10 Biggest WWE Changes Since Daniel Bryan Last Wrestled
8. The Alternates
Daniel Bryan's 'Yes Movement' wasn't the first groundswell of its kind in professional wrestling, nor even the first that decade in WWE.
Zack Ryder's self-made push in 2011 was an exhilarating change in philosophy before it...wasn't. The company rewarded Ryder's brass ring-grabbing guile and effort with a token United States Title reign designed to disguise the unimaginable burial he'd suffer in the aftermath. He wasn't in the script, so being forced to write him in turned them malicious in writing him back out.
The company tried and failed to do exactly the same with Bryan, but his ability galvanised a substantially stronger sense of collectivism in his fanbase. That same fanbase was expanding quicker than WWE could negotiate, with enough hijacked segments on television and pay-per-view forcing the company to pull the trigger on his WrestleMania 30 win.
In his absence, fans have pined for something like it, but WWE have become more deft at staving off momentous tides. 'Rusev Day' was merchandised immediately amidst enormous support for the 'Bulgarian Brute', but he'll only make WrestleMania 34's Andre The Giant Battle Royal. The 'Cesaro Section' flooded crowds with A4, but a midcard tag team heel turn found the 'Swiss Superman' the success the company wanted for him.
The true Bryan alternate never emerged, and now it hasn't had to. The SmackDown Live! crowd's veracious response to his physical interactions with Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn was the loudest reminder.