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Daniel Bryan Discussion Thread V YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!

288K views 3K replies 527 participants last post by  RoboCop 
#1 ·
NEW Thread for General Discussion on Daniel Bryan.




from me and THANOS. Enjoy guys :)



Daniel Bryan – Rise of New Breed of Megastar



In a world full of ‘larger than life’ performers and people that resemble superheroes more than average Joes, one ordinary furry little man has risen to become the most popular star in the wrestling business, and he did it without many of the conventional traits associated with wrestlers. 5’8 190lb Daniel Bryan has battled his entire career against laughter and doubts at his chosen career path of becoming a wrestler. But thanks to all those hurdles and obstacles cluttering his path to success, his journey to this point reads like the theme to the Rocky movie series with Bryan in place of Sly.



To truly capture how epic this moment is for Bryan and his fans, one needs to tell the tale of his humble beginnings. Here is a man that rose from a breed of wrestlers looked down upon by WWE management and made himself into wrestling's fastest rising star since John Cena and Steve Austin before him. Here's a story of hard work, fan connection and passion.

Passed up by his favorite wrestler Dean Malenko, Bryan Danielson set out to train at Shawn Michaels's wrestling school in San Antonio. WWE Legend William Regal quickly took a liking to Bryan very early on, and took him under his wing. Under Regal’s guidance, Bryan set out to craft his own style by applying wrestling techniques that combined teachings commonly associated with martial arts as well as meshing European and Japanese styles, all the way to perfecting a style that would later become his trademark, and a standard that would later become the way of a new generation of athletes. Regal did not stop there, he sent young Bryan out into the muddiest corners of England in front of the toughest crowds to test him in high pressure environments. It really helped Bryan gain confidence and feel comfortable in front of any crowd. It's during this time that Bryan adopted the American Dragon moniker to help promote his unique style, a moniker that has now become an endearment for long-time fans of his.


"If people don't believe in you and you don't believe in yourself , that's the end of it. Daniel Bryan has always had that presence about him, all of his amazing technical skills are just a bonus." - Regal on Bryan during an interview at the WWE performance Center.

Regal always believed in Bryan, and has always been proud of his accomplishments.

It's been a tough road for Bryan, having tryouts with the WWE in 2001 to serve as nothing more than an enhancement talent before getting the boot. That didn't stop Bryan from fighting. Determined to perfect his craft, he set out on a vigorous journey into the independent scene and Japan, wrestling hard in damp, dimly lit arenas with nothing but the hope of one day being respected as the best wrestler in the world. It drives you to fight harder than anyone when people in power look down at you because of your limitations, but Bryan kept on and patiently followed his dreams, and the improbability of his success fueled him to prove his doubters wrong. This would become a theme with Bryan’s journey.

Where Bryan made his biggest splash was in ROH.

Ring of Honor (ROH)



In fact, in ROH he was one of the original competitors that put the company on the map as a must-see promotion and alternative for fans that wanted an in-ring product they could be proud of. Bryan eventually became the focus of the promotion, working brilliantly as a face or heel and putting on stellar performances against big men like Takeshi Morishima, or fellow ROH Alumni like Nigel McGuiness. Bryan would always put on good matches worth seeing, and always displayed a ton of heart. One often mentioned instance of this, was when he tore his retina and kept working for another 20 minutes to finish the match as if nothing happened. Not only did Bryan have the guts to fight through injuries, but he brought to the table a rugged agressiveness full of rapid stomps and striking elbows to the head, a mean streak that made you believe that a guy his size could kick your butt.





It's with dazzling performances like these that Bryan Danielson became somewhat of a cult hero in the wrestling world and eventually got the attention of the WWE and TNA, who otherwise would've laughed at the idea of bringing him in.

Arriving in WWE and NXT



When Bryan Danielson arrived at the WWE, the road paved in front of him wasn't an easy one to overcome. They shortened his name to Daniel Bryan, put him on the unproven NXT show and presented him as someone with great athletic ability but no personality whatsoever. However, Bryan was kept in an interesting storyline with Michael Cole and The Miz which, if anything, helped him become a sentimental favorite to a portion of the crowd that didn't know what he was about. Cole would constantly undermine him on commentary, while The Miz would treat him like an embarrassment. Throughout all this mockery, Bryan kept moving forward, eventually catching the eye of the WWE audience by pushing Batista to his limit in a random match on RAW, and being involved in the NXT takeover segment where Bryan was fired over an "inappropriate gesture". In that segment, Bryan showed the fire of old, slapping Cena in the face and proclaiming that Cena was not better than him, immediately standing out from the pack as someone unique.
The video below illustrates that everything Bryan had went through to this point.



