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The thing to consider about the main names being mentioned above is the time and situation of their rise to superstardom. Austin was one of the most famous men on the planet in his day... and he was a wrestler. The Rock was also super famous, and his road to becoming one of the biggest actors in the world started off after his wrestling career died down. Hogan was in absolutely bollocks movies, but it didn't matter coz he was super famous, as a wrestler. Both Austin and Hogan came during wrestling's big boom periods.
Bryan may not have that type of mainstream appeal RIGHT NOW, but it's impossible to truly predict where the business could be next year, or the year after, or what mainstream trends could take off. Maybe Bryan will be forced back into retirement after a couple of years, at which point he might step away from wrestling and try his hand at something else which will make him a bigger name. Or perhaps in a couple of years time wrestling may actually reach heights of popularity not seen since the Attitude era, and if Bryans a prominent figure then, who knows where it could lead.
I think he has the potential. I'm not saying he's there now, but just by making one announcement, he's pretty much the #1 face in WWE right now, and weren't there massive "Yes" chants breaking out in other sports a few years back? It might not seem like much now, and it is highly likely that he'll never reach that level, but I think there is some potential there, in the right circumstances, he could reach that level. (Or, he's one of the better prospects to get there, at the least).
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