Heading into the Royal Rumble 2014, Daniel Bryan was not only the most popular wrestler on the roster, he was the most popular wrestler since John Cena before half the audience turned on him. However, when Bryan wasnt included in the 30-man Royal Rumble match, the backlash from fans was immediate and fierce. It was obvious that it was going to be big news as soon as Rey Mysterios music hit to enter at #30, but no-one could have predicted just how big the backlash would get. The online reaction to Daniel Bryans exclusion was so huge that it was even covered by outlets like BBC and showed up as one of the most popular stories in Facebooks trending sidebar. The outrage over Bryan being left out of the Royal Rumble even led to a White House petition which reached nearly 100,000 signatures before it was pulled for violating their terms of service. Thanfully, WWE listened to their fans and Daniel Bryan was added to WrestleMania where he wrestled two stellar matches, and walked out WWE World Heavyweight Champion. It would be the last time Daniel Bryan would be part of a big story in 2014, as a few months later he caught two men attempting break into and rob his house. He went on to chase one of the men down and hold him in a rear naked choke until the police arrive, which once again landed wrestling, WWE and Daniel Bryan in the mainstream news.
