Winning over fans young and old alike with his heart, his passion for the business, his determination, and his unquenchable thirst for success, Bryan's rise to the top was quite possibly the most entertaining and remarkable element to come out of WWE television in the past decade. Not only did it mark, in the minds of many fans, the first time that the Universe truly forced the company to listen to them by virtue of overwhelming support, but it also paved the way for other smaller, indie guys to make the jump to WWE and be successful. It may have been difficult to see at the time, but in hindsight, he and CM Punk have changed the course of WWE forever, and given hundreds, maybe even thousands of guys and girls to showcase their talents on the biggest stage of them all. During his incredible retirement speech on Monday Night Raw—which was one of the most surreal moments I've ever experienced as a fan—he said many times that he was grateful. Grateful to the sport, to the fans, and to so many other things. Well Daniel, we are most certainly grateful for you.
So, in order to help honor the legacy of the most popular wrestler the company has had since Stone Cold himself, here are nine of the goat-faced legend's greatest moments. We salute you, Daniel Bryan.
Honorable Mention:
While it may have ended up getting him fired initially (though only for two months), without the Nexus invasion, there is a chance that the Daniel Bryan we've come to know today might never had existed. Yes, he'd been tearing it up on the independent scene for some time by that point, but were it not for this big-time storyline, the casual WWE fan may have never gotten a reason to care about the former American Dragon. In fact, getting fired may have been the best thing that could've happened for Bryan, as it allowed him to return just a couple of months later on a big stage, and WWE fans were given a reason to care about him. The rest, as they say, is history.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find the exact moment when this insult was first used to describe the bearded Superstar, so I put in a clip of when Bryan had to undergo an anger evaluation and his Rorschach drawings were shaped like goats. However, I simply had to put this moment in here. Whenever it did occur, as my memory's a little fuzzy on it right now, the nickname "goat face" became a part of Bryan's identity. Yet another term used by his critics, they could now claim that he was not only too small, but also didn't have the proper look of a top WWE Superstar, resembling a farm animal more than a clean-cut corporate champion. However, similarly to another item on this list (*cough cough Sheamus cough cough*), this setback only made WWE fans more determined to cheer for Bryan. His unkempt beard and long hair became an allegory for his rise to the top, and they eventually became a crucial part of his image: that is to say, more like your every day average guy than a jacked, perfectly sculpted "Face of the WWE".
Frankly, without this moment, the Daniel Bryan legend may never have been born. It was on this night, April 1, 2012, that the Yes Movement truly began. Before that night, Bryan was a mildly over superstar with a heckuva lot of talent. However, after this moment, he became a sensation. Outraged with the WWE's decision to have him lose to Sheamus in simply 18 seconds on the Grandest Stage of Them All, fans took the obsession with Bryan to new heights, chanting, "Yes!" every chance they got, and popping like crazy for the Aberdeen native. This failure, as it was perceived in many fans' minds, just served to make his eventual victory even sweeter, and it was undoubtedly the catalyst for his transformation into a true main event star.
JBL summed it up best when he said, "I've never seen anything like this in my life!". Post-Mania crowds are always insane, but this crowd was hotter for Bryan than other other superstar in the company that night. They literally would not let him speak for a solid 30 seconds because they were too busy chanting his name. However, I think the most defining moment of this segment was when the crowd sang out in unison, "You deserve it." If you didn't already have goosebumps during this segment, this most certainly set you straight. As far as I'm concerned, that is one of the greatest chants that a performer can EVER hear from anyone. Hearing it from a raucous New Orleans crowd less than 24 hours after the biggest victory of his life was surely one of the most surreal moments Daniel Bryan has ever experienced. I know it certainly was for me as a fan.
This moment would almost certainly be higher were it not for its short-lived nature. Yes, when Daniel Bryan beat WWE's resident golden boy clean in the middle of the ring, it was a phenomenal moment. Confetti and tears of joy alike streamed down, and the celebration was set to begin. However, just a few minutes after the bell rang to end the match, it rang yet again to symbolize the end of another. This one, unfortunately, would mark the very premature end of Bryan's first WWE Championship reign. However, as disappointing as it may have been in the moment, this was likely the right call. Not only did it make Bryan even hungrier, but more importantly, it left fans absolutely desperate to finally see their chosen one given a legitimate reign on top, helping make that magical night in New Orleans an even more emotional affair.
