Daniel Bryan could not have asked for a better start to the month of April.
After spending fifteen years (10 in the independent circuit, five in the WWE) proving himself to the world and everyone he worked with and for, Daniel Bryan finally got his moment. All the hard work, training, blood, sweat and tears had finally paid off. On April 6th, Bryan opened the Wrestlemania XXX show with a victory over Triple H and then closed the show by defeating Randy Orton and Batista in the main event to become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. In a career defining moment of over-coming the odds, Daniel Bryan raised the most prestigious Championship in the company high above his head as the WWE’s biggest event of the year came to an end.
Five days later, Bryan tied the knot with his fiancee Brie Bella. The two had been in a relationship for nearly three years and their relationship had gone public thanks in part to the WWE’s reality show on the E! Network, Total Divas. The marriage and the relationship for the most part has been included in Bryan’s recent WWE storyline but the entire series of events between he and Brie is real, not storyline.
On top of the world, both the WWE Universe and the real world, Bryan’s first two weeks of the month of April were likely the best times of his life. Sadly, as high as Bryan had felt during that stretch, the bad reared it’s ugly head. The next two weeks would be the worst of times.
On April 21st, earlier that day before Monday Night Raw, the WWE announced the passing of Buddy Danielson, Bryan’s father. The death had come unexpectedly and Bryan was only made aware of the news after his honeymoon with Brie. Despite the tragic circumstances, Bryan insisted on performing that night and opened the show with a moving entrance. What happened next was something that can only be described in one word; Real. Tears filled in his eyes, Bryan looked up to the skies and muttered the words “Thank you,” before embracing the crowd with Yes chants in his usual manner to open up the April 21st edition of Raw. While he had no chance to speak to the crowd, thanks to an early interruption by Stephanie McMahon, he and his wife Brie partook in the advancement of a new storyline between he and his former Tag Team partner Kane. It was later revealed that after his segment was finished, Bryan had left the arena to go back home.
The bad news piled on. Later that same week, news broke that Connor Michaelek had sadly passed away, losing his battle against a rare form of brain cancer. For those who don’t recognize the name, Connor is the child that took part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation and requested to meet his favorite superstar, Daniel Bryan. It was in that moment that Connor would be forever remembered. Telling Kane and Bryan that his wrestling name was “Stone Crusher”, Connor would get the chance to lock Bryan into his own move, The Yes Lock, and make his wrestling idol tap out.
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The two would meet again a few more times. In October of 2013, Bryan and Connor would be reunited in a moment that would tug away at heart strings. Connor would be on hand that evening to watch Bryan win the main event of that episode of Raw and following the show’s end, Bryan would walk up to Connor and his mother and have a conversation with him before heading to the back. Connor was also in attendance at Wrestlemania XXX, getting a front-row seat to watch Bryan become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Since the news of Bryan’s father and Connor’s passing, Brie Bella has issued a statement to the WWE Universe via her Instagram account:
“I want to thank everyone for all their love and support through this difficult time. You have no idea how much it means to us. Heaven gained two beautiful angels this week, Buddy and Connor. They will forever touch our hearts. It’s hard to find a rainbow in the midst of a storm but when you do you realize it’s all going to be ok. We found that rainbow today. It’s not goodbye, but til we meet again. Love to you all and thank you again. #BuddyDanielson #ConnorMichalek #TilWeMeetAgain #thankyou”
At this time, we at LastWordOnSports.com would like to offer our deepest condolences to the families of Bryan Danielson and Connor Michaelek, as well as their friends any anyone else they may have touched in their lifetimes.
Photo via WWE.com
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