By the time WrestleMania XXVIII rolled around Bryan was a full blown heel and being managed by the sweet and innocent AJ Lee. He went into the show as World Heavyweight Champion, and it seemed like Sheamus and he would get to make up for the previous year's injustice. Sadly that wasn't to be the case. After demanding a kiss from AJ Lee, Bryan instead ended up kissing Sheamus's boot and was pinned in eighteen seconds. It was an anticlimactic end to Bryan's first run at the top of the card and seemed to hint at WWE's lack of trust in the former Bryan Danielson. And yet it was that night that something special happened. The fans said no, or more accurately they said yes. Again and again and again. In fact, they haven't stopped since. The message was clear. In Daniel Bryan they had a new favourite and they weren't going to shush until he got what he deserved.
