If That's It, Thanks for Everything - Thoughts on the WWE Career of Daniel Bryan
When they put "indefinitely" next to your name, it's almost always a bad thing. Typically, you think suspensions, meaning that ass may never be back. So when I heard Daniel Bryan was out "indefinitely", a myriad of emotions came over me. There was fear, there was sadness, then there was relief. I don't know which one is going to hold on the longest for me, let alone what he's thinking, but it's all at once scary, heart wrenching, and well, kind of ok.
The Apex.
Bryan Danielson was one of the last of the "indy darlings", a guy that made a name for himself outside of one of the large, nationally televised wrestling promotions. Trained by WWE Legend Shawn Michaels (San Antonio stand up) he was a guy that was under 6 feet tall, less than 220 pounds. We all know guys of that same build in real life that can hold their own in a fight, but wrestling promoters were always trying to make stars out of the guys that "turn heads at airports." Danielson wowed crowds with hard hitting moves and submission holds, to where his size was a n afterthought during and after his matches. He could also talk a good game, never boring or stale. HE was someone you could make money off of.
OG "American Dragon" ROH days.
A few years back, he signed a deal with WWE, in an effort to make some real money before his career was over. He was on the inaugural season of "NXT", a quasi-reality show where new wrestlers would compete in matches and competitions in front of the same crowds the main roster was up against. Made to lose match after match, Daniel Bryan (his "new name") still stood out for his athleticism, regardless of the lines Michael Cole was fed to make him look unimpressive. Mike "The Miz" Mizanin, of MTV fame, notably asked "what have you ever done?" time and time again, since all of Bryan's notoriety had been built outside of the WWE. William Regal boldly stated that Bryan was "better" than Miz, which didn't seem to be the story they were pushing.
That about sums up NXT.
After the NXT experience, the competitors on that show were dubbed "The Nexus", a kind of "New Blood meets NWO" stable for those that suffered through the late stages of WCW. They famously kicked the crap out of John Cena, CM Punk, and whoever else was at ringside. Bryan was actually fired for choking out a ring announcer with his own tie. In a world of scripted violence, this was deemed to harsh an act. He was shortly brought back into the WWE mix, and put on some very good matches in the middle of the card.
Justin Roberts auditioning for Gyp in 'Boardwalk Empire'.
In the summer of 2011, he won a "Money in the Bank" contract, which gives the winner a title match at the time of his choosing. He exercised this option later in the year to pin an already downed Big Show, and became World Heavyweight Champion. Much in the vein of Rey Mysterio years earlier, he wasn't booked to win his matches outright, but by hook, crook, or disqualification, he had been expanding his character, becoming increasing frustrated with the fan base, and chanting "NO!" at every turn. It caught on, and more and more people would chant along with him. This is around the same time my fantastic girlfriend got me the birthday gift of a lifetime - Tickets to Wrestlemania 28 in Miami, FL. I was going to get to see Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson wrestle for the first time ever, and Daniel Bryan would also be defending his Wold Heavyweight Championship against Sheamus.
It was shocking, and frustrating, to the point the crowd flooded the arena with boos. The Wrestlemania crowd is different, in that they want the best PERFORMERS TO BE ABLE TO PERFORM. They saw this as a real slight to a hard worker, and the next night, made it clear to WWE this wouldn't be accepted. At Monday Night Raw, the following night, we were in unison with the other spectators chanting "YES!" or "NO!" depending on the situation, and when Bryan came out for his match, the entire place was into his every move, word, hell, breath, as we voiced our total support for him. This would continue on, sometimes a murmur, other times full on cult like chants, depending on the venue.
Over the next two years, Bryan's matches got better, his mic work got better, and his fan base expanded. Memorable matches with CM Punk, his comedic skits with Kane, all did more to solidify him a player in the big leagues, regardless of his size and perceived "it" factor. At Summerslam 2013, Daniel Bryan beat an ailing John Cena for the WWE Title in a fantastic match. I had friends over, and we all watched the match intently, hoping to see the underdog come out on top, and we were all jumping and high-fiving at the matches conclusion. The moment was short lived, as the same "money in the bank" stipulation Bryan rode to his first title was used against him. Randy Orton, with a huge assist from COO Triple H, beat Bryan for the title. Over the next few months, we were treated to (terrible, boring, pointless) skits about why Bryan wasn't a fit champion. It was his hair, his beard, his height, his weight, and how he would never be more than a "B+ player" (a play of a term used against Triple H years back).
Honeymooners meets Scooby and Scrappy.
What we did still get were fantastic matches from him. Whether it was going against Orton, The Shield, or The Wyatt family, it was the same in your face, hard hitting style fans had grown accustomed to. At the 2014 Royal Rumble (where we had one of our super fun Rumble night contests) Bryan lost a really good match to cult leader Bray Wyatt. People expected him to participate in the actual Rumble match, but he never showed. This caused even more outrage, as the match considered most important (outside of 'mania) by most didn't have one of the biggest starts in the company. This set the wheels in motion for Bryan to finally face Triple H one on one at Wrestlemania, for the chance to participate in the WWE World Heavyweight Title match later that night. Bryan and Triple H had a GREAT match that Bryan ultimately won, and he would go on to defeat Randy Orton and Batista later that night to earn the title. It was great being there live, as it was the culmination of the last two years, going from disrespect to the ultimate accolade.
It's hard to say exactly when Daniel Bryan hurt his neck. Whether it was prior to Mania, or after, he wrestled Kane at the following pay per view, then was "injured" shortly after. He underwent neck surgery, and was expected to be out no more than two months. Between Mania and surgery, he had married his girlfriend, WWE Diva Brie Bella, and lost his father. The gamut of emotions had definitely been ran, followed by maybe the biggest career obstacle he had faced. At the June "Money in the Bank" pay per view, he came out and announced that he may need an additional surgery, which gave people plenty of reason to doubt when he'd be back. Over the last few days, it was reported he'd be written out of story lines as no return date had been set.
Good Times.
You never want to see someone good at their job forced out. It goes against the principles of hard word. The guy does whatever he can to defy the odds, makes it to the very top, then can't continue. You feel for him. Then you think of the Chris Benoits and Eddie Guerreros of the world, guy who, if you could control it, would have walked away well before tragedy struck. Who knows, he may be back later this year as good as ever. But then you look at guys like Edge, who was forced out due to injury, but is stable, seems happy, and is going to be able to tell his children about the great things he did. All in all, if we never get to see Daniel Bryan in the ring again, his story is one to appreciate, his matches are to be studied and applauded, and his path, hard as it was, is hopefully one people will follow.
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