On December 12, 2013, a raucous Seattle crowd "hijacked" Raw. During what was called the "Championship Ascension Ceremony", then-WWE champ Randy Orton and then-World Heavyweight champ John Cena relinquished their titles in preparation for the upcoming unification match at TLC. In order to give the ceremony a more prestigious feel, WWE filled the ring with a large array of former world champs, from CM Punk to the Big Show to ol'Goat Face himself, Daniel Bryan. What was essentially a hometown crowd for Bryan (or at least the closest he'll get to one in a major city) absolutely took over the segment, completely ignoring Stephanie and drowning her out with boisterous cheers of, "DAN-IEL BRY-AN". While this particular segment may not have been written up with the intention of promoting the bearded masterclass, it certainly did so, providing an absolutely unforgettable moment that served as a representation of just how much power the Universe truly wielded.
To echo the sentiment directly above, this segment was a fantastic representation of just how powerful the WWE Universe can be. However, here, we got a more physical representation of how this is true. In one of the most ingenious and creative decisions in recent memory, Daniel Bryan filled and surrounded the ring with eager member of the Yes Movement to demand a match with Triple H at Wrestlemania, something that fans all around the world had been clamoring for in real life too. In retrospect, given the immense backlash that would've occurred had the match at Wrestlemania just been Batista and Randy Orton, WWE probably didn't have much choice, but still, this was an incredible segment in selling just how much the company didn't want Bryan to have the match, thus making the WWE Universe even more elated when it finally came to fruition.
Simply put, this was the loudest I've ever heard a crowd react for a single competitor. It was absolutely spine-tingling (Side note: credit to Wyatt for getting himself this much heat, that's impressive). While it may not have had as much impact storyline-wise as some of the other items on this list, the sway that Daniel Bryan proved he had over the audience was unlike anything I've ever seen before in my life. The slow start and then gradual speeding up of the Yes chant, which every single person in the arena participated in perfectly, was something special. For me, this is one of the most underrated segments in the history of Monday Night Raw. Every single person in that arena had their two hands up in sync with Bryan, and it was a moment the likes of which I doubt we'll ever see again. It takes something truly special to beat this out for the number one spot...
...And "something special" is exactly what this moment is. Finally, after years and years of blood, sweat, tears, and passion, Daniel Bryan reached the promised land on April 6, 2014 in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, forcing Batista to submit in a Triple Threat Match to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship (Side note: Cole's call right after Batista tapped is absolutely phenomenal. "A miracle on Bourbon Street!"). Aptly coined "YEStlemania"" by Jerry Lawler, it was a fitting reward for a man who many have long considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers in the world. After months and months of disappointment and anticipation, from his prematurely-ended reign at the hands of Randy Orton to the Royal Rumble debacle, finally, the bearded Superman did it. No caveats, no immediate heartbreak, just pure elation. 15 years after first joining Dean Malenko's wrestling school straight out of high school, after years of perfecting his craft and biding his time, by sheer force of will—both by him and by the fans—Daniel Bryan made it to the summit of the industry. It simply does not get bigger than winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania, and finally, after so much heartbreak, Bryan did it. When Batista's hand first hit the mat to signal his submission, the absolute explosion that went around the Superdome was simply a joy to behold. That night, it wasn't just a victory for the hard-working, goat-faced lumberjack from Aberdeen, Washington. It was a victory for every single member of the WWE Universe who's ever been told they aren't good enough, that they're destined for mediocrity as simply a B+ player. That night, no matter what the case was in reality, we were all behind Bryan and this idea that nobody in the back wanted to see him succeed. He was fighting for dear life against the unstoppable machine, and in the end, he won, producing one of the most unforgettable moments in the history of this business, and in turn creating a legacy that will live on forever.
Thank you, Daniel Bryan. For everything.
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