10 Reasons Why Daniel Bryan Belongs On WWE's Mount Rushmore
6. Losing To Sheamus In 18 Seconds At WrestleMania 28
The match that started it all.
Critics will debate WrestleMania 28's Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus bout for all of eternity, and you know what? Rightfully so. It opened the main card, was for the World Heavyweight Championship, and was the Royal Rumble winner's title opportunity. Of course people are going to be a tad angry that it only lasted eighteen seconds, the majority of that time being consumed by Bryan and AJ Lee's peck on the lips.
What if it never happened, though? Would Bryan have grown into the bonafide WWE Hall of Famer that he is today? Would he have main-evented 'Mania two years later? Would the YES! Movement have been a thing?
In short, probably not.
The eighteen-second loss was massively pivotal to the direction of Bryan's career post-'Mania 28. Sure, the "YES!" - and "NO!" - chants had already been a thing before this clash with 'The Celtic Warrior', but the way WWE handled his push after the title switch massively benefitted the real-life Bryan Danielson.
As has already been previously mentioned, his hand gesture became a somewhat major fixture in sporting events away from the wrestling ring. It became customary for sporting fans across the globe to point their fingers upwards as a mark of approval.
Something this simple would never have become as groundbreaking as it was/is without this loss.