In this day and age, it is harder for a wrestling promotion to really please the fans. There is little shock value or surprises because everything can be found on the internet. Last night, for example, someone in the Raw LD mentioned that Cody Rhodes was going to moonsault off the cage before he actually did it. This is from live reports and such. The fans know everything that happens behind the scenes, they know all of the returns, injuries, suspensions. It's basically impossible for WWE to work the modern fan. That is until now.
WWE knows that the IWC paints them to be bad guys that are either egotistical, want to help their buddies, or only like big guys. They know that people on wrestling site(which is a big art of their fan base) like to root for the "Indy darlings" and that nothing pisses them off more than when their favorite isn't getting the push they think they deserve. WWE also knows that the fans like to rebel.
Given all this, they have geniusly been pushing the crap out of Daniel Bryan, while working the fans into thinking they are holding him back and/or trying to bury him. WWE has featured him in main event after main event. He has become bigger than he could have dreamed of. He has the entire crowd eating out of his hands every single night. But fans get online and say that he is being held back. Because they are actually buying into a plot for the first time in forever. After the interent became big, when in doubt over whether something was a work or a shoot, you just go on a wrestling site and it'll tell you. But WWE has outsmarted the internet fans, because they are clearly working them by taking a dash of reality and mixing it just right with the Kayfabe.
-IWC fans complain that HHH likes to help his buddies out, and likes to bury talent that the crowd got over.
Result: They incorporate that into their storyline by having Hunter screw Daniel Bryan right after receiving a major push and getting put over by Cena. Triple H screws him out of the title and as a result his friend/protoge wins the belt. Thus giving the illusion that WWE is burying him. Yet he remains in the main event and doesn't ever lose clean(which is what they really do when they bury someone). Fast forward, they do the same thing with the Rumble winner spot and Batista on the same night that Bryan finally lost clean. Fans went nuts. Just like WWE wanted.
-IWC likes to point out that Vince only likes big guys that have the professional look.
Result: Vince actually takes the time to make some TV appearances just for Daniel Bryan. And bashes him on his looks and his small stature. Just to work the IWC. If they wanted to bury him because of his size, they would just job him out to bigger guys.
-IWC gets angry when their favorite indy star isn't getting the push they think they deserve.
Result: The have Daniel Bryan face Wyatts and Shield while still feuding with the Authority in actuality. This gives the illusion that Bryan went from competing for the title to facing guys a little lower in the card and constantly getting beat down. But in actuality he is still feuding with the top heel faction and still looking strong by only going down after being attacked by multiple people. When they had him join the Wyatts, a heel faction, they knew the fans would rebel, and they knew they could build up that pressure until they turn him for a big pay off. They ended up doing it a little earlier than planned, but when they did it, they succeeded none the less. Why do you think WWE pans out the camera during the "Yes" chant? Because they want to show that the whole arena loves him. They could easily just keep a close shot and drown out some of the crowd. They even coined the term "Yes" movement. You think they would acknowledge this as a movement if they weren't trying to get more people behind it and bury DB?
-IWC likes to complain that WWE likes to push superstars down their throats.
Result: WWE pushes the shit out of Bryan, harder than any superstar in recent memory, and do it through good booking and not by forcing a bunch of boring match wins down peoples throats.
-IWC likes to rebel when WWE tries to feed them something they don't want.
Result: They goad fans into yes chants, and even have Stephanie get the fan to syncronize their chants while still being a heel to the crowd. They put boring ass Cena vs Orton matches, knowing that's the opposite of what fans wanted. Dirt sheets go out with reports that WWE is pissed off about fans hijacking shows. This just gets fans to do it more, thus getting Bryan more attention.
-IWC says Triple H's ego is too big and he doesn't like to look bad on TV or have someone show him up.
Result: Triple H plays a heel who holds down the guy that the fans like and gets no retaliation against him because he is always protected. People love to hate Triple H and now he is out there every week, virtually untouchable. I see people on here say that he is switching from heel to face to heel to face just to make sure he always looks good in the end. Work! It just makes you hate him more and want to see him finally get beaten more. If he does face Daniel Bryan at WM, I can guarantee you Triple H will put Bryan over and probably even tap. It would be the exact same finish as WM 20, probably with Shawn laid out on the floor even. He is the perfect villain to the typical IWC smark.
WWE has completely worked the IWC. And to be honest has quite honestly done it twice with Punk. Everyone knew Raw would have a bunch of CM Punk chants. By not mentioning CM Punk at all, they knew fans would chant his name in rebellion. I don't know if it is a shoot or a work yet, but if it is a work, then CM Punks return would instantly put him on Bryan's level and could lead to a big title match between the two. I personally hope that it's not a work though, because I'm fed up with Punk. But if it is. It's genius booking.