Bryan’s Return to WWE by Popular Demand

Bryan was gone, but not forgotten. The fans in the arena would occasionally chant his name in segments that had nothing to do with him, even going as far as chanting his name in the closing moments of 2010's Fatal Four Way PPV. This set the stage for his return at Summerslam where he would be a part of Cena's team against the Nexus in the main event. The crowd loved it, and it was a sign of faith that the WWE had not given up on this promising prospect.

Bryan did not waste any time on his return. He was immediately thrust into a feud with rival The Miz over the United States title. The nature of the feud was clear; it was the cocky, flamboyant and overconfident Superstar against the everyday man who happened to be a lethal submission machine. It worked out well in Bryan's favor because The Miz was on his way to the WWE championship and needed to drop his U.S. title. Bryan worked Miz to some of his best matches he had up to that point. The fan's hatred for Miz and support for Bryan made for a strong chemistry, and proved that Bryan could thrive with the right opponent. Bryan's U.S. title win was special, and he embraced his peculiarity by adopting Flight of the Valkyries as his brand new theme song. The night he debuted his theme, Edge was on commentary, both he and Cole laughed at Bryan's entrance making him out to be a parody of himself, but that's been Bryan's strength all along, taking the ridicule, embracing it and turning it into an advantage.

The Nerd Gimmick



Cole was never merciful of Bryan even as U.S. champion, refusing to give him any credit, and passing him off as a Vegan Loser that shouldn't be in the company. Meanwhile, Bryan's title run wasn't a focus of any show, but he put on a series of very good performances, the most noteworthy being against Intercontinental champion Dolph Ziggler. Bryan was put in storylines involving the Divas, and he mentored an NXT rookie, almost always the butt of comic relief. It endeared him even more to a portion of the fans, but it became clear that he was destined for much more than what the WWE saw in him.

After being relegated to the dark match of Wrestlemania 27, things couldn't look more down for Bryan. After being snubbed at Wrestlemania, things were not improving for Bryan. He was barely ever featured in any capacity, and used mostly as a body to help move Smackdown along to the main segments. Then something strange happened. CM Punk was on his way out, and the WWE were hosting a PPV in Punk's hometown. Seemingly determined to please the "internet crowd", they booked the show around Punk leaving as the hero, but that wasn't all. To the shock of many fans, Bryan walked out as the MITB winner that night, and for the first time in his WWE career, things were finally looking up for the struggling superstar.

MITB and World Championship Reign



Much like passed MITB winners, Bryan wasn't really booked strongly as the briefcase holder, quite the opposite. After declaring that he'd cash it in at Wrestlemania, he went on to lose a series of matches, and hardly factored into any of the main storylines. In the meantime, Mark Henry was being built as an unstoppable Monster that plowed through the roster. Now, what better way to end this story than by having Bryan as the guy to take down Goliath and have his shining moment as a fighting underdog champion? Well, apparently that stopped being in WWE's plans, if it ever was, and for whatever reason, they decided to give him a cheap cash in victory to solidify himself as a cowardly heel. It was a slow build to making him heel, as his ego would get the best of him, and his mistreatment of A.J. made him less than endearing to the WWE Universe. It was clear that while Bryan's progression as a heel was happening, the WWE had their eyes set on Sheamus as the top babyface. With Mark Henry injured, they needed a transitional champion, and my guess as to why they rushed Bryan's heel turn and give him just enough credibility to take the hit for Sheamus.

Something happened along the way; Bryan started becoming comfortable in his heel role, very comfortable. In fact, he adopted the YES chant at that time as an act of self-indulgence. Fans started to turn on him, but he kept enough of a quirky personality to make you love to hate him. His athleticism always spoke for itself, and now he was finally tapping into a persona that fans could get behind. A persona that would make him much more than just another vanilla midget that can wrestle.

Wrestlemania 28 and the Birth of the YES Movement



It was clear that Bryan vs Sheamus had potential to be the sleeper of Wrestlemania even with the weak build. But like the rest of Bryan's career, he drew you into his feud by simply embracing everything that the WWE threw at him. On Wrestlemania weekend, fans attended an ROH show in Miami, and there the YES chant was adopted by the crowd. This crowd knew what Bryan meant to the success of ROH, and they let it be known. This had a snowball effect as the chant spread throughout the entire weekend and culminated at Wrestlemania. Bryan met Sheamus in the opener to a sea of rabid YES chanters, fans were firmly behind Bryan... and then, Sheamus beat Bryan in 18 seconds. What was a booking decision to create a moment for Sheamus and a starting point to catapult his career, in turn because a moment that fueled the fan's rage that night. It took HHH vs Undertaker to finally get them to care and stop chanting Bryan's name throughout the night.

