10 WWE Events Out Of Daniel Bryan's Control That Made His Career
5. 18 Seconds
When Bryan and Sheamus found out that their World Championship match at Wrestlemania 28 was only going to go less than a minute, because Vince McMahon wanted Bryan to lose the championship in record time, both Bryan and Sheamus were extremely frustrated. After all, a year prior, they were both bumped off Wrestlemania into the pre-show. Both Bryan and Sheamus knew that if they were given enough time, they could have torn the house down. Bryan and Sheamus eventually had the match they wanted to have the next month at Extreme Rules, in an excellent 2-out-of-3 falls match. But it can be argued that Bryans 18-second loss did more to help his career than a hard-fought, drawn-out loss could. The fact that Bryan lost the match in 18 seconds actually had a reverse effect than Vince and creative intended. The crowd rallied behind Bryan, realizing how he was legitimately screwed by WWE management for not having a real match at Wrestlemania. This was the early foundation of what would become the Yes Movement. The original plan for Bryan after the 18-second loss was to slowly lose his mind and develop an anarchist character. Bryan had special gear made for this new character, which was obviously scrapped due to the fan response to his loss. Bryan used this gear only once, against CM Punk at Money in the Bank 2012. Vince McMahon was actually upset at Bryan for wearing the gear, especially the green jacket, and ordered Bryan (through a stagehand at ringside) to take the jacket off during Punks entrance.
