Seven Things: 7 Observations From The Daniel Bryan WM 30 Documentary

    • Seven Things: 7 Observations From The Daniel Bryan WM 30 Documentary

      Welcome to Seven Things, a list that will run weekly and consist of very eclectic topics. These are of my opinions and doesn’t express the views of others on WrestlingOnEarth.

      “WWE Journey to Wrestlemania 30: Daniel Bryan” debuted on the WWE Network Tuesday. A tale of Daniel Bryan’s path to the main event of Wrestlemania 30 shows a video diary of Bryan’s weekend leading up to the big Wrestlemania event and has some chapters on his life growing up, training with Shawn Michaels, his time in ROH, struggles in WWE and the aforementioned road to Wrestlemania.

      Considering Daniel Bryan is my favorite wrestler of all time, this was probably the most enjoyable WWE production I’ve seen. The structure, the people who had sound bytes, the scenes they chose, it was all perfect. I highly recommend everyone check it out, Bryan fan or not. (FYI If you’re not a Bryan fan, I judge you harshly.)

      Reminder: If you have any suggestions for future lists, feel free to share them in the comments or send them to me on Twitter: @JoeySplashwater

       7. John Cena is awesome

      One of the best parts of this documentary was hearing from John Cena. Just about everything Cena said was on point regarding the entire Daniel Bryan story. One of the most profound quotes was saying the indie wrestler typecast was BS and “you’re either good or you’re not.”

      Another interesting facet is Pat Patterson saying Cena was one of the people who went to bat for Daniel Bryan when WWE fired Bryan due to the tie choking incident during the Nexus angle. Of course, many will still go on to carry out the paranoid narrative that Cena has pitchforks and holds down the next iconic superstars like Wade Barrett, Tyler Reks and Alex Riley.

      6. The Miz is still annoying

      Even in a funny moment, Miz goes into full Miz mode. “You have to look like a Superstar” says Miz, as he stands in front of a mirror. Bryan retorts “You don’t look that good.” Confirmed to be the Reality Era.

      5. Billy Kidman shakes Bryan’s hand

      A great moment for my fellow Kidman marks out there! The icing on the photographic cake? MizDad unintentionally photo-bombing a great moment like only MizDad can.

      4. Ring of Honor love

      There’s a very cool chapter on Ring of Honor as Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins and Cesaro talk about their time there and Bryan’s amazing run before coming to WWE. As a huge ROH fan, especially the time period when these three were all huge parts of it, it tugged at the strings of my not-so-cold heart.

      Hearing many in past productions saying how horrible working the indies were (understandable in some circumstances), it was very refreshing and great to hear someone like Bryan say “I loved working the independents. They were fun.” as opposed to a horrible thing you have to do before WWE. Also, Seth Rollins saying Bryan was an idol of his led another heartwarming moment as they are two of my all time favorites.

      Video of ROH matches were shown featuring Bryan vs. Rollins AKA Tyler Black and Cesaro AKA Claudio Castagnoli.

      3. William Regal is the proudest

      Bryan’s mentor and likely biggest supporter in the wrestling industry, William Regal shows one of the biggest smiles you can find. Now only if Regal could replace JBL on commentary…

      2. Sami Zayn awkwardly hugs Bryan’s mom

      Sami Zayn gets caught in that awkward position of wondering if to go for the handshake or the hug when meeting Daniel Bryan’s mom. We’ve all been there before. Fortunately, Mrs. Danielson goes for the hug as we all would when greeting Sami.

      1. The Daniel Bryan story is the most riveting in WWE history

      Never before has a story like this truly happened in the WWE world. While fans have rallied behind their favorite wrestlers, no situation has ever been like Daniel Bryan’s. Fans literally forced WWE into making this moment happen. From Seattle to the Royal Rumble to every show after the Royal Rumble, there was no longer any other option. Daniel Bryan had to win the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania.

      I don’t think many currently fathom the remarkable nature of what has happened over the last 4 months. It’s one thing to have fans turn on Batista and other in support of you in your hometown or places like New York or Chicago. It’s an entirely different animal to have Omaha and Cleveland do the same.

      Often times when a star becomes popular that WWE doesn’t necessarily believe has an “A+” ceiling, they are downgraded and the fans either accept it (Dolph Ziggler) or turn on them (Zack Ryder). Daniel Bryan was the man to break that. Whether joining The Wyatt Family or being looked over for Batista, the WWE fan base and beyond pushed Daniel Bryan into Vince McMahon’s lap and the biggest position a wrestler can be in at Wrestlemania 30. It’s a REAL (Reality Era BOOM) story that will only become more amazing as time grows but was satisfying as can be to see a documentary dedicated to it. Only fitting this all happened to Daniel Bryan of all people, one of the most special performers wrestling has seen.

      You can read past editions of Seven Things here.

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