– USAirwaysCenter.com recently spoke with Daniel Bryan to promote Sunday’s WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view. Here are some highlights:
USAirwaysCenter.com: What can fans expect from your match with CM Punk this Sunday?
Daniel Bryan: I don’t know what fans can expect. Obviously, whenever I wrestle CM Punk, they’re going to get a great wrestling match. But the one thing that is unknown about this whole thing is that AJ is going to be our referee. So when you put a 95-lb woman in a referee shirt, you never know what’s going to happen.
USAirwaysCenter.com: You two have had a lot of matches over the years, especially the last few months. How do you take it up a notch for this one?
Bryan: Well, it’s interesting. This is a pay-per-view match and it’s for the WWE Championship, so that obviously ups the intensity. I expect to be in the main event of the pay-per-view, so anytime that happens, and you have two guys with as much pride as me and CM Punk, you know it’s going to be intense.
USAirwaysCenter.com: What do you think was the turning point for you? What turned the light on for Vince McMahon, or whoever it was that decided to give you a big push?
Bryan: Well, I think a lot of it was just opportunities. We were in a situation where Mark Henry and a lot of other guys were hurt. Then when I cashed in the Money in the Bank contract and won the championship, they gave me an opportunity to see what I could do. They gave me the opportunity to go out there and talk on the microphone in the ring. And the more that I was able to go out there and do it, and perform well, the more responsibility they were able to give me. “Okay, he did good last week, let’s give him a little more time this week. Let’s see if he can be out there for 10 minutes or 12 minutes on the microphone and hold people’s interests.” Luckily, I’ve been able to do it.
If you would have asked my high school English teacher if I would have been able to stand out in front of 10,000 people and talk on a microphone. He would have said, “Wait a second, this guy stuttered doing a book report.” So yes, it’s been pretty crazy.
USAirwaysCenter.com: If you beat CM Punk this Sunday, you could end up defending the WWE Championship against the winner of the MITB match, possibly as soon as that same night. Do you have any thoughts on who is going to win that match?
Bryan: Gosh, I think it’s a toss-up. Initially, I would say John Cena, but he’s never been in a Money in the Bank match and until you’ve been in one of those, you don’t know how they are or what’s going to happen. You’ve also got Chris Jericho, Kane and Big Show, who have all been in this match before. But I guess if I had to put my money on it, I would put money on John Cena.
