FanPost

The Great American Dragon: Why Bryan Will Be Missed

WWE.com

I – like many of you – am saddened by the news that Daniel Bryan (The American Dragon, Bryan Danielson to some – from here on just Bryan so everyone wins) would be vacating the Intercontinental Title and leaving the ring indefinitely.

I have said it before, but Bryan is my favorite wrestler, and has been for the last 10 years. Stumbling across his early ROH work sucked me back into wrestling and wrestling been a pretty big part of my life ever since. Grandiose statements about "all time" are not really something I like to engage in, but he is on the short list of possible wrestlers to occupy that hyperbolic "favorite wrestler of all time" spot.

So, I feel oddly compelled to write something, even if it gets lost in the flood of Bryan-related posts that are sure to come, even if it doesn’t accomplish much other then vetting my own thoughts. This is going to get awful fanboy-ish, man-crushy even, but to hell with it, I stand buy it. Bryan has provided me with a ton of entertainment and I salute him as he signs off, at least for now.

To some, Daniel Bryan just an internet darling, a trendy favorite, and an undersized wrestler who got more than his fair chance in the big time. Those are all 100% true. Consequently, Bryan has come to unfairly represent the smark ideal. His place in wrestling is far too often positioned as such. He becomes the target of unfair criticism, more rightly directed to his fans than him. He also becomes to poster boy for critical fans hurling their ire at the WWE, an ironic turn given how good and loyal an employee he seems to be.

In this post I want to cover a few reasons why Bryan should be appreciated far beyond the petty disputes between fans. Now I don’t want to sound like I am remembering the dead. Bryan isn’t dead and there is a fair chance that he isn’t done wrestling. I do, however, think that this is a good time to recognize why Bryan has been so great and why he will be missed for however long he is gone.

The Little Things

I often read fellow keyboard warriors say that Bryan is overrated. This might well be true. He might simply be held so high that the expectations are just impossible to meet. But he is good. You can’t tell me he isn’t very good at what he does. It is the little things that make him so good, the attention to detail and nuance that set him apart. Sure, the big jumps, the kicks to the head, and the dives from all corners of the ring are fun, but there are plenty who do those better.

Bryan’s strength is, and always has been, making you believe he is hurting and hurting people. Size differences made him change how this was done somewhat when he got to the WWE, but this always been his real strength. Weather he is twisting someone up in knots or kicking the snot out of them, it always looks legit. Bryan doesn’t take time off in the ring. Every movement, every hold is made to look like it hurts. If he isn't hurting someone he is making sure you believe he is hurt. There is no rest. He echoes a Bret Hart or William Regal in this regard.

Additionally, his facial expressions and body language make him seem much larger than he is. He seems to always be aware of who and what he is in any given wrestling context. Bryan thrives on this and tells believable stories in and out of the ring. Those stories are often capped off by powerful moments. He knows how to affect a crowd, to make the mad or overjoyed and to make them believe.

He might not be everyone’s favorite, but his nuanced storytelling, despite the context, set him apart from many of his peers. This sort of attention to detail is too often lost in wrestling. While not a large man, he will leave a sizable hole when it comes to his in ring performance.

Love of Craft

I listened to Bryan on Jericho’s podcast a while back. He attributed his success to his love of wrestling and his lack of ambition to power and stature. You can tell he loves wrestling, loves to invent and create great wrestling theater. In some ways it might have been his downfall. Passion might have pushed him to wrestle through one or twenty too many injuries, but it is also what makes him so fun to watch.

His energy on a show is likely infectious. We all know how infectious someone can be when they love what they are doing and are good at it. Think about playing a sport or going to work. Someone who genuinely enjoys their work and has the kind of skill that makes everyone else better can push people. They are leaders by example.

Bryan’s love made him evolve as a performer. To prepare himself for his final run at making it in the big time Bryan started training at Extreme Couture, the MMA gym, to work on his strikes and submission wrestling. He hoped to integrate more high impact moves into his arsenal and presumably recognized that MMA was becoming increasingly legible in popular culture.

Bryan’s love also made him do things wrestlers probably shouldn’t do. The huge bumps, the wrestling through injury, and the constant falls, Bryan has put his body on the line over and over again. I once saw him jump off the top rope to the outside into a chair swinging at his head. It was one of the craziest spots I have ever seen, especially live. I have seen him bleed buckets and take brutal shots to the head. The wear and tear on his body has obviously caught up to him, as it does many wrestlers and we can’t understate that sacrifice.

Bryan isn’t the first person to love wrestling and he won’t be the last. The list of wrestlers whose love of craft drove them to greatness is too long to even begin. You don’t have to love Bryan or even like him to appreciate how hard he has worked on something he loves.

Just a Nice Dude!

I hate meeting celebrities. I don’t get the appeal of it in general. The conversations are always awkward and I am fine with formulating arbitrary opinions on people based on their public identity. Nothing is worse than being disappointed by a famous figure you have for one reason or another identified with, except maybe learning that someone you disliked is too nice for you to continue disliking; arbitrary hate is fun, really fun (and lucrative – ask Cena).

Even though I would never actively pursue it, Bryan would possibly be someone I wouldn't hate meeting and its only because he seems like the nicest dude on the flipping planet. He strikes me as the kind of dude you could just chat and drink tea or coffee with. He even makes being a hippy (sorry hippies) seem not so bad because he is so darn nice. I am usually really suspicious of overly nice people, but some people just come off as genuine and Bryan is one of them.

Bryan is the kind of guy I imagine parents feel good about letting their kids look up to. He works hard, always smiles, and he is – by all accounts – a very kind and gentle person. He is good for wrestling, a good ambassador of the business. He is a smart man with a grounded perspective and a good attitude. While it is always hard to tell how someone "really" is, I have never heard/read anyone say Bryan is a bad dude or a jerk.

It takes all kinds, but we can’t have too many genuinely nice people in the world.

___________________________

This is a very incomplete account of why Bryan’s success in wrestling traverses the distinctions between smart fans and casual fans, a conflict he too often gets bogged down in. It only scratches the surface of why we should appreciate what he gave us and wish him well along the way.

I know it is sappy. I know I have a man-crush. Whatever. Bryan Danielson got me back into wrestling and wrestling has gotten me through some times over the past 10 years. Daniel Bryan gave me the biggest and most grand wrestling experience imaginable when I went to WM30. While I don’t know him, never will, and don’t really want to, I just appreciate his work. He has entertained me and brought a lot of joy to a lot of people.

If we never see him in the ring again but he lives a happy and healthy life, well all win. He has provided the wrestling world with countless hours of entertainment already. If we get another match or another run, wrestling will be better for it. It goes without saying that whatever he decides to do, I hope it is what is truly best for him. My hat is off to Bryan and I wish him the absolute best.

Edit (5/12 - 12:17 PM MT)

P. S. I have no doubt that Bryan will have a rich and successful career in wrestling one way or another. There is no doubt that his talents are not limited to in ring competition. This post is just about the idea that he is not going to be in the ring, at least for a time. Bryan certainly will continue to contribute to the WWE product and/or wrestling more generally.

The FanPosts are solely the subjective opinions of Cageside Seats readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cageside Seats editors or staff.