Daniel Bryan is without a doubt one of my all time favorite wrestlers that has ever wrestled in the WWE. He was so great in my eyes and meant so much to me, that when he announced his retirement back on February 8, 2016, it really affected me and so many other people. Even though I didn't actually know him, it was hard to watch him come out that night in-front of his hometown and in front of the entire WWE Universe and give his final speech because of the fact he had left such a huge impact on me. How did this one man leave such a huge impact on me? That's what I plan to share with everyone.

I started watching WWE back when it was considered WWF and back when they were in their Attitude Era. The reason I watched wasn't because of the fact that it was a lot more violent than it is today but because of the fact it was something that I was able to do with my Dad. Every Monday night we would sit down and watch Raw together and cheer on our favorite wrestlers like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and many more. When my Dad and my Mom split up, I stopped watching because I had no one to watch it with anymore and I just felt like it wasn't the same without him. For the longest time, I never thought I would get back into wrestling.

Back in January of 2014, my Girlfriend told me she was going to go home and watch the WWE Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View and I asked her if I could go with her and watch it with her family to try it out again and see if I liked it. When the Pay-Per-View started, I remember seeing Wrestlers come out that I remembered watching as a kid like Big Show, Kane, Triple H, and even Brock Lesnar. It was cool to see these Wrestlers once again but I didn't feel the excitement I had felt when I watched with my Dad as a kid.

Then, one match changed all of that for me. The match was just a normal singles match between two Wrestlers I had never watched or heard of in my entire life: Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt. These two went all out in the ring and had an amazing match! However, the Wrestler that impressed me the most was Daniel Bryan. He may not have been the biggest guy I had ever seen wrestle in the ring, but he had shown me that he had a lot of skill in the ring. This one man proved to me that he put his best in that match and that he loved what he was doing in the ring. I grew to love watching him fight in the ring.

From that point on, I would watch every Raw and Smackdown just so I could watch Daniel Bryan. I constantly cheered him on no matter who he was up against. This one man changed the way I looked at the WWE Universe and Wrestling all together. He was the type of guy that on first impression, most people would have believed that he wouldn't be that great of a wrestler and he wouldn't go anywhere in the business and a lot of people actually thought that about him because of how small he was compared to others. Daniel Bryan kept pushing himself so he could prove everyone wrong and he did just that.

At the next Pay-Per-View, Elimination Chamber in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Daniel Bryan was in the Main Event against five other competitors (John Cena, Sheamus, Christian, Cesaro, and the champion at the time, Randy Orton) to see who would become the new champion and who would face Batista (the Royal Rumble winner) at the biggest stage of them all, WrestleMania. At the end of the match, it came down to Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton. I was so excited, I stood up and started doing the Yes chant with the entire crowd in hopes that Daniel Bryan would win. Unfortunately, Kane came out to distract Daniel Bryan, which helped Randy Orton get the best of Daniel Bryan and end up pinning him for the win and also the right to headline WrestleMania. I was so mad that Daniel Bryan lost, I actually through a fit, which I had only ever done when The Rock lost back when I would watch with my Dad.

The next weeks leading up to WrestleMania, all I wanted to do was see Daniel Bryan get justice and get his right to fight in the main event at WrestleMania. What took place was a confrontation with Triple H, a challenge excepted by Triple H to fight at WrestleMania with the winner fighting in the main event for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, Daniel Bryan getting assaulted by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, and Daniel Bryan returning to attack Triple H and letting him know he is ready for their match at WrestleMania. All of that stuff happened right before the biggest WWE show of them all and I cheered him on the entire time.

Then the big day had finally come; WrestleMania 30! All I wanted to do was see Daniel Bryan come out and beat Triple H and then go to the main event and win the Championship and prove to everyone that he was a great wrestler and had the skill that Triple H and so many others told him that he didn't have. The first fight in the main show started right off with Triple H v. Daniel Bryan and instantly I tensed up knowing that I would be upset if Daniel Bryan lost, but I never lost faith. The match was only about 20 minutes long, but it felt like forever. Every time I thought Daniel Bryan was about to pin Triple H, I was so excited I was already out of my seat ready to cheer. Every time I thought Triple H was about to pin Daniel Bryan, I instantly tensed up. When Daniel Bryan finally pinned Triple H, I was so excited, I felt like I was at WrestleMania with the crowd, cheering him on. Daniel Bryan then went on to the main event and won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and I was so excited for not only me, but for him. I was just extremely excited to see him win the Championship and I felt like I was there cheering him on right by his side the entire time, which I had never felt before in my entire life of watching WWE.

How does this story tell how Daniel Bryan and the Yes Movement Affected me? The reason he affected me was many different reasons. For one, he showed me that if you try really hard, you can actually do anything you want. He also showed me that you can prove to the world that you can do something that others think are impossible for you. However, the main thing he did for me was he gave me my love for the WWE again and also gave me something that I could enjoy with my Girlfriend. For the longest time, I never thought I would love wrestling ever again just because of the fact my Dad had left me and it wasn't the same to me if I wasn't watching with my Dad. However, one man made me realize that I could love watching WWE again. He was so much fun to watch in the ring and to me he was a true inspiration. Daniel Bryan not only gave me my love for WWE again and something to enjoy watching with my Girlfriend, he also showed me that if you work hard, you can accomplish just about anything. Even though Daniel Bryan has officially retired from inside the ring wrestling, he will still be a man that I look up to and one of my all time favorite Wrestlers. I thank Daniel Bryan for everything that he has done for me and the entire WWE Universe and also everything he has shown me.