WWE.comSay the phrase '18 seconds' to a Daniel Bryan fan, and you'll probably see an involuntary wince - maybe a clenching of the fists. It was the exact amount of time Sheamus took to defeat Bryan in the opening match of WrestleMania XXVIII...for the World Heavyweight Championship. Although a heel at the time, Bryan was approaching the monstrous popularity he's now known for. He found himself somewhere between indie internet darling and bonafide mainstream star, and was shifting towards the latter with each excellent performance (of which there were many). Then, in what appeared to be a blatant example of deliberate de-pushing, WWE had Bryan lose his title to Sheamus in mere seconds. To rub salt in the wound, the Celtic Warrior attempted to steal Daniel's signature "yes!" chant on the following edition of Raw, only for the crowd to rebel in a major way. This bizarre mach - and the subsequent fan mutiny - is now remembered as the launchpad for Bryan's true rise to superstardom. We might not be able to look at the bout as anything other than a booking travesty, but at least it finally showed WWE how popular a worker they had on their hands.
