Bryan shifted in his chair, looking across an expensive looking wooden desk at his psychologist, James Gordon. James had been the therapist that worked with his family since he was a child, and Bryan knew James and his wife, Clara. It had been a couple years since he had gone to James, his time in the WWE had consumed every free minute he had, and though the WWE indeed had it's fair share of stressors, he just didn't have the time to go back to Port Townsend to get them off his chest.
Daniel Bryan: You know, I've been pretty well. It's been good in the EBWF so far.
James looked up from his clipboard, over his glasses at Bryan.
James Gordon: Bryan, I've been talking to you for over twenty years now. I worked with your mom when you were just a baby. I know you're not here because everything is just fine. Tell me, how's your relationship with that girl... what's her name...
Daniel Bryan: Brie?
James snapped his fingers.
James Gordon: Ah, yes. Brie. Are you two doing okay?
Daniel Bryan: We're... no longer together.
James Gordon: Oh my. Well, she has a silly name, anyway. Tell me about the relationship end. What did that look like?
Daniel Bryan: Oh the usual. Boy meets girl. Boy makes money. Boy takes a gamble on a career decision and girl leaves boy.
James Gordon: That must have been frustrating. How did you handle that?
Daniel Bryan: Well, it was over the phone, so not very well. I put my $400 iPhone through the sliding glass door.
He showed off the $20 GoPhone he had to buy while he was still ineligible for an upgrade.
Daniel Bryan: It hasn't been seen since.
James looked at the cheap phone Bryan was using for a good few seconds. He sighed.
James Gordon: Bryan. I've known you for a long time, right?
Daniel Bryan: Right.
James Gordon: We've been through this before, right?
Bryan sighed, shaking his head.
Daniel Bryan: Yep.
James Gordon: How many times?
Daniel Bryan: Um...
He scratched the top of his head, looking around the room as he searched for the answer.
Daniel Bryan: Three, four times?
James Gordon: You're a nice guy, Bryan. A super nice guy. You always have been.
Daniel Bryan: I don't know, James. With all due respect...
James Gordon: No, no. You're a good person. You bend over backwards for people. Your first few big checks from the WWE went towards your mother's medical bills, God rest her soul. You did everything in your power to make it work with your father...
Daniel Bryan: A lot of damn good that did.
James Gordon: You can't blame yourself for that. Just like you can't blame yourself for what happened with your mother, or with this Brie girl. You bear the world's weight on your shoulders. And while wrestling all around the world makes for a very good distraction, and you're very good at it, wrestling is not forever. There will come a time when you won't have it as a crutch, and how are you going to deal with your anger then?
Bryan had no answer. He sat in silence, in Dr. Gordon's plush patient chair, looking off in the distance, unsure of himself and thinking about how much it cost him to replace that sliding glass door.
James Gordon: Speaking of wrestling. How is it in your new company?
Daniel Bryan: It's not bad, I guess. They seem to like me so far, I've got a match coming up on their big summer pay per view show Summerslam. Pretty low on the card, but it should still be a nice payoff. Against this guy named Christian. He's good, and it ought to be a great show. You should... check it out.
James Gordon: Well, I might just do that. Clara's not a big fan of the violence, but I'm sure she'll enjoy seeing you on television.
Daniel Bryan: It'll be a good match. Jay and I already have some good spots worked out. Lots of flying, lots of technical work, just the way I like it. And I've... kind of worked my anger problems into a personality gimmick of sorts. It's oddly... therapeutic.
James smiled a bit as he adjusted his glasses.
James Gordon: Well, it's no substitute for therapy on the real thing, but as long as you're enjoying yourself. Just do me a favor.
Daniel Bryan: Okay.
James stood up slowly and extended his hand. Danielson stood up as well and shook the offered hand. James looked at him in the eye.
James Gordon: Don't ever hesitate to call me, Bryan. I mean it. You have my cell phone number. I don't you somewhere halfway across the world, needing to talk to someone and not being able to.
Daniel Bryan: Okay. I will.
Daniel left the office and got back into his card, heading back to his home. It was time to hit the gym and get some lunch, then off to Missouri for Summerslam.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The camera faded in on Jim Ross, who sat in a black plush chair opposite Daniel Bryan. The room was dark with the exception of the lights shining directly on the two of them.
Jim Ross: Hello, EBWF fans. Good ole JR here with an EBWF.net exclusive.Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my distinct priviledge to have this sit down interview with the man who will be facing Christian at Summerslam this Sunday, Daniel Bryan. Daniel, welcome.