The next night on RAW, the same fans were in attendance, but this time, they voiced their displeasure throughout the whole night, and did so in a smaller, closed arena where the energy felt stronger. On a post-Wrestlemania 28 show that had so much going into it, Daniel Bryan was the most important part of the show, the one person that fans cared most about. Even after Lesnar debuted, fans still left the arena echoing YES and treating Bryan like a true Superstar in the making. The reaction that night was so strong that the WWE could not ignore it. They made Bryan some respectable merchandise, they put him in a WWE title feud with CM Punk where they put on amazing performances. Things could not look any better for Bryan, right? Wrong.



Bryan and CM Punk were never the main event that year, and their story was centered around making A.J Lee a star. Bryan was treated like a supporting character yet again in someone else's moment. They kept him in a solid spot on the card, how could they not? But he was being transitioned into more of a comedy role, the inevitable spot that doomed many other wrestlers before him.

Team Hell No



It didn't seem like the WWE were ready to give Bryan his just due, and they were cleverly trying to rub his popularity onto others while knocking him down a peg. So what did Bryan do? He embraced it; he took his storyline with Kane, and made it one of the most interesting segments to look forward to every week. Even the smart fans that looked down on goofy WWE segments ate this up because their favorite wrestler was thriving despite how he WWE chose to manipulate his career. Bryan never complained, helped build interest in the tag division, and provided us memorable moments, something that a Santino could only dream about on his run as a comedy gimmick. Team Hell No endeared fans to Bryan in a way that had yet to happen for him in the WWE. It displayed his comedic side and got the casual majority firmly on Bryan’s side whether it be because they loved to annoy him, or because they found him very funny.

Post Team Hell No, Summerslam 2013, and the Authority



It came to the point where Bryan had proven himself as a multi-faceted superstar, and he continued evolving and he kept stealing the show with wrestlers like the Shield, Ryback, Orton, and the Real Americans on a weekly basis. His fan support was still at an all-time high despite not being featured like a top guy, and this culminated in the WWE finally giving him a shot at the top by having him face Cena in a match that fans had never seen on a big stage. Bryan went in as the sentimental favorite; he beat an injured John Cena and stood on top of the world. Walt Disney couldn't have produced a better ending. To top it off, Orton and HHH turn heel, rob Bryan of his moment and signal that Bryan will have a chase storyline that would keep him in the spotlight. Everything was perfect, right? Wrong again.



The feud ended up being designed to draw heat on HHH and Orton, and move Daniel Bryan's overness onto other faces like the Big Show. Now it's unknown if the WWE had given up on Daniel Bryan, or that they panicked after seeing the initial PPV buyrate for Summerslam with him main eventing, but it was clear that they cut the legs from under him at a time when he should've stayed strong. If you look at his run in the summer, it was marred by screwy finishes, and him getting beat down every week. If done to any other superstar, it risked the chance of killing their connection to the fans because the fans would associate the poor angle with the performer. This did not happen; Bryan kept getting chants, and kept outperforming almost everyone on the roster on a weekly basis. All the while, Big Show was bombing as the top babyface, and the WWE couldn't find a way to make the Authority angle work.

Joining the Wyatt’s and Turning on Them in the Span of Two weeks



After Hell in a Cell, Bryan was left feuding with the Wyatts, and eventually joined them right as the road to Wrestlemania was beginning. Batista was coming in to suck the last ounce of momentum Bryan had. How could he not? He was a fan favorite for years and returned after 3 years of absence, there's no way that the fans would boo him right? Wrong.

The YES chants started crossing into the mainstream at the time, and it forced WWE to change their storyline plans in an attempt to save face. This resulted in Bryan getting the loudest babyface pop of his career, a pop he commanded like the greats before him, but done so spectacularly that, for one night, put him on the same level as a Steve Austin in his prime.



Even DDP chimed in with his thoughts on this moment and likened it to Steve Austin.



So the Royal Rumble happened. Once fans found out that Bryan wasn't getting his shot at the Rumble, they attacked the WWE the best way they could, they showed no care for anything but Bryan because they felt disrespected, they felt that Bryan was disrespected and they refused to accept what the WWE were feeding them. It came to the point where the WWE just could not ignore the fans any longer, especially this close to Wrestlemania.

Present Day and the Emergence of the Bryan’s popularity in Pop-Culture



So this brings us to where we are now. Cm Punk left, and it forced the WWE's hand. Daniel Bryan has been the emotional investment for months. Even when punk left, the fans were still invested heavily in Bryan. Cena is slowly falling out of his prime, and there's no real way for WWE to position themselves as a refreshing product with him on top going into the next couple of years unless they turn him heel and add a new dimension to his character. You can argue that Bryan isn't much younger, but he's a fresh face at the top, and the WWE can get enough mileage out of him while they keep grooming their younger stars. To many fans, Bryan is their last beacon of hope, and Bryan is their catalyst for change.



