNA....

I totally agree with Mr. Cena. I think Danielson has shown that he is a major player, and he would make up for some of the best matches, and even bigger stories. I believe that out of all the NXT rookies he shows the most promise and Micheal Cole needs to give this oppinunated attitude of his a rest.

lol your kidding me right? that counts as wrestling? you do realies that was VELOCITY and cena was NOBODY back then right?

Cena wants a match with bryan in todays time, so what if thier already had one, batiasta anc cena had one in 2002, but thier accountets this year were so much bigger and better for reasons

its called a revenge match, thiers a reason your not running a show

^ I'd honestly be surprised if John Cena remembered a throwaway Velocity match 7 years ago against a then-mid-level indy darling.

If it's real, and Bryan Danielson winds up on TNA Thursday, what bad timing for TNA .... THAT would have been a great Monday Night War switch

I don't think this is a work. WWE doesn't care about who the Internet Wrestling Community likes - they've proven that time and time again. And really, why should they? This ain't the 70s, there are no territories anymore. TNA is doing everything they can to get attention, and outside of the Internet Community (who watch all wrestling shows no matter what) NO ONE cares. WWE knows only .005 of a ratings point will tune in for Danielson. CM Punk, for example, can kinda cut it in WWE, he had a good pre-built-in gimmick and wasn't so small that he looked out of place in a WWE ring. I could totally see Vinnie Mac legit firing Danielson because he didn't have the look, and then using the buzz to pop the ratings on a Raw or 2 and leaving it at that. Oh well. Maybe Kaval will have better luck.

I think he seriously may have forgotten he wrestled him before lol

The invading NXT rookies are supposed to be heels, but if Danielson was brought back, he’d be a sympathetic figure.

Has it been your experience that WWE has a good habit about being consistent with storylines? I think you're expecting logic and reason where there hasn't been much, traditionally. Granted, WWE is better than TNA...but this would hardly be an atypical breach.

My money's still on work. Maybe we'll see tonight. (I'm DVRing.)

If this is not a work, then it seems that Cena is trying to gain some fans in smark community. In any case, I am quite intrigued in watching this whole mess.

I don't think it is a complete work, but the WWE has planted the seeds to make Bryan Danielson not jump ship and go to TNA when the no-compete expires. When Raw opened tonight Barrett explained Bryan's absence, saying that he had remorse for what he did and was kicked out. This means that if he does come back when this whole thing blows over, he will be a sympathetic face. Bryan must be looking at how Nigel McGuiness has been used in TNA and weighing his options.

I don't think it's a work as much as it is WWE setting themselves up to bring Danielson back once whatever outside party (Mattel?) that's bringing the heat right now calms down. I think he'll return as a babyface to challenge the NXT faction at some point.

I get a kick out of Cena saying he "always stands up for what he believes in" when he's well known as being the ultimate company man. But good for him.

I signed the petition, BTW.

cena does NOT deserve to be champion, he sucks as a wrestler and is just a kiddie attraction

Maybe this is Cena´s try getting over with the IWC. Just joking, of course.
But honestly it´s strange when Cena now for the 1st time speaks out against the WWE.
So either this is a work or the WWE told him to write this just to keep the buzz going on and confuse the WWE Universe a little bit more? Does this sound paranoid?

Don't be ridiculous Tony. Cena has a stupid character but he's a great wrestler.

It sounds like a work to me, Cena is posting in character, his character stands up for stuff and like this. The real guy tows the company line.

"The fact that Cena would take up the cause of a guy who was fired has raised eyebrows because he is known for always towing the company line."

Isn't the expression "toeing" the company line?

RESPONSE FROM KE: It's been written both ways.

i think cena's words are the work..i think Danielson got a little carried away on cena..stiff, the spit..and i think cena said adios mu cha cha...now he's trying to cover his tracks so he doesn't look like the bad guy...doesnt matter..the only angle that got me to actually sit up since shane bought wcw (9 years btw)is already ruined..had so much potential, just like the the shane angle...least the writers ended my hopes for some interesting wrestling alot quicker this time than in 2001..its gonna be a long 9 years

I only keep up on wrestling by reading this column and anytime an "invasion" storyline comes up it piques my interest. I think its one of the most solid bases to build plot around. That said, I familiarized myself with whats happening and I'm of the opinion that this may have started legit with the choking but even if it did it is most certainly a work now. I'm not sure enough complaints would have been generated for merely choking someone on a 'wrasslin' show. I mean, it's not real. They've put some stock in Danielson so why waste whatever investment in screen-time they've put into a guy for something as mundane as a choke. People have screwed up worse and gotten less. I think they'll bring him back due to popular demand. I think even mentioning him last night as being kicked out for regretting his heelish behavior will elevate him above the NXT faction making him a face aligned with WWE pros. This will make him seem like pro. Something that may have been hard to get over with Danielsons decidedly non-WWE shaped physique. Makes sense to me. Now if they could only apply this kind of thinking to all of their angles and remove the guest-hosts, we'll be back in business.

it is a work!
not only do I expect NXT rookies to invade the Fatal 4 Way, but Daniel Bryan to make an appearance, ala, Matt Hardy ticketed ringside!!