Daniel Bryan: Thank you, JR.
Jim Ross: Daniel, there's a few things I want to talk to you about today, but I think the most pressing, and the one everyone is talking about, is the events of this past Warfare, where you decided to enlist the managerial services of one Paul Heyman. I've known Paul Heyman for some time.He is without a doubt one of the most loud mouthed, and yet one of the most influential promoters this business has seen. What about Paul told you that you were a good fit for his cadre?
Daniel Bryan: Well, JR, you kind of answered your own question right there didn't you? Paul Heyman has seen success as a promoter, a booker, a creative mind, and a manager. He's done it all. And he's done it by not sitting around and waiting for things to happen. He's loud, he's obnoxious, and he's not afraid to tell you what he thinks. He's quiet honestly the perfect manager, and I don't think I could have made a better decision. And, even better, some of the other guys under his stable have made Christian's life difficult on more than one occasion, so it was really a win-win for me.
Jim Ross: When you first joined us in the land of elites here in the EBWF, you made a very profound statement, I think. In your first televised vignette, you said that you were going to earn every single thing you get. You planned on going out there and doing all the work yourself, and never taking a handout, and you went on to name people like Jeff Hardy and Randy Orton. Some would say that joining forces with Paul Heyman flies in the face of your assertion. What's your response to that?
Daniel Bryan: My response? My response to anyone who says that is that they don't know anything about what a manager does, or what a manager is supposed to do. You think Paul Heyman is going to go out there and interfere? You think he's going to distract the referee for me while I thumb Christian in the eyes? That's not how I do business, it's never how I've done business. Whether the fans love me or hate me, I've always gone out there and won by being the better man. I don't use shortcuts, I don't cut corners. I just win. That's all. You want to know what Paul Heyman is to me? Paul Heyman is my vehicle to opportunities. Opportunities that I will grasp and never let go of. He will get me a title shot, or a match with a guy I don't like, and I will go out there and win on my own. So you can sleep soundly knowing that when I go out there to face Christian at Summerslam, that I don't need Paul Heyman's help to be the better guy.
Jim Ross: So, in your words, by accepting Paul Heyman's offer you haven't abandoned your beliefs at all.
Daniel Bryan: Not one bit, JR. I still hold guys like Randy Orton and Jeff Hardy in the highest contempt. Guys like Randy were born into the business and don't know a damn thing about making it because they never had to. Guys like Jeff Hardy paid their dues years ago but now expect everything to just be handed out to them without any real work. Guys like Christian, to be exact. Christian's a guy who busted his butt to get where he is now. Trouble is, he got there years ago. He's been on cruise control, phoning it in ever since. And he expect to go out there with me? The best wrestler on this planet, and win? No, I don't think so. The guy is no Edge.
Jim Ross: You feel differently about Edge than you do about Christian?
Daniel Bryan: JR, you were there. You called the match. I may not have been in EBWF very long, but I've followed it for years. I watched Wrestlemania X. I saw Edge go up against John Cena, in what I thought then and still think now is the best match I've seen since, and top 5 in the greatest ladder matches of all time. What has Christian done? Nothing. So yeah, I look a the guys very differently. Especially since Christian has nerve to say he thinks he's better than me. One guy I would main event a pay per view with, the other guy gets me curtain jerker status. Christian will always live in that shadow, expecting handouts on the fact that his ex-tag team partner is going to be a legend, and he's going to be a footnote. No, JR. I haven't changed my tune. I will not be the guy that expects to get everything offered on a silver platter. That's not me, Paul Heyman will unlock the doors. I will open them and go through them.
Jim Ross: Anything else you'd like to add?
Daniel Bryan: Yes. Yes! YES!
Daniel stood up out of his seat and stepped closer to Jim Ross as his voice got louder. Jim instinctively put his hands up in surrender posture.
Daniel Bryan: This Sunday at Summerslam, I am getting what I wanted, and finally the EBWF will see what I am capable of. I'm not here for fun. I'm not here to entertain. I'm here to wrestle, and to make people tap out. That's exactly what Christian is going to do. Christian is a talented wrestler, but he's lazy. It's defined his entire career, and he's going to find out what it means to take on a guy who has earned EVERYTHING he's gotten. I've made a career coming up with new and creative ways to inflict pain on my opponents, and the moment an opportunity presents itself in my match against Christian, you can BET the Good Ole JR farm that I am going to make Christian TAP...OUT.
Daniel Bryan ripped the mic cord off his t-shirt and threw it to the ground, leaving the stage as the scene faded.
