La polémique enfle après l'accueil plutôt négatif du public à la conclusion du Royal Rumble match, voyant Batista l'emporter, et Daniel Bryan ne pas faire partie du match (même si la WWE n'a jamais annoncé qu'il serait présent).

C'est Mick Foley qui a été le plus véhément, se déclarant dégoûté en tant que fan par l'absence de Bryan, et accusant directement la WWE :

Citation :

"Wait...@WWEDanielBryan isn't even IN the #RoyalRumble? That just kind of sucks. Does @WWE actually hate their own audience? I've never been so disgusted with a PPV."

Il a plus tard publié un long texte explicatif où il regrettait que la WWE ignore les réactions autour de Bryan, et de voir les lutteurs réguliers de la compagnie travailler dur sans avoir la chance de briller à Wrestlemania, ajoutant qu'il avait perdu une grande partie de son enthousiasme pour l'évènement cette année :

Citation :

"As I mentioned on Twitter, I've never felt so disgusted at the conclusion of a WWE (or any) PPV. Like many of you out there, I just don't get it. This Daniel Bryan thing is a phenomenon. You get it. I get it. The fans in Pittsburgh (yes, I was thinking of writing 'RIGHT TH...but I'm just not in a cheap pop mood) got it. But tonight, for the first time, I had to admit to myself that the powers that be are just not going to get it. And that makes me sad. I'm just honestly sad, just flat out f-cking sad (yes, I dropped an F-bomb there to emphasize how F'ing sad I am for the guys who bust their butts night in and night out - Ziggler, Punk, Bryan, etc - with no hope of getting their shot at this year's Mania.

"You know who else I'm sad for? Me. In my two years as an official WWE Ambassador, I never once had to lie about my enthusiasm for the company or the product. Now, although I am no longer officially an Ambassador for WWE (believe it or not, my only official role in WWE is as GM for Saturday Morning Slam, a contract that ends in one month) I was till looking forward to being part of the biggest event of the year. I'll probably end up going anyway. But I'm about 1/6th as excited about it as I was just a few hours ago. I wanted so badly to hear 75,000 WWE fans chanting 'YES' - and seeing fans walk away absolutely ecstatic about the outcome of a PPV for the first time in a while...a long while. But when given the chance to make it happen (unless they've got something MAJOR up their sleeve) WWE's answer tonight was a resounding 'NO, NO, NO'."

Son fils Dewey en a rajouté ensuite, ajoutant lui que Triple H ne serait rien sans son père pour le mettre over à l'époque, et que la WWE était une dictature :

Citation :

"Sorry people who know much about wrestling, but this company right now is in some serious s--t. This is really bad for their company because one or two individuals truly believe that their opinions reign much higher over the millions and millions of people who watch their show religiously on a weekly basis. It's such a horrible feeling obviously because it hits close to home. You have these guys who work their asses off 320+ days a year, who barely see their loved ones, and they get completely disrespected and disregarded because Triple f--king H thinks they're 'too small' or not star material.

"My dad made your ass, and people told my dad all his life that he would amount to nothing. So Triple H should know from experience that the people that work their asses off and that are told that they are worthless, are the ones that make the company the best it can be. Without my dad, Triple H is just a mid-carder. My dad went out of his way to make sure that he turned Triple H into the intimidating, scary, cerebral assassin, son of a b---h that he has become. So it's about time that people who deserve to be the best are given the opportunity to show it. WWE is a f--king dictatorship and it is just truly a shame."

D'autres ex-WWE ont aussi réagi à la polémique.

Armando estrada a comparé le traitement de Bryan à celui de Zack Ryder :

Citation :

"It amazes me how much a company constantly ignores the feedback/suggestions of its customers! #Terribleforbusiness I hope @WWEDanielBryan doesn't get @ZackRyder treatment. Aka ZackRydered. #nohaha The fans in Pittsburgh clearly voiced their displeasure with the booking of the last sequence of the match. Hopefully @wwe is listening. You're not allowed to get over in @Wwe unless they want you to. If you do, you can and will be punished. Has happened to many over the years"

Gregory Helms demande lui aux fans d'être indulgents avec Rey Mysterio et Batista :

Citation :

"Hey WWE I'm not trying to be rude but the crowd seems to really want Daniel Bryan. Juuuuuuust MAFAKIN Saying!! Geez. Fans, don't blame Rey. He didn't book this. Sadly WWE is still run by "Muscle Marks." It is what it is folks. Roman Reigns is going to be an even bigger star now though. But Batista makes the roster stronger. He's a star no doubt. Plus, he's a great human being. Trust me! I wanted to see Daniel Bryan out there too!! Don't confuse the issue. In my mind, he's the most over guy in the biz right now."

Enfin, Lance Storm rappelle que le programme proposé était conforme à ce qui était annoncé, et que jamais Bryan n'a été annoncé présent dans le Rumble match :

Citation :

"I don't understand why everyone is so upset, considering they got exactly what was advertised and everyone predicted. #RoyalRumble @WWEDanielBryan was not advertised in the Rumble, no one booked in other matches on PPV were booked in the Rumble it was promoted that way. The current @WWEDanielBryan situation reminds me of Jerry Lynn vs RVD in ECW. By having him lose fans got more behind him "New F'N Show"

If you want to send a message Chanting won't do it. Watch only @WWEDanielBryan segments on RAW, turn other segs off. That's a message. I'm a huge fan of @WWEDanielBryan I'm just pointing out that chanting and b---hing online isn't the way to accomplish what you want."

De son côté, loin de la jouer corporate, Daniel Bryan a incité les fans a continuer à faire entendre leurs voix, accusant lui aussi directement la compagnie :

Citation :

"They try to keep US down and away from the top spots, but they can't ignore the reactions forever. Keep voicing your opinions. #YESMovement"

Propos appuyés par sa compagne, Brie Bella (clairement façon kayfabe) :

Citation :

"Daniel Bryan should of been in the #royalrumble He should be going for the championship! We hear you all, I wish the authority did too!!! #yesmovement #yesyesyes"

Pour ajouter à la controverse, et suite aux huées qu'il a reçu au moment de sa victoire, Batista aurait ensuite insulté un fan en lui faisant un doit d'honneur, avant de chanter "YES" pour moquer Daniel Bryan :





Enfin, dans les points positifs, Roman Reigns a lui reçu de nombreuses félicitations de la part de ses pairs pour sa performance :


Booker T :

Citation :

"He came close. I still expect BIG things from Roman Reigns. #RoyalRumble. I really enjoyed a lot about that #RoyalRumble. I see Roman Reigns as a future headliner in #WWE. #DigIt"

Steve Austin :

Citation :

"Roman Reigns #MVP of #WWE #RoyalRumble. Helluva babyface run coming for this kid down the road."

Dwayne Johnson :

Citation :

"Proud of my cousin @WWERomanReigns dominant ring performance tonight. Stay humble & hungry fam. #FutureWWEChamp #RoyalRumble