7 Moments That Will Define Daniel Bryan's WWE Career
2. Royal Rumble 2014
Ironically, one of the most important moments in Daniel Bryan's WWE career would happen without any involvement from the man himself. In fact, that was the point.
Earlier in the night, Bryan had come up short against Bray Wyatt in an absolute belter of a match. It was the opening match of the night, and many expected Bryan to return in the Royal Rumble match itself. Throughout the match, the crowd chanted for Bryan and Bryan alone, whether it was by name or through the now omnipresent 'YES!' chant.
It all came down to number 30, and it just had to be Bryan. The clock ticked down, the buzzer went off and poor old Rey Mysterio was unveiled. Never in my life have I seen a WWE crowd turn on a match so quickly.
As it boiled down to Roman Reigns and Batista, the crowd's disinterest in the two performers could be felt worldwide. Boos (not boo-urns) rang around the arena, and the WWE Universe made it clear as day that the man they wanted to see in this position wasn't the returning hero Batista or the new golden boy Reigns.
The man they wanted to see was a short, bearded hippy dude called Daniel Bryan.