WWE: 5 feel good wrestling matches to watch on Christmas
Daniel Bryan vs. Batista vs. Randy Orton – WrestleMania XXX
Daniel Bryan was very similar to Eddie Guerrero in that it did not fit the image for what WWE usually went for when it came to picking out their ideal main eventer; their guy. Although, in Bryan’s case, his disadvantages as a performer under their radar were used for the sake of storyline purposes.
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon and his fellow co-workers/family members Stephanie McMahon and Triple H (dubbed collectively at the time as The Authority) openly criticized Bryan on television as a “B+ Player” because he was too small to be a main eventer.
The more that The Authority pushed this narrative, the more it endeared The Yes! Man to the WWE Universe. Again, like Eddie, Bryan’s connection to the fans could not be denied any longer and he was catapulted into the main evented of WrestleMania XXX.
Eight months worth of storyline culminated in that triple threat match. The Authority pulled out all the stops – including re-introducing their crooked referee that already screwed Bryan at Night of Champions – to ensure Bryan would not become WWE Champion. His opponents even went as far as to single Bryan out and take him out early.
But in the role as the ultimate underdog, Bryan mastered a Miracle on Bourbon Street.
If Bryan raising the two titles above his head in victory doesn’t warm your heart, then his in-ring celebration with Connor “The Crusher” Michalek (a now late Make A Wish child who personally touched the WWE locker room enough to inspire Connor’s Cure) is what’ll bring a tear to your eye.