The most beautiful aspect of professional wrestling is its ability to tell a story. Max Landis detailed this wonderfully in his “Wrestling Isn’t Wrestling” video, highlighting the character development that takes place over years of storytelling. That video used Triple H as its character study, showing the evolution of the character from a spoiled snob to sophomoric degenerate to a cerebral assassin to a corporate powerhouse, all of these surfacing from an insatiable desire to be the best. “Wrestling Isn’t Wrestling” was created to showcase the emotional connection one can have to a story and character in the world of professional wrestling, with Triple H essentially being an archetype. “Wrestling Isn’t Wrestling” could be told with any wrestler.
Daniel Bryan, in my eyes, is the perfect exemplar of professional wrestling. While Triple H’s career makes for a good breakdown of the mechanics of storytelling in professional wrestling, Daniel Bryan makes for a good dissection of the emotional connection one can have to professional wrestling. Critics always scoff at pro wrestling for being “fake,” failing to realize that one of the biggest draws to any sport is emotional investment. Fans put their hearts and soul into the players and teams, following them from the bottom up. Pro wrestling is no different, except that the outcomes are pre-determined, arguably making that emotional connection stronger, as pro wrestling can purposely manipulate their stories to satisfy the fans. When done with the career of a wrestler, in this case Daniel Bryan, it can be one of the most exhilarating forms of art and sport!
Daniel Bryan was never supposed to make it to the WWE. Despite boasting an impressive repertoire, a stacked rèsumè, and heaps of praise from journalists and wrestlers alike, boasting him to be one of the best wrestlers to ever lace up a pair of boots, Bryan was considered too small and bland to make it to the big leagues. Even if he were to make it, he would be nothing more than another face in the crowd, occupying space (albeit while putting on tremendous matches). The fear was he’d join the ranks of Dean Malenko and Arn Anderson; good hands in the ring, but never a true star.
Instead of giving up on his hopes and dreams, Daniel Bryan made it a point to be the best wrestler on the independents. If he was never going to make it to the WWE, then he’ll be the biggest fish in every small pond imaginable. For nearly a decade, Bryan honed his craft around the world, racking up championships and trophies along the way. Year after year, he was heralded as one of the best wrestlers in the world, carving himself a nice little niche market. Still, he was considered a big fish in a small pond.
In 2009, Daniel Bryan was surprisingly given the opportunity to join the WWE. He would spend time in their developmental program, getting acclimated to the WWE process and developing his character. His first big opportunity would come on the first season of NXT, a faux reality competition that would pair rookies with WWE pros, who would coach them on how to be a star in the WWE; the winner would receive a contract to their main programming. Labeling Daniel Bryan, a multiple-time World Champion in numerous promotions who had competed in front of over 50,000 fans at the Tokyo Dome, a rookie already drew the ire of many folks; pairing him with The Miz, a reality TV star turned pro wrestler, and having lead announcer Michael Cole label him a loser who only competed in high school gyms on commentary, sent fans into an uproar. Add a losing streak and an early elimination from the competition and fans lead themselves to believe Daniel was only called up to be made an example of, that no matter how great you are on the independent circuit, you’re a nobody when it comes to the big leagues.
Despite a lackluster run on NXT, WWE kept Daniel Bryan under contract. They shocked their critics by allowing Bryan to cut a scathing promo following his NXT elimination, running down the company for mistreating him simply because he doesn’t meet their standards. Most shocking of all, Bryan wound up a member of the Nexus, a group comprised of all of the NXT rookies, who banded together and destroyed the set and annihilated top star John Cena to end an episode of Raw, leading into a main event angle for all involved. Unfortunately for Daniel, he would quickly be erased from this scenario, as he was fired by the WWE due to choking a ring announcer with his tie during the aforementioned segment. Bryan was simply told to be violent and make an impact, but WWE officials deemed his actions too violent. Many people, including John Cena, would criticize the company for this decision, citing that much more egregious acts had been committed in storyline and went unpunished. To those who feared Daniel was only hired to be made a fool out of had more ammunition for their argument.
Daniel Bryan would return to the independent scene, hell-bent on being an even bigger star than he was before his departure. He would barely even get an opportunity to get his feet wet before getting a call from the WWE, stating they want him to not only return to the promotion, but be the surprise partner in the main event of Summerslam to combat against the Nexus. Daniel would accept and make his triumphant return to the WWE, this time made out to look like a star, not a loser. Bryan would get the most eliminations for his team, then enter into a program with The Miz over the United States Championship, in which he would win the midcard title.
