But to Byrne's way of thinking, Diana should be cool because she's Diana, not because she has a shiny rope that anyone could use, so he made Diana's advantages intrinsic, made the lasso simply a channel and focus for Diana's inherent power, the bracers just a backup for Barda-level endurance.
Personally, that's one of the biggest obstacle I had to get over to start liking Diana. And the reason I still don't like Superman at all.
Anybody can be born with or be given superpowers, I don't think it makes anybody "cool" in the slightest, it just makes them lucky (or unlucky, I guess). But the ability to use weapons and tools with incredible skill? You have to train for that, and when that isn't enough you have to resort to cunning and strategy. That makes one really cool, imo.
I've grown to like the current Diana, but I must admit I'd still prefer the Perez version. To each their own :)