I'm not the most knowledgable wrestling fan around. I am definitely a much more casual fan today. But the one thing that hasn't really changed is my preference in wrestlers. I like really technical performers, whose ring psychology informs and enhances his big spots. I love watching guys like William Regal, Bret Hart, and Chris Benoit. In this generation of wrestlers in the WWE, though, my favorite has been Daniel Bryan. In February 2016, when he announced his retirement, I was really bummed. It happened right as he was getting a healthy push, too.
It was so damn sad, too, because D-Bry has literally overcome everything.
He's been fired during the NXT invasion for doing something "too violent." He choked out Justin Roberts with his necktie, but because of how much the fans wanted him back, he was eventually hired back.
Given how he looks, he normally wouldn't fall under what would be considered the mold of main event superstars. D-Bry is 5'10, 210 pounds soaking wet. Compare him to guys like Triple H who stands 6'4, 250 pounds or guys like Roman Reigns at 6'3, 265 pounds. If you're a smaller guy, like AJ Styles or CM Punk, then you'd have to be phenomenally talented to get a main event slot, but that's what Daniel Bryan is. I think the only WWE superstar to hold a championship belt who was shorter than him was Rey Mysterio. In 2011, he won the World Heavyweight Championship.
Though it seems he was never even meant to carry the World Heavyweight strap for long. He lost it in 18 seconds in Wrestlemania XXVII, even though the entire arena was shouting YES! YES! YES!
He was over enough that creative put him in the title hunt but wouldn't really be able to secure it. He eventually fell back down the card as a tag team with Kane.
After that, even being the most over guy in the whole company, he went from championship match to champion match always falling short. The next time he'd hold a major title would be at Summerslam where he'd get screwed over by Triple H to lose the belt the same night to Randy Orton. This was a great thing for D-Bry actually, it was a great angle. He got the strap back from Orton at Night of Champions, but he got keyfabe screwed out of it again. Again, great for D-Bry because the fans because it kept them hot for him, so finally things were looking up for him.
And then after winning the championship back in a Triple Threat match against Batista and Randy Orton at Wrestlemania XXX, he would eventually have to give up the belt due to injury.
That leads us to his retirement announcement in February, 2016. This is one of the biggest hurdles ever put in front of Daniel Bryan.
He went on record that he would do everything he could to get back into a ring and it didn't even need to be in the WWE. He was under contract with the WWE but the WWE wouldn't clear him to wrestle again, even though he had been to multiple specialists saying everything was normal. He had no easy out. He had to play ball with the WWE while sidelined. He went from specialist to specialist and he never gave up. He was going to wrestle again; he was sure of that.
And then on March 20, 2018, a little over two years since he retired, he came out to a live Smackdown! audience to say that he had finally been cleared to wrestle again.
To let you grasp the lenghs that Daniel Bryan went through to get cleared, know that he went through two years of research, experimental treatment, and lots of tests.
Daniel Bryan was not willing to give up on his dreams. Daniel Bryan is like a pitbull - he grabs something and never freakin' lets go. Daniel Bryan is a real fighter.