While things were looking up for Daniel Bryan, it soon became apparent that he was being positioned just as everyone had feared: another face in the crowd. Bryan became the good hand in the ring everyone expected him to be in the WWE, never rising above the middle of the card despite terrific outings. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he was once again labeled a loser by lead commentator Michael Cole, then shoehorned into a storyline where he was a dateless geek who had two twins courting him solely because they mistook him being a vegan as him being a virgin. This storyline was meant to help Bryan develop a personality, but came across as demeaning (though he would wind up marrying Brie Bella, one of the twins, in real life down the road, so I guess there was a silver lining).
As was becoming the norm, the WWE would once again shock the world by having Daniel Bryan win the Money in the Bank briefcase. This briefcase granted Bryan a shot at the World Title whenever he deemed fit to cash in. The briefcase had been utilized for years as a catapult for wrestlers to the main event, with the likes of Edge and CM Punk cementing their spot atop the card thanks to this. Could this mean the WWE was finally going to take Daniel Bryan seriously, or was his victory being used not only to swerve the audience, but have him be the first wrestler to cash in and lose his shot at the World Title to stave off predictability?
That question was answered at the end of 2011, as Daniel Bryan would successfully cash in his Money in the Bank contract and win the World Championship. He would win it, however, as a heel, by cashing in on a prone and defenseless champion. The WWE didn’t view Bryan as a hero to build the company around, but they did see him as a formidable villain for the hero to conquer, which is arguably a good position.
Like previous times, the push for Daniel Bryan wouldn’t succeed as planned, though this time that would be a blessing in disguise. Instead of being perceived as a despicable heel, the fans grew to like Daniel Bryan, warming up to the scruffy underdog. He had begun chanting “Yes” at the end of his matches, regardless of how he won, which was meant to be obnoxious, but was met with adulation from the fans. Instead of being booed when initiating the chant, the crowd chanted along with him. The company persisted with him as a heel, leading up to a title defense against Sheamus at the biggest show of the year, Wrestlemania. The year prior, the two were scheduled to compete against one another for the United States Championship, but were bumped from the card. To go from being deemed unfit for the main show to being in one of the marquee matches the following year, the sky was seemingly the limit for Daniel Bryan. Wrestlemania came and it was time for Daniel Bryan’s big match…to end in eighteen seconds. Sheamus would his finisher, the Brogue Kick, onto Daniel Bryan immediately, getting the pinfall victory. What was meant to be a miraculous moment of the hero conquering the villain was rejected by the crowd, who responded by booing the new champion, then hijacking the following few matches with chants for Daniel Bryan. The next night on Raw, the crowd would spend the duration of the two-hour show cheering for Daniel Bryan and breaking out in “Yes” chant after “Yes” chant, interrupting superstars such as The Rock and John Cena during their big promos.
After years of being labeled a loser and treated like an afterthought, Daniel Bryan finally broke through the mold and got over with the WWE crowd. His reward was a main event push as one of the top faces of the company, right? Wrong! While he wouldn’t be shoved down the card, WWE decided to ignore the positive response to Daniel, keeping him as a heel, this time only occasionally flirting with the main event scene. They even had him come out shouting “No” in response to the “Yes” chants, the idea being he felt the fans were mocking him; this couldn’t be further from the truth.
After a stint with Kane, a veteran with the company, as a tag team (including a solid Tag Team Championship reign), WWE finally gave in to the public’s demand in 2013, booking Daniel Bryan opposite top star John Cena in the main event of Summerslam for the top prize on the company, the WWE Championship. After a grueling and excellent match (which was voted Match of the Year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated), Daniel Bryan would finally achieve his dream and win the WWE Championship, defeating John Cena cleanly (a rarity in WWE). The celebration would be short-lived, as special referee (and COO of the company) Triple H would Pedigree Bryan following the match, allowing Randy Orton (that year’s Money in the Bank winner) to cash in and pin the unconscious champion for the title.
The story now became the plucky underdog, Daniel Bryan, fighting off the Authority in order to win back the WWE Championship and prove to the company what the audience already believes; that Daniel Bryan is not only a star, but the face of the company. Fiction was starting to mirror reality, as the main storyline exploited actual criticism lodged against the WWE in their treatment of Daniel Bryan. This is all well and good once Daniel Bryan emerges as the hero of the company, vanquishing the Authority and their chosen poster boy, Randy Orton. Once again, WWE would lose faith in Daniel, ending the storyline with him being screwed out of the championship once again, sending him back down the card.
This time, the fans had enough. They wouldn’t accept the fact that Daniel Bryan wasn’t the face of the company and would let WWE hear it. Event after event would be hijacked by the crowd, interrupting main event segments and matches with Daniel Bryan chants. Another potential heel turn by Bryan, this time joining the nefarious Wyatt Family, would be squashed almost immediately by the crowd, who, like a cult, chanted “Yes” in unison with Bryan as he showed his true colors and abandoned the Wyatt Family.
