Daniel Bryan, the leader of the “Yes Movement,” said goodbye to the WWE Universe last Monday.
After wrestling 17 years in a career that took him all over the world from the independent circuit all the way to the highest pinnacle in sports entertainment, Bryan gave an emotional farewell speech on Monday Night Raw. It was a speech that brought tears not only to Bryan’s eyes but to the crowd as well. There was even a moment where Bryan closed his eyes during the arena’s collective “Yes” chant, soaking in the experience.
Bryan had suffered 10 documented concussions over his career and had been out of action since spring of 2015 after suffering another injury. He was working toward getting back in the ring until underdoing further tests in New York where an EEG showed cause for concern. Bryan says he had post-concussion seizures that he hid and the tests showed a link to those symptoms. With that, at only 34-years-old, he knew it was finally over.
At only 5-foot-8, not a lot was expected from Bryan when he first got into the business. However, he quickly changed that mindset after becoming a king in the independent circuit, the face of Ring of Honor where he held the ROH world title for 462-days, a Triple Crown champion in WWE and ultimately winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship while headlining WrestleMania.
His fans constantly hijacked shows as he was not only fans’ favorite underdog, Bryan became one of the most “over” superstars in all of wrestling and solidified his spot among the greatest of his generation.
Now, we look back on Bryan’s greatest moments of his career.
Honorable Mention: Wrestling with a detached retina
No one can ever question Bryan’s toughness after his match with Takeshi Morishima for the ROH World Championship. The “American Dragon” lost but that’s not what anyone remembers.
Early in the match, during a series of punches from Morishima to Bryan’s head resulted in a broken orbital bone and a detached retina. However, the match wasn’t stopped. To the amazement of fans, Bryan continued to wrestle for 20-30 minutes despite the injury being severe enough that it could have blinded him and resulted in retirement.
10. Daniel Bryan makes the decision to leave the Wyatt family.
Many doubted that anyone would ever be able to generate the pops that Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock generated but Bryan was able to match that multiple times. One of the most memorable was on Raw in January of 2014, when Bryan would turn on Bray Wyatt and break away from being under his control inside a steel cage.
The fans were freaking out as Bryan delivered a beat down to Wyatt and left him in the middle of the ring, flat on his back, while Bryan climbed the top of the cage and celebrated to the vibrating chants of “Yes” by the fans.
9. Winning the 2011 Money in the Bank briefcase
Independent wrestling fans who had followed the “American Dragon” probably never thought they would see the day where Bryan would get such a big honor in WWE. After Bryan climbed the ladder and pulled down the briefcase, fans knew the company was high on him and he’d have the World Heavyweight Championship belt soon. Bryan would cash in to win the title on Big Show five months later.
8. Bryan puts on a show with Kenta (Hideo Itami) at Glory By Honor 2006
Every Daniel Bryan fan knows this match. It’s held in the highest regards among independent wrestling fans. Bryan, the champion, entered his match facing Kenta only a few weeks off of separating his shoulder as well as torn ligaments. Both competitors gave it everything you could possibly want before Bryan locked him in locked Itami in his Cattle Mutilation submission hold for the win.
7. Team Hell No
Team Hell No was impossible not to like. This comedic-duo had us all busting a gut during the Dr. Shelby Anger Management lessons that we saw weekly on Monday night Raw. Although they were hilariously dysfunctional, they did manage to win the WWE Tag Team Championship, put on great matches and entertain all of us.
6. Becoming ROH Champion
Bryan finally obtained the Ring of Honor title after defeating James Gibson at Glory by Honor IV in a display of technical wizardry in 2005. It took three years for him to get to that moment but this was the start of Bryan’s 462 days as ROH Champion.
5. Occupy WWE Raw
On the March 10, 2014 episode of Raw in Memphis, Tennessee, the “Yes Movement” reached unprecedented levels. Fans were becoming frustrated that Daniel Bryan was not going to be put in the main event at WrestleMania. Fueled and ready to go, Bryan had his legions of fans by his side, surrounding the ring. Bryan refused to let Raw continue and goaded Triple H into accepting a match at WrestleMania 30.
4. The “Yes Man” beats Triple H at WrestleMania 30
Triple H and The Authority had made life a living hell for Bryan and it started at SummerSlam in 2013 when “The Game” pedigreed Bryan to help Randy Orton win the WWE title. The Authority threw obstacle after obstacle at Bryan but he wouldn’t give up. The fans were behind Bryan, hijacking shows and letting it be known what they wanted.
After occupying Raw to force Triple H’s hand, Bryan was granted a match with the King of Kings where if he were victorious, he would be put into the main event against Randy Orton and Batista. Despite Triple H being in control and going for a back suplex, Bryan countered it and hit a running knee for the win.
3. Ring of Honor Unified in 2006 versus Nigel McGuinness
One rivalry of Bryan’s stands well above his others and that’s his feud with Nigel McGuinness. The “American Dragon” entered the match as the ROH Champion and McGuinness entered as the ROH Pure Champion in a bout to unify the titles.
In front of a hot Liverpool crowd, the match was physical and one of Bryan’s best in his career. Both men put it all on the line and delivered high spots like Bryan doing a springboard into the crowd. Bryan would go on to win after a series of elbows to McGuinness’ head.
2. Defeating John Cena clean for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam 2013
There aren’t many guys who have beaten John Cena cleanly. Cena has been the face of WWE for over a decade and has been seen as “Superman” throughout his successful career. That is why Bryan hitting Cena with a running knee and getting the pinfall for his first WWE title was so surprising.
It would be short-lived as Triple H, who served as the referee for the match, would turn on Bryan to help Orton cash-in the Money in the Bank briefcase for the title.
1. Wins WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 30
The “WrestleMania moment.” It’s what every WWE Superstar strives for and Bryan’s played out like a Hollywood movie.
This was a career defining moment. The kid from Aberdeen, Washington who traveled to train at Shawn Michaels wrestling school and had an epic independent wrestling career that took him from wrestling in places like gas station parking lots to the Tokyo Dome, was now in the main event at WrestleMania.
After already beating Triple H earlier in the night and briefly being put on a stretcher, Bryan would add wins over two other Hall of Famers in Randy Orton and Batista. The New Orleans crowd was waiting for that special moment. They got it when Bryan tapped out Batista with the “Yes Lock” to give him the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. It was the perfect culmination of a long journey and it solidified Bryan’s spot as a legend.
Farewell, Daniel Bryan.
Joshua Caudill is a writer for CraveOnline Sports, a surfing enthusiast, an unhealthy sports fanatic, and an expert on all things Patrick Swayze. You can follow him on Twitter @JoshuaCaudill85 or “like”CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
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