The verb "tow" means to drag a vehicle or boat with another vehicle or boat, a line being the thing which connects the two. If anyone has it wrong, it's probably the folks who write "toeing the line." To what sort of line do you apply the digits on the ends of your feet?

From Wikipedia

"The most likely origins of the term go back to the usage of the wooden ships in the Royal Navy. Barefooted seamen had to stand at attention for inspection and had to line up on deck along the seams of the wooden planks, hence to "toe the line" [2] Over the years the term has been attributed to sports, including toeing the starting line in track events and toeing a center line in boxing which boxers were instructed to line up on either side of to start a match."

Watch "Far and Away" and you'll see the bare knuckled boxers told to toe the line at the start of the fight -- their toes had to be on a line drawn in the dirt.

There is still no mention of Danielson's release on WWE's Corporate website - 5 days after his "release". It's interesting to note that Carlito's release HAS been reported there. Daniel Bryan's bio page/profile also remains on WWE.com

There IS precedent for WWE.com announcing a release as a worked angle - Teddy Long's "firing" of Drew McIntyre a while back was followed by a 'wish him well in future endeavors' and his bio/profile being removed from the site.

The 'shoot' interviews at the end of NXT season one, the change in his Twitter account and reference to his real name in the 'firing' on WWE.com etc all point to the end of the 'Daniel Bryan' character, so I think the WWE is planning to repackage Bryan as himself -as Bryan Danielson. The "release" is simply a way to generate publicity and hype amongst his already rabid internet fan base, and to distance him from the rest of the NXT invasion angle.

@Christopher:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toe_the_line

Also, I think it's a work.

AJK: Isn't the expression "toeing" the company line?

RESPONSE FROM KE: It's been written both ways.

That doesn't mean there both write! ;)

What kind of sense does it make to "tow" a line? You can tow WITH a line...

Thanks, Don. The Concise Oxford English Dictionary verified wiki.

"What kind of sense does it make to "tow" a line? You can tow WITH a line...."

_________________________________

In football, they "defend the pass" (meaning they "defend against the pass"); in wrestling, "Undertaker submitted Batista" (meaning "Undertaker made Batista submit"). It's the same kind of grammatical corner cutting. With that being said, I am now completely satisfied that "toe the line" is not erroneous.

I hate cena he's a good wrestler just he needs a heel turn as for wwe they need to drop the PG crap and go back to the attitude era and TNA should come to wwe raw it's time for an invasion!

I read some of the comments in this page about John Cena, but i think u are all crazy John Cena is great. People need to be more like Cena. i think people just wish they were like him. lol

For the people complaining that Cena has already wrestled Danielson: Hogan had already wrestled Andre before WM3, too. It isn't a matter of who vs. who; it's a matter of where and when.

If John Cena wants Daniel Bryon back then bring him back. I would love to see John whip Daniel. John is the best and always will be. John stands up for what he believes. He does what he says he's going to do.

I love John Cena n feel really bad
for the bad things that happen for him i get so excited when he wins matches

hustle,loyalty,respect, the best things in life, and most important to CeNation.

John Cena is CENAMAZING!!! He rocks at EVERYTHING! Plus, he has amazing abs and haters shut up!

Anyone here who is a fan of Cena obviously loves watered down wrestling and persona's that only characterize high volumes of voice, and cheap PG rated puns. John Cena got chewed out by ECW Fans in 06' (beautifuly witnessed on DVD), and the vicious fans of ECW shot him down with legit facts, he really can't wrestle, he's a big oaf at some points and he hits the same transitions and dishes out the same moves everytime. Whenever he does try something new however, it looks sloppy and the person taking the move probably where thinking: "aw shit, he's gonna actually try a new move, better call my lawyer." I mean honestly, some people can wrestle, some people can't. John Cena and alot of the wrestlers in WWE are performing horribly. When i watch wrestling, i dont want to see watered down matches with botches, sloppy finishes and DIVAs, dont get me started, they're sloppy, skanky, and weak. And if a wrestling fan actually likes John Cena, then they have horrible taste, you cant see good wrestling from John Cena, i just don't see it. The only credit i'll ever give him is his debut match against Kurt Angle, because Angle is a great wrestler, and he like many other great wrestlers, can look scrubs like Cena look like soldi performers, but honestly, i'm replying to a blog thats like months, old, so heres a new subject for you. WHOSE THE BETTER WRESTLER; Bryan Danielson, or Davey Richards, blogging starts....now >=)