Punk is obviously the "alpha" of this pack. He's charismatic, a good wrestler, and at the moment a main eventer on RAW. He's made the WWE universe clamor for ice cream bars. He's not just the internet's darling, he's the darling of the pro wrestling world. I'm unfamiliar with his pre "shoot promo" storylines, and I've not gone back and watched his older matches or anything from his time in indy wrestling except a couple matches that he had against Daniel Bryan. One word of advice for Punk from that time period, blonde is not your color, keep your hair dark. I believe that Punk was once an internet darling, and has risen above that to the ranks of actual superstar.
Daniel Bryan, I admit, the man intrigues me.Like most of America, I am a media saturated carnivore. He's a vegan who doesn't watch television.That, however, seems to be where his nerd label ends. I've seen nothing to indicate that he plays Dungeons and Dragons or engages in any nerdy hobbies other than reading. He did mention that he'd read Game of Thrones, so an interest in fantasy novels could be construed as nerdy. I was actually disappointed to find out he wasn't as much of a nerd as Michael Cole says he is.
Liking Daniel Bryan violates two of my normal principles. One I tend to like long hair on men. Two, I detest Shonen heroes, or quintessential good guys. If he has a heel turn, which a lot of other bloggers are predicting, then at least i can justify my fixation because hidden bad guys are very appealing. Think of Captain Aizen in the anime Bleach. Bryan lacks personality and a definitive character. He's a generic good guy with average mic skills. I am extremely happy that they changed his theme music from Flight of the Valkyrie because every time I hear that piece of music I think of the Bugs Bunny cartoon "What's Opera Doc?" where they sing the words "Kill the Wabbit" to that tune. I am really beginning to enjoy watching Bryan in the ring when they actually let him perform. I've gone back and watched some of his pre WWE matches, and I've joined his little crew of raving fans that hope he gets a big push soon and they leave this goofy losing streak arc of his behind.
On the opposite end of the spectrum from Daniel Bryan is Zack Ryder. He has more personality than anyone in the WWE, and quite possibly entertainment in general. If ever a celebrity and the internet have joined forces in the right way, it has happened to Zack Ryder. Z True Long Island Story is one of the funniest shows on Youtube. I think even people who aren't wrestling fans would enjoy it. It's part career diary, part music, and part sketch comedy. Ryder's personality, the character he's crafted, his clothes, his hair, and his incessant self-promotion are all genius. Even if you hate him at least he's not generic. He does a better job of appealing to fans than a lot of others in the business, and his popularity is mostly grassroots.
There are probably lots of other wrestlers who could be considered internet darlings, but those were the top three. Post comments if you can't think of anymore, or if you have opinions on these men. I end with Ryder's catch phrase. Take Care and Spike Your Hair.
