10 most emotional photos in WWE history

A quick Google search will enable you to gather a plethora of WWE photos. You can find snapshots of WrestleMania 1, or maybe you want a shot from the very first episode of RAW. Regardless, the amount of WWE related images you will come across is practically unlimited.

There is also a pretty significant number of tear-jerkers available with a few mouse clicks as well. These are the memorial photos, the retirement shots and the all around, downright emotionally charged shots. Some taken by professional photographers, while others were taken by a fan’s phone. These are the more intimate, raw pictures that were taken because of a fan's love for the industry, not because of a dream of a big payday. They are wrestling fans, in the purest form.

Throughout WWE's storied history, there have been a select number of candid, overly heartfelt moment's caught on camera that will never be forgotten. These are the ones we consider the most emotional photos in WWE history.

#10 "I’m sorry, I love you."

The most somber Sweet Chin Music of all time.

The year was 2008 and 'The Nature Boy' Ric Flair took his rightful place among the immortals, in the WWE Hall of Fame. During an episode of RAW, on February 25th, Flair made a challenge to Shawn Michaels, citing that if indeed he were to hang up the robes, he wanted to do so at the hand of The Heartbreak Kid.

Reluctantly, HBK accepted Flair's challenge and the dream match was set, on the biggest stage of them all, WrestleMania 24. During the match, it became painfully obvious that Michaels wanted no part of Flair’s demise.

In the closing moments of the match, as Shawn prepared to put Flair down with one final dose of Sweet Chin Music, in was similar to the scene of a person being forced to put a loved pet down. As Michaels began to tune up the band, if you will, you could visibly read his lips as he said to Flair, "I'm sorry....I love you," followed by a kick to the chin that ultimately ended a legacy.

#9 Michael Cole makes a devastating announcement

Regardless if you loved them or hated them, Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler were a constant fixture to Monday Night RAW for quite a few years. They would often play the heel/face roles off of one another with ease. On one particular September night, everything appeared to be business as usual, until suddenly, things got awkwardly quiet.

During an episode of RAW, live from Montreal on September 9, 2014, Lawler and Cole were calling a match between Team Hell No and The Prime Time Players. During this match, Lawler unexpectedly collapsed at the commentary booth. After a brief moment of dead air, Cole continued to call the contest, but it was obvious that something was wrong, bad wrong.

After a commercial break, Cole came on the screen, visibly shaken, with Lawler’s seat empty. In that moment, Cole announced that The King had gone down and had been taken to a local emergency room.

Throughout the night, Cole offered updates as they were fed through his headset. Despite suffering a life-threatening heart attack, Jerry would return to his throne on Monday, November 12th.

#8 R.I.P. Owen Hart

Owen was one of the most beloved stars of his era.

May 23, 1999, will be a day that will never be forgotten. It was the Over The Edge pay-per-view, in Kansas City, Missouri. During this event, The Godfather was set to take on Owen Hart's alternate persona, The Blue Blazer. As a part of his character, Owen was to make his entrance by rappelling down from the rafters, via some sort of harness device.

During his entrance, something went terribly wrong with the harness and Owen fell roughly 70 feet from above the ring. Medics and WWF doctors began working frantically to revive Owen, to no avail. Because of this accident, Owen Hart passed away from the fall.

The following night was an unbelievably difficult night for fans and Superstars alike. As the company attempted to proceed forward with Monday Night RAW, it was nearly impossible, for obvious reasons.

At the start of the show, you could see monsters such as Mark Henry, drowning in their own tears. The entire roster was heartbroken at the thought of such a beloved fellow performer having his life taken so soon.

#7 Daniel Bryan retires

Bryan proved to be more than a "B player".

From the moment he arrived in the WWE, Daniel Bryan was doubted, criticized and blatantly told he'd never make it in the world's top wrestling company. Little did his naysayers know, Bryan had an abundance of heart, courage, and skill, to make up for what he lacked in physical appearance and stature. Daniel Bryan entered the WWE battle-tested, having competed against the top talent all over the world. Now it was time for him to conquer the machine. It was his time to shine on the largest scale the industry had to offer.

Bryan had his share of hiccups along the way, but he never deviated from his course and he stuck to his original plan, of becoming the WWE World Champion. This was a plan he would see come to fruition and against all odds, Daniel Bryan did become the world champ and Daniel Bryan did become the top player in the game.

Unfortunately, injuries are a very real part of professional wrestling. These men and women do things to their bodies that most will never be able to comprehend. They do all of this for one sole reason, to give you and I, the common fan, the experience of a lifetime. This is something they do unselfishly, realizing the overwhelming chances of injury they put themselves in.

After a hiatus to recover, the day finally came when Bryan was forced to face his own mortality, as well as his reality and that reality was, it was time to walk away from a business that not only gave him everything, but he gave it everything in return. For Bryan, a person who was a true fighter in every sense of the term, it was a tough pill to swallow.

On February 8, 2016, Daniel Bryan made his way to the ring, in front of his hometown Seattle crowd and delivered a farewell speech that no one, including the speaker, wanted to hear. He spoke of his love for the business and his desire to keep moving forward. But he also spoke of the realness of the situation and how it was simply time for him to walk away.

Thankfully, Daniel Bryan was able to return to the ring after a gap of more than two years after being cleared by independent doctors outside WWE. Since his return, Bryan has had a fantastic run on SmackDown, winning the WWE Championship as well as the SmackDown Tag Team Championship (with Rowan) in the last two years.

