10 Times Wrestling Made You Lose Your Goddamn Mind

6. Daniel Bryan Beats The Sh*t Out Of The Wyatts

Wheeler Yuta
WWE

After the Usos defeated Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt in a Steel Cage match on the January 13, 2014 RAW, Wyatt instructed Bryan to sacrifice himself as a punishment. Bryan sunk to his knees, and Wyatt motioned to set up for Sister Abigail. After a dumb midcard demotion well beneath the level of what Bryan really was - a headliner - Bryan turned.

All he had to do was stand there. He summoned booming chants of "Yes!" and "Daniel Bryan!" simply by wearing a fixed expression of defiance. These people were standing on their feet and going banana at the merest hint that this might have signified a push back up the card, and this followed months' worth of oppressive booking that sought to condition fans not to care. They still did; after he kicked the living sh*t of Wyatt, and removed his daft outfit to reveal the techniker burgundy, he ascended to the top of the cage. In perfect sync, conveying his universal connection, the fans anointed him as their man all over again.

Bryan generated one of the loudest reactions in the history of WWE RAW, and this includes Steve Austin in 1998, and he did it wearing a f*cking boiler suit like he'd dressed up as a member of Slipknot for halloween. He looked like a geek, really, but the fans steadfastly refused to treat him like one. He could have been wearing a clown outfit wrapped in tinsel. It wouldn't have mattered.

This was the very definition of undeniably all the way over.

 
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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!