WWE history: Daniel Bryan makes emotional entrance in memory of his deceased father

Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan

The Backstory

WrestleMania 30 was built around one man's dream to overcome the obstacles that his evil bosses had put in front of him, and win the big one in the process. Daniel Bryan faced Triple H in the opening match of the night, as a packed stadium chanted "Yes! Yes! Yes!" with him as he made his way to the ring.

After defeating The Game in an instant classic, Bryan bagged the chance to be featured in the final match of the night, now a Triple Threat Match for the WWE World title. Bryan won the belt by tapping out Batista to one of the biggest ovations of all time. Over 70,000 fans cheered for the underdog as he celebrated the legendary win with his family.

On April 21, news broke out that Bryan's father had passed away. Bryan insisted on performing on Raw that night, despite his emotions running at an all-time high.

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Bryan's emotional entrance

The episode kicked off with Bryan's music hitting and the WWE World Champion appearing on the ramp. It was clear as day here that he was an emotional mess inside and was deeply affected by his father's passing. He did his signature "Yes" move repeatedly while looking up. Bryan stopped for a while in front of the ring, looked up again and said "Thank you", and proceeded to get in the ring, where his wife Brie Bella was waiting for him. The duo went on to do the "Yes" chant, along with the thousands of fans in attendance. The couple then embraced in the ring.

The aftermath

Unfortunately, Bryan's real-life injury forced WWE to strip him of the WWE title soon after. Although he returned soon, injuries caught up with him again and Bryan announced his retirement from WWE in 2015.

Thankfully, Bryan was cleared to compete again in 2018. He went on to have another incredible run as WWE Champion, this time as a heel.