Daniel Bryan Retires from WWE in Triumph, Not Heartbreak

The shocking announcement from Daniel Bryan on Monday afternoon, via his official Twitter account, took the wrestling world by surprise and left fans reminiscing about the talented performer's greatest matches, moments and future in the industry.

What appears to be a tragic turn of events, a career cut short before it had the opportunity to reach its full potential, is actually the culmination of one of sports-entertainment's greatest triumphs.

Daniel Bryan never should have succeeded in the traveling circus that is Vince McMahon's WWE. He was small, had the look of someone you would find working as a barista at Starbucks or as a tech geek at the Apple Store, and he was a bona fide Internet darling at a time when the CEO of the company was more concerned with building his own stars from scratch than giving into the underground.

He was a wrestler's wrestler, someone who understood the intricacies of a great match. He knew what move should follow its predecessor, understood which spot to put where to elicit the desired reaction.

He knew when to turn on the intensity and when to let the natural emotion of the audience carry the bout. Bryan was as cerebral a performer as there was, and McMahon loved larger-than-life personas that he could market in coloring books and on magazine covers.

But in 2010, Bryan found his way to the biggest company in the sport as part of the first season of WWE NXT. Despite every attempt by management to verbally dress him down through mouthpiece The Miz and every ridiculous task put before him, he emerged unscathed. Even being fired for three months did not faze the Aberdeen, Washington, native.

Though he experienced almost constant frustration during his first year with the company, something he discussed in the 2014 WWE Network presentation Daniel Bryan: Road to WrestleMania, he remained focused, and in 2011, he captured Money in the Bank. From there, he cashed it in and became world heavyweight champion despite being told by critics, peers and employers alike that he was too small to make it in the industry.

And despite his status as a heel, he basked in the adulation of fans who appreciated him and his performances between the ropes. With chants of "Yes!" greeting him in arenas, it was only a matter of time before he made the switch to babyface.

A tag team with Kane helped him prove himself as a performer capable of mixing comedy into his act when the situation called for it, thus endearing himself to an audience much large than the work rate fans that packed high school gyms to watch indy promotions.

By the time the summer of 2013 arrived, Bryan was the hottest wrestler on the planet and was rewarded with a huge SummerSlam main event against John Cena for the WWE Championship. Not only did he fell the franchise star, he did so cleanly, an honor not bestowed upon everyone.

His title reign was cut short by the newly introduced Authority, who prevented Bryan from regaining the title on numerous occasions throughout the fall. And suddenly, before our hero had the chance to overcome the odds and stand tall, his championship raised high overhead, he was shuffled into the background.

Until that connection he had formed with fans years earlier while working for Ring of Honor reared its head. Fans hijacked many an episode of Raw and even booed the returning Batista out of the building because they recognized he would be swooping in to steal Bryan's spot on the card.

By the time the march to WrestleMania was underway, there was no option left to WWE but to acknowledge those cheers and continue the story of Bryan, leading to one of the greatest single-night stories ever told by the sports-entertainment empire.

Bryan defeated Triple H in the opening contest of the Showcase of the Immortals then went on to defeat Batista and Randy Orton in a Triple Threat match to emerge from the biggest event of the year with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

Confetti fell, and thousands of pounds of pyrotechnics exploded from the stage. Bryan had lived his dream, and the fans who had supported him for the duration of his career to that point cheered him on, the power they had over the pro wrestling product put out by McMahon and Co. reaffirmed.

Unfortunately, years of gritty performances and tenacious showings had taken their toll on Bryan, who was sidelined with a serious neck injury, forced to hand over the title before enjoying a legitimate run with it. He would return, but concussions landed him back on the sidelines.

Those same concussions and the same ground-and-pound his body has endured over the years now force Bryan into premature retirement.

He retires as one of the most decorated stars of his generation but, more importantly, one of the most beloved wrestlers to ever lace a pair of boots.

Championships and Achievements in WWE
WWE World Heavyweight champion (3)
WWE Intercontinental champion
WWE United States champion
WWE Tag Team champion
2011 SmackDown Money in the Bank winner
Triple Crown winner
Grand Slam winner
Slammy Award winner (12)

His journey in the land of McMahon is not, nor should it be, considered one that ended in heartbreak. He achieved things no one his size ever could have imagined. Though it may be cliche, Bryan proved it is not the size of the dog in the fight but rather the fight in the dog. He succeeded despite his size, despite the lack of faith management had in him at first.

He succeeded because of the belief the people had in him, and he rewarded that faith with memorable matches, moments and even hysterically funny vignettes.

It may be hard to wave goodbye to the bearded wonder, to wish him well on his future endeavors and to get over the fact that WWE fans may never see him step inside a squared circle to trap a corrupt villain in the "Yes!" Lock again.

But don't shed tears, don't worry about what may have been.

Focus on the good times, revisit the classics, and remember this: We will always have WrestleMania XXX.