Give Gratitude Back To Daniel Bryan
What we saw on Monday night was a prime example of someone loving what he does. Someone who put in more than forty hours a week, more than 2,500 hours a year and more than 16 years of his life and had to call it quits. Daniel Bryan spoke to his fans across the world about his health and opened up about retiring from professional wrestling. What many hoped was a storyline was nothing but real life. Yes, a predetermined sport was real on Monday night.
When I talk to people about professional wrestling, you always get the same two stories. You have one who does not understand it because the outcome is predetermined. With this argument, I reference any television show or any movie. The outcome is predetermined there, right? They “act,” right? They entertain and make people escape reality for 30 minutes or 3 hours. The same can be said for professional wrestlers. They own their craft. They love what they do. Ask doctors, movie stars or any other profession with someone who loves his job. The reasoning is always similar; people want to make a difference and want to be successful. Whether it be curing a disease or giving inspiration to someone battling that disease, there are many similarities in different professional worlds we live in.
The other story is fans who are too invested in the product to the point they do not understand that professional wrestlers are real people outside of the ring. This rang true again on Monday when EVERYONE wanted this to be a storyline. Twitter blew up with many fans asking me if it is a work. I had a very tiny thought that maybe, just maybe it was, but 95 percent of me knew this was the end for Daniel Bryan. I wanted Daniel Bryan to retire. The guy has done so much for fans, for himself and for his family. When WWE did not clear him and reports came out about his personal doctor clearing him, many became confused. There will always be second and third opinions from professionals who know about concussions and other head/neck related injuries. There is not ONE correct answer.
My thoughts on Daniel Bryan are simple. Daniel Bryan made a difference in a profession that saw so many predictable and many generic characters. He was a different character than what we were accustomed to. His moment in the spotlight may go down as one of the most organic and natural storylines that a fake sport can ever produce. He gave opportunities for guys like Finn Balor, Seth Rollins, Sami Zayn and others to be viewed as just more than “mid-card” or “cruiserweights.” Everyone understands why he is walking away… hopefully. So, instead of chanting “One More Match” when he makes an appearance, we should let him ride off into the sunset and enjoy the fact that he is going to have a new life. He showed gratitude and now is time for us to do the same.
@JoshIsenberg4 on Twitter.
