Kevin Jeffers, Senior Sports Editor
Daniel Bryan — pretty much everyone's favourite wrestler — delivered a heartfelt goodbye Monday night in Seattle, Washington, his home state. He had been out of action for the better part of two years after finally climbing to the top of the ladder, with a world-title win at Wrestlemania XXX in 2014.
This is a tough one for wrestling fans to swallow. He was far and away my personal favourite, and the main reason I stuck around as a fan the past five years. He was by all accounts a class guy, a terrific in-ring performer and an entertaining, disarming personality.
Needless to say, he’ll be missed.
Graham, you actually got to meet Bryan on a couple of occasions. Was he as personable in person as he was on screen?
Graham Caygill, Deputy Sports Editor
I was lucky to talk with him at WrestleMania 31 in San Jose last year and when he was in Dubai in September, and he was an absolute pleasure to deal with on both occasions. Funny, engaging and genuinely evoking the spirit of a man who loved what he was doing, even when in September he had been ruled out of action for nearly five months.
Those traits were in his character in the ring, particularly since the summer of 2013, and I think that was what made him so popular with fans. Here was an everyman, like them, doing what he loved, and doing it well.
While I don’t think all parts of the storyline were done well, or even planned in some cases, his storyline with the Authority that culminated in him winning the WWE World Heavyweight title at WrestleMania 30 will go down as one of the company’s most iconic moments — as much for his performance in the ring as the reaction he got from the fans.
Jeffers
That Mania XXX performance is maybe the greatest single performance in the show’s history. If that’s the lasting image of his career, then what a career it was.
Bryan openly says he wishes he could continue wrestling, but his concussion history just won't let him. In a Tuesday interview with ESPN, he said he has been diagnosed with at least 10 concussions, and specifically mentions seizures. One of the worst moments I can recall as a fan was watching Chris Benoit having an in-ring seizure at Wrestlemania 21 following a head-butt attempt off a ladder. We should be grateful Bryan is walking away before anything like this happens to him.
Were this five or ten years ago, it’s doubtful WWE or Bryan’s doctors would have stopped him from returning to action. Given what we know now about concussions — and there’s ample evidence to suggest Benoit’s sad story was aided by concussions — Bryan is going out a winner. He’s only 34 and surely has a role to still play in the company. What do you think that role would look like?
Caygill
I think WWE would be daft not to try and keep him around in some capacity, either in front of or behind the cameras. Obviously, it is up to him and he may feel he wants a break from the business altogether, but I would like to see Bryan in a training role, ideally with NXT. He was so good in the ring, technically and in terms of laying out an exciting match, and the chance to help the next generation of stars with their ring work is a salivating prospect.
He is so good I think he could do anything WWE-related really. He is excellent on the microphone and could be a good colour commentator, or as an onscreen character if the WWE ever went back down the road of the, admittedly tiresome, general manager position on Raw.
Having enjoyed his work in the WWE so much, I do hope he stays involved and the company finds a position for him, but given he wants to start a family, I think whatever he does with them, if anything, will not involve a full-time schedule.
Jeffers
Training would a great role for him, granted it wouldn’t exacerbate his health issues. He could even get some on-camera time with NXT that way.
I’m sad. I’m a 32-year-old man so I didn’t cry, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t close. Bryan meant that much to me. I’ll miss his matches and his ability to make the most out of terrible creative ideas.
I’ll never forget how WWE treated him in Mania 28, serving him up for a quick defeat to Sheamus. Their 2-out-of-3-falls match at the following pay-per-view is my personal favourite of his. He was just so on-form and had the crowd eating out of his hands, even though he was in the storyline supposed to be the villain. That was the thing with Bryan — despite everything WWE did to keep him on the second or third tier, he always did what was asked of him and got over with the crowd anyway. There’s no one on the current roster that’s nearly as universally beloved as he was.
I know it’s tough to pick just one, but what’s your favourite Bryan match or memory?
Caygill
In the ring, he had so many amazing matches, but I am going to go a little left-field and say his match against Bray Wyatt at the Royal Rumble in 2014.
It was a terrific match, with Bryan showing his value as a performer in helping Wyatt have what I think still stands as his best singles performance in the WWE. That was the kind of unselfish performer Bryan was. He could tell a story so well, and while not hurting his own status one iota, he lost cleanly and made Wyatt look a million of bucks and better than he has ever looked since despite going up against the likes of John Cena, Dean Ambrose and the Undertaker.
But, I also loved that moment when the crowd hijacked the promo in December 2013 hyping the TLC main event of Randy Orton and Cena. You had those two, Triple H, Shawn Michaels and CM Punk in the ring — all WWE legends and either Hall of Famers, or future inductees (well maybe not Punk at present) — and yet those fans only had eyes for Bryan, and they made it clear by repeatedly singing his name in a segment where he was only supposed to be in the background.
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