Written By Chris Schad
When people first get to know me, I usually try to keep the fact that I am a rabid professional wrestling fan in the dark. After all, it’s not a great icebreaker if you’re trying to make a good impression on the first date or trying to strike up a casual conversation in a job interview. I just kind of keep to myself and let other people figure that part out on their own.
Once they find that piece of information, the interrogation is usually an intense one. I get asked if I know that it’s fake (it’s actually scripted) and people tell me how they used to watch it back in fifth grade. (Yes, everybody watched it in fifth grade … even if you won’t admit it.)
But the part that everybody wants to know is why I still watch it. For that, there’s a simple answer:
It’s fun as hell.
For those who have a flair for the ridiculous, pro wrestling is the place where anything can happen. An employee can beat the snot out of his boss in a steel cage. A man who refers to himself in the third person can be considered the coolest guy on the face of the earth. There’s a plethora of other things that can happen too that make it just a thrill to be a part of it.
Which gets me to Daniel Bryan. The former WWE champion formally announced that he was retiring from the sport on Monday morning roughly 10 months from suffering his latest concussion. Tweets from millions of supporters were lined with the hashtag “#ThankYouDanielBryan” and millions more probably flipped on the WWE Network to watch the “Flying Goat” in action.
For a business where its interest is predicated on how much fun it is, Bryan brought of ton to the table at a time when pro wrestling needed it the most. Unlike most of the muscle-bound competitors that followed before him, he was a small guy at 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds. His style was something to watch as he bounced off the ropes and dove out of the ring on the other side. He would wrestle two or three times in the same night. To put it mildly, it wasn’t just fun. It was awesome.
Perhaps the most entertaining moment of Bryan’s career would be his last major storyline heading up to WrestleMania XXX. As the crowd at the 2014 Royal Rumble nearly went into riot mode because Bryan wasn’t in the match, they pretty much forced him into the main event by chanting his name during boring matches and screaming his catchphrase “YES!!!” repeatedly until they caved in.
He would fight twice that night with the first coming against Triple H and the second coming against Batista and Randy Orton in a triple threat match for the WWE Championship. Again, it’s probably not believable that this underdog would walk away with the belt, but that’s why wrestling is so damn fun. It doesn’t have to make sense.
As Bryan made Batista tap out in his “Yes Lock” the crowd of over 70,000 people erupted as the guy who was too small and didn’t have enough charisma to make it at the highest level of the business was now celebrating with a pair of championship belts at its greatest stage.
That would turn out to be the pinnacle of Bryan’s career as a slew of injuries would force him into early retirement. His career path actually turned out to be similar to another lovable underdog whose rugged style cut his career short in Mick Foley.
A couple years ago, Foley had been on television saying that during his career, he held the title for just 27 days. However, they were so memorable because of what he did in that timeframe. Bryan’s WWE career lasted just under five years, but he’s made a huge impact on the business.
His success has paved the way for other smaller wrestlers to get a chance with the WWE, especially with the company’s current crown jewel, NXT. The brand’s top two stars, Sami Zayn and Finn Balor, probably wouldn’t be knocking on the door if it weren’t for the “Yes Movement.”
Bryan’s success also showed that programming can be edgy despite the much maligned PG rating. A lot of wrestling fans would love it if the company went full Attitude Era again, but it’s probably never going to happen again. The thrill of watching the ultimate underdog fight his way to the top created captivating television … and oh yeah … it made it fun to watch.
So with everybody thanking Daniel Bryan, I would like to follow suit. It isn’t everyday that the little guy gets his day in the sun, but when it happens it makes for one hell of a ride.