#6 The streak ends

If I would've had one million dollars to bet on the outcome of one match at WrestleMania 30, it would've been the Taker vs. Lesnar bout and needless to say, I would've lost that million.

While there may have been a handful who predicted the Beast would conquer the streak, I think it's safe to say that a majority of fans figured The Undertaker's undefeated streak would remain intact until he retired. However, WWE powers that be had a different plan for that festive night.

Some say it was a last-minute decision, some say it was known for weeks and others, like myself, well, we just don't know and even if we did, it still doesn't take away the fact that on April 6, 2014, hell froze over, time stood still and the earth stopped spinning on its axis. At WrestleMania 30, in New Orleans, Brock Lesnar conquered The Undertaker's undefeated streak.

#5 Warrior’s final message

Warrior sent his Immortal energy into the WWE Universe one last time.

In the years following The Ultimate Warrior's departure from the then WWF, there was a lot of bad blood. For one reason or another, there was friction that simply could not be denied.

They say that time heals all wounds and while that may not necessarily be true in every instance, it would prove to be true with The Warrior and his relationship with WWE management. In 2014, Warrior took his rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame. Two nights later, the very night after WrestleMania, Warrior would step into the ring for what would be his final appearance and deliver the most passionate, sincere promo imaginable.

Warrior unexpectedly passed away the very next day, but just as he said, the true spirit of the Warrior will live in all of us, forever.

#4 Remembering Eddie

The pain was evident on the faces of the superstars.

On the November 14, 2005 episode of RAW, WWE honored the passing of a true legend, Eddie Guerrero. As Vince McMahon spoke about the person Eddie was and of how dearly he would be missed, there wasn't a dry eye in the building.

It was hard to watch as the cameras panned across the Superstars that were assembled along the entrance ramp. It was clear to see in each one's eyes, the pain and the amount of respect and adoration each person had for Eddie. It was a tragic circumstance that reminded us just how real their emotions were and how close of a bond each one shared.

To this day, Eddie Guerrero has left a lasting impression on past and current Superstars all over the world. He was one of those guys who truly loved performing for the fans and bringing joy to everyone's life he interacted with.

#3 NXT remembers Dusty Rhodes

Dusty is a huge part of why NXT is so successful.

Even if you're not a fan of the business, you know exactly who 'The American Dream' Dusty Rhodes is. Dusty was one of the most charismatic personas of all time. He was a people's wrestler and the people are exactly who he connected with. He had the ability to penetrate your soul and impart a healthy dose of love, which we all needed. Dusty was one of the first to make it crystal clear that he wrestled for the purpose of entertaining the masses and it's safe to say, he did an excellent job at that.

As we learned from Triple H, Dusty considered the NXT roster to be his "kids". He was not only a mentor to them, but he was a friend and in many cases, he was a father figure. For this reason, the loss of the Dream impacted NXT in a more profound way than anyone else.

On the June 17, 2015, edition of NXT on The WWE Network, Dusty's NXT kids gathered at the entrance ramp to bid farewell to not only an icon, but their friend.

#2 Remembering 9/11

September 11, 2001, is and always will be a somber day for Americans. In one morning, lives were changed, families were destroyed and a nation was under attack as terrorists orchestrated the worst tragedy ever to hit American soil. For one day, the entire world stopped.

In the days and weeks following 9/11, Americans struggled to regain some sense of normalcy. Sporting events were canceled, employers told staff to stay home, and television stations aired nothing but doom and gloom. We, as Americans, were in need of someone to step up and tell us it was okay to move forward. On September 13, 2001, Vince McMahon and the WWE would offer us just that.

As time seemed to stand still and people locked themselves in their homes, SmackDown went live from The Compaq Center in Houston. In front of capacity crowd, Vince let the world know that his company would not cower to the fear tactics of a select few and for at least this night, fans were allowed to resume their normal lives.

#1 Connor "The Crusher"

After winning the main event, Bryan headed straight for Connor.

You can say what you will about Vince, Stephanie, Triple H or anyone else associated with WWE, but if there's only one thing they ever got right, it's the way they interact with kids and children with terminal illnesses. By now, we are all familiar with Connor Michalek, the 8-year-old little boy who had brain and spinal cancer. Connor was a huge fan of WWE and an even bigger fan of Daniel Bryan.

After discovering his YouTube video where he expressed his desire to meet Daniel Bryan, Mr. McMahon immediately arranged for Connor and his family to attend Monday Night RAW in his hometown of Pittsburgh, where he also met his hero, Daniel Bryan.

Connor made an instant and lasting impression on all of the WWE Superstars, especially Bryan. In fact, Connor would create a special bond with former ring announcer Justin Roberts as well. Justin would become the go-to source when anyone wanted updates on Connor. Justin eventually informed Vince that Connor's health was deteriorating and that he would like to get him to WrestleMania 30, if possible. Of course, this was possible.

Following the main event, when Daniel Bryan became the undisputed champion, Bryan immediately rushed out of the ring, into the waiting arms of Connor. As the friends celebrated, Bryan looked at Conner and told him, "you helped me....thank you." It was an amazing moment that proved the boundaries of professional wrestling reach farther than just what we see inside the squared circle. Professional wrestling is oftentimes a mode of therapy, used to help others who simply need a little joy in their life.

R.I.P. Connor.