A Final "Thank You" to Daniel Bryan

WWE.com

Last night was the hardest it's ever been to watch RAW. Not because it was a bad show, it was an alright show. It was hard to sit through because I already knew how it ended, with Daniel Bryan retiring. There was no avoiding it, I was either going to see it live and cry, or see it on YouTube and cry. I was going to cry one way or another. I've said a few things about him retiring, and showing my gratitude for all Bryan has done, but I wanted to give one last "Thank You" to the man.

First off, I want to talk about how bittersweet Bryan retiring is. As a fan, it depresses the hell out of me. Bryan was easily one of my favorite wrestlers. I remember going to my first RAW in 2013 and chanting "YES" for so long and so loud that I lost my voice. There I was the next day, voice cracking all the way through choir class, sounding like I'm going through intense puberty, and all I could think was "Man, I can't wait to do this again". And I did, four months later, I went to RAW again, and did it all again. I've never had more fun losing my voice.

Bryan had a connection with the fans I've never seen before. Sure, guys like Stone Cold and The Rock were mega-popular too, but I don't think I've ever seen their fans hijack and takeover entire segments like Bryan's has. And not too mention the fact that he was the best damn wrestler in that entire company. Aside from maybe Cesaro, I don't think anyone in WWE can work as good as he can. His matches with guys like CM Punk, John Cena, Triple H, and Randy Orton are new classics. Even his first match on NXT against Chris Jericho is one I'll never forget. He was so good and deserved to be at the top. When he finally he got there I nearly cried tears of joy. Naturally, I wouldn't want this guy to ever retire.

While I'm upset about it, I'm also happy for Daniel Bryan. He's achieved more in his career than most guys would ever dream of. He was the Ring of Honor Champion, he was the World Heavyweight Champion, and he was the WWE Champion. He's beaten the likes of Randy Orton, Triple H, and even John Cena 100% clean. He not only got to main event WrestleMania, but won after fighting his way through two matches. He had a legendary career, and nobody can take that away from him.

Along with that, I'm happy that he was able to walk away with his health. Wrestling is a high-risk buisness, there's no denying it. The wrestlers put their bodies on the line every night they perform, and Bryan is no different. There have been many wrestlers who weren't so lucky. As a fan, I would never want to see Bryan retire and keep wrestling, but I know he made the right choice. I'd rather have Bryan retire now, and be healthy and happy, then end up in a wheelchair like Dynamite Kid, or worse.

The last thing I want to write about is how Bryan inspires me. Now, I want to be a journalist. I love writing, and I love reviewing things like wrestling, films, TV showa, video games, and other things. But there's one thing I still want to be one day, and that's a professional wrestler. But, I'm also a skinny 19-year old with horrible self esteem to the point where I have trouble talking to people, even if I know them well. So the idea of me becoming a wrestler seemed like a pipe dream to me. That's when I noticed Daniel Bryan. I saw this scruffy, shorter-than-me guy, who's out there kicking ass and out working everyone else because he's the best. He made me believe in myself a little more. I still need to work towards getting in shape to wrestle, and getting money to go to wrestling school, but now I have some encouragement.

Basically what I'm trying to say is "Thank You" to Daniel Bryan. Thank you for all the years of wrestling and entertainment. Thank you for changing the way I looked at professional wrestling. And most importantly, thank you for being an inspiration for me to work hard to fulfill my dream. Thank you Daniel Bryan, for everything.

Thanks for reading.