Then came the 2014 Royal Rumble. The match itself is a battle royal consisting of thirty participants who enter the match every two minutes. A wrestler is eliminated when thrown over the top rope and both of their feet touch the floor. The winner is granted a WWE Championship match in the main event of Wrestlemania a few months later. Despite a returning Batista, who left the company years ago to pursue a career in acting (landing the role as Draxx in “Guardians of the Galaxy”), many believed Daniel Bryan would win the match and finally get his moment on the grandest stage of them all. As time goes by and entrant after entrant makes their way into the match, the fans grow ravenous. Chants for Daniel Bryan pop up as each new entrant arrives, with the countdown clock finally reaching the thirtieth entrant. The buzzer sounds and in comes…Rey Mysterio. This means that, not only will Daniel Bryan not be winning the Royal Rumble, he won’t even be competing in the match. The fans revolted, turning on the match and drowning the arena with boos. Rey Mysterio, who had never once gotten booed in his two decade plus career, got booed out of the building simply because he wasn’t Daniel Bryan. Batista, who was poised as the returning hero, would win the match, only to be ravaged verbally by the irate fans.
Facing public humiliation, the WWE finally tucked their tail between their legs and coyly inserted Daniel Bryan into the main event of Wrestlemania that year, but not before going down with a fight. They first tried to simply pair him up with Triple H in a match, with the idea being Bryan could finally exact his revenge on the man that held him down. This was met to lukewarm response, as the fans had made it clear that they didn’t want to just see Bryan beat Triple H, but see him beat all of the Authority and win back the WWE Championship. After a segment where Daniel and his fans surrounded the ring and refused to allow the show to continue until his demands were met, the Triple H/Daniel Bryan match was changed to include the stipulation that, if Bryan were to win, he would be inserted into the Randy Orton/Batista match, making it a Triple Threat for the WWE Championship. He would go on to defeat Triple H cleanly (another rarity in the WWE), then win the WWE Championship in the main event. The fairy tale finally had its happy ending.
Reality did once again sink in, as months later Daniel Bryan would have to forfeit the WWE Championship due to a neck injury. He would return at the end of the year, after teasing retirement, but any faith the WWE had in him was lost. He did compete in the 2015 Royal Rumble, but was eliminated after a few minutes, once again causing the crowd to revolt against the match, this time booing for over thirty minutes (as well as booing The Rock), because apparently the WWE just likes to make bad decisions. In hindsight, this was a wise decision, so to speak, seeing as how Daniel Bryan would once again take a leave of absence due to an injury (this time a serious concussion) a few months later.
That leads us to now and the official retirement of Daniel Bryan. This announcement has felt like a punch to the gut to millions of fans whom held out hope that their hero would once again return to save the day. Instead, reality has sunk in and we must face the fact that Daniel Bryan as a wrestler is through. Amazing to think that a “fake” athlete has elicited such a passionate response from people around the world, including one who spent the past few thousand words ranting and raving about his career. That alone proves that, without a shadow of a doubt, Daniel Bryan is one of the greatest wrestlers to ever lace up a pair of boots!
This also proves just how incredible professional wrestling can be. While the pre-determined angle rubs most the wrong way, those that see through it and appreciate it for the art that it is are dealt a wonderful hand. The story of Daniel Bryan is one of the most uplifting and enriching ones ever told all because of the emotional connection. Just like fans of sports connect to their teams and its players, wrestling fans connected to Daniel Bryan. The fans seen a hero in Daniel Bryan, one that they could relate to. He wasn’t a variation on Superman, the indestructible hero with a heart of gold, but Spider-man, the tenacious underdog that fights for what he believes in. For Daniel Bryan, he fought for himself and the belief that he was truly the best, no matter what obstacles stood in his way. For fans, Daniel Bryan represented what they wanted to be in their lives: the person that gets the promotion after constantly being passed over for it, the bullied child who finally fights back and stands tall, and the person who feels like nothing more than a face in the crowd becoming the face of the crowd.
Professional wrestling grants the viewer an opportunity to watch as their heroes grow over the years, with them growing along with them. In the case of Daniel Bryan, we felt like the bullied child standing up for himself, the overlooked worker finally getting the promotion, and the face in the crowd becoming the hero he feels he is. As Daniel Bryan celebrated his championship win at Wrestlemania, we celebrated along with him.
The following night on Raw, Daniel Bryan was greeted by twelve-thousand, five-hundred fans all chanting “You deserve it.” On the February 8, 2016 edition of Raw, Daniel Bryan was given the sendoff by the fans with chants of “Thank you, Daniel!” On both of those nights, and on every night, he deserved the adulation, for he is simply the best, not just in the ring, but outside of it as well. Daniel Bryan made people believe again. Thank you, Daniel Bryan!