Bryan is finally getting promoted properly and getting a build that could pay off. Despite the odd booking, his catchphrase made waves in the mainstream, he's mentioned by outlets and stars that don't usually mention wrestling such as USA today, and, recently, Rolling Stone magazine. The ratings don't rise out of the blue. The ratings that fluctuate under Cena will always stay afloat in the 3-4 range, and that's the core audience. Bryan could break that because he represents change and has universal appeal, it's just a matter of WWE putting all their eggs in his basket, and tweaking their product to reflect the type of wrestler he represents. He doesn't have to ooze the Rock's charisma, Hogan’s presence, or Steve Austin’s bad ass aura, to be successful. Bryan can truly represent the Rocky Balboa of a product centered more around in-ring action and relatable characters, and build matches similar to how they build main event matches similar to how UFC does MMA fights. On paper this sounds slightly complicated, but as seen with the Brock backstage interviews the past two years, this can work. As long as it is done in a way to keep the theme of pro wrestling and the showmanship that makes this company so diverse. Austin didn't build his Empire in a day, but he got it built. Bryan could do the same, which is crazy to even contemplate with how different he is to any top guy before him, but one thing needs to be remembered. He got here without the full top guy backing showing that the fans really do have the power to make someone a big deal.

In closing, whether you are a fan of Bryan or not, hopefully this story can help you empathise with his journey and plight, and truly see that what makes him special cannot be found in a 8” x 10” photo. Maybe most of it has to do with sympathy, but sympathy on this scale means that enough people care to make him something special. So with this, Wrestlemania 30 coming to a close, and Daniel Bryan defying the odds by overcoming a very ‘Game’ Triple H, and fellow Evolution Megastars Randy Orton and Dave Batista, the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion should be celebrated, not for his traits, his wrestling ability, or even his popularity, but for what he represents. There is no dream too big for one to achieve.

 
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5 19
#8 ·
I love Bryan, but after tonight my love for Brock supersedes that. I want Brock to beat him and get a 2 year title reign.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Brock isn't gonna be here past this time next year let alone 2.



If Punk never left Bryan would have been fighting Sheamus. Thank you Punk, you are truly the Best in the World :clap

It can Dub but when you first think of Mania XXX the streak ending might be the first thing to come to mind. Would have been better if Bryan's moment was the 1st. Hell, the PPV is over and i'm still thinking about Taker's loss rather than Bryan's win.
Actually I'm pretty sure that was disproven. Still Bryan wouldn't have done double duty if Punk were around. I figure Punk would have got the title match 3-way and Bryan/HHH would have taken place as it did though much later in the card.
 
#9 ·


While I'm sure part of CM Punk is happy for him, another part of him has got to be eaten up with jealousy because Bryan now accomplished the one goal left that Punk had left on his bucket list. I think no doubt Punk views himself easily over Bryan overall(for good reason as his mic skills are far superior) but Bryan had the luck of not having to compete with being second fiddle to Cena vs Rock headling Wrestlemania 2 years in a row during his peak which is what screwed punk over..



Now that Bryan reached the top of the mountain where does he go? Can he rely on a simple 3 letter word to carry him in 2014? This is going to test his real ability.....
 
#10 ·
if bryan's real ability hasn't been tested before now, professional wrestling must be way easier than i thought
 
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#17 ·
If Punk never left Bryan would have been fighting Sheamus. Thank you Punk, you are truly the Best in the World :clap

It can Dub but when you first think of Mania XXX the streak ending might be the first thing to come to mind. Would have been better if Bryan's moment was the 1st. Hell, the PPV is over and i'm still thinking about Taker's loss rather than Bryan's win.
 
#27 · (Edited)
"Lesnar is now the true Goliath and Bryan the true David."

Copy and pasting that.

Anyways they built up that feud so beautifully. Bryan is now the people's champion, he went through months of screwjobs after screwjobs. Then at Wreatlemania 30 he goes on to beat Triple H, Orton and Batista. He made Batista tap and pinned Hunter.

Lesnar just beat the streak in what will be remembered as the most shocking moment in wrestling history. It's like Sammartino losing his 7 year reign in MSG, but far grander. Nothing comes close to that. People were just too shocked to boo Lesnar. Now there's going to be some real legit heat on him in Raw. He broke what was holy, something the fans cherished and wanted to continue.

Now Lesnar is the true heel he was meant to be, Bryan is the true face. They just go hand in hand.

I'm very excited to see what they do.
 
#33 ·
From Brie & Nikki's Twitter:

"I'm sooo proud of my fiancé! Sooo well deserved! Wow! Wish I could of went out to celebrate, but wasn't allowed. Love the #YesMovement"

I was wondering why she didn't come out to celebrate with him. I'm curious as to why his sister and niece were allowed to celebrate with him but not Brie?
 
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