Comments

Worst in the World: The Gimmick Battle Royal-WrestleMania X-Seven

(Special thanks to Frost for suggesting this match. If you'd like to see a match covered on the Worst in the World, leave a comment down below.) WrestleMania X-Seven. Heavily considered the not just the best WrestleMania, but the greatest wrestling show of all time, WrestleMania X-Seven took place during the hottest period in the WWF's history, and features just about every one of the hottest acts in wrestling at the time. An undercard featuring the likes of Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, William Regal, Kane, and the Big Show. One of the biggest female stars in the history of wrestling in Chyna. A killer TLC match between the Dudley Boyz, the Hardy Boyz, and Edge & Christian. A wild brawl between The Undertaker and Triple H. A massive main event between Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. Hell, even the father vs son Street Fight between Vince & Shane McMahon. It's a star-studded affair. However, there's one match that sticks out like

Worst in the World: The Last Rites Match-TNA Destination X 2007

(Special thanks to an anonymous user for suggesting this match. If you'd like to see a match covered on the Worst in the World, leave a comment down below.) An often discussed aspect of professional wrestling is the backstage politicking of Hulk Hogan. Throughout his career as a major attraction in wrestling, Hogan's philosophy has always been to protect Hulk Hogan...OK, sometimes he'd help Ed Leslie, but most of the time it was to protect Hulk Hogan. Because of that philosophy and Hogan's influence as a top guy, there have been multiple instances where a company's booking and other wrestlers have suffered as a result. Would having Mr. Perfect win the 1990 Royal Rumble made sense and could have elevated a rising star and potentially created a new main event player? Yes, but that would require Hogan to not win, and that doesn't work for Hogan, so he wins the Rumble even though he doesn't need elevating. Would booking Randy Orton to beat Hogan at SummerSlam 20

Worst in the World: D-Generation X vs Brothers of Destruction-Crown Jewel

This match didn't need to happen. After Triple H and the Undertaker had one of the most brutally bad matches of 2018 at Super Show-Down not even a month earlier, nobody wanted to see them try to wrestle again. Also, nobody wanted to see Shawn Michaels come out of retirement after his fantastic sendoff in 2010, especially for a match like this. But here we are, Triple H & Shawn Michaels facing The Undertaker & Kane in 2018. The combined ages of these four at the time is 206. That's a number you'd expect to see from a match at Heroes of Wrestling. And anyone can come up with their own reason as to why this match is happening, but that would just be ignoring the actual reason. For those of you who don't know, Crown Jewel was held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. That might not seem like important information, but you can't really discuss this match without mentioning it. Despite the numerous reasons that running shows in Saudi Arabia is morally wrong (their abuse

Worst in the World: What is the Worst Wrestling Match of All Time?

Note: This series is based off a YouTube series " The Search for the Worst " by I Hate Everything, where he reviews every movie on IMDB's Bottom 100. It's a great, funny series and I'd recommend checking it out. Have you ever just thought to yourself "What is the worst match of all time?"? I don't mean something like a boring John Cena-Randy Orton match, I mean a match where the wrestlers have zero chemistry, little wrestling ability, or literally no idea what they are actually doing. I've thought about this for a while, and I've decided to finally figure it out. So I'm going to watch any match that is: a) A winner of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Award for the Worst Worked Match of the Year. or: b) Listed on the 100 worst rated wrestling matches of all time on the Internet Wrestling Database . (Note: Some matches appear on awards that aren't on the list.) There are 115 (EDIT: Now 99) matches on here. I pu

Worst in the World: Trash at the Beach

Click the link here to vote in the poll and help decide the next edition of the Worst in the World. Just over a month ago, I briefly covered the massive success the WWF was having in 1999. Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock are at the top of the card. Triple H is on the rise to the main event. Mankind is playing the ultimate likable & respected babyface. Names like the Undertaker, Kane, and the Big Show are all major players. The undercard is stacked with big names like D-Generation X, D'Lo Brown, and Ken Shamrock, rising stars like The Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian, and new signings like Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, and the Dudley Boyz. The WWF was so red hot in 1999 that even an all-time bad WrestleMania in WrestleMania XV couldn't slow them down. But there was one other factor that made 1999 such a good year for the WWF; the fact that their main competitor, WCW, was beginning to crack. At the same time the WWF was reaching the highest heights they'd ever reache

The Wrestling Section

Vote For the Next Editions of The Worst in the World & The 5 Star Series!

Search This Blog