Dr. Shelby had it absolutely right. The best way to remember the instantly legendary career of Daniel Bryan is to remember the high points instead of dwelling on the low. I don’t have my stress balls nearby for a good squeeze, but the outpouring of love and support he’s been getting from across the world is just as wonderful a remedy. One of the sources of encouragement has been Dave Meltzer and company over at the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. A well-trusted name in wrestling journalism for years, the Observer dropped some wonderful news in their most recent edition.
“…in response to so many requests, the Best Technical Wrestler award, which Bryan Danielson won every year from 2005 to 2013, will be named from this point forward, the Bryan Danielson Award.”
If you’re an Observer subscriber, Meltzer also wrote a long-form retrospective on Bryan’s career that is 100% worth your time. So yeah, how cool is this? First of all, if I can take a somewhat selfish moment here, I called this back in 2014, but it’s about as much of a layup as predicting that the sun will set tonight.
“I would have loved to see Daniel Bryan take home Best Technical Wrestler for AN ENTIRE DECADE, but that’s hard to do if you’re inactive since May. They’ll probably end up naming the award after him in the long run, anyway.”
Total gimme, I know. More importantly, this is an incredibly well-deserved gesture. In the post-Benoit world, Bryan has been the patron saint of technical wrestling. The fluidity of his counters and submissions was nothing short of artistry. Go back to any of his matches and pick out his attention to detail. As a huge mark for small joint manipulation in pro wrestling, Bryan circa 2006 made my brain light up like a pinball machine, and that influence is still being felt today. Never forget, Bayley kicked Sasha Banks out of NXT with a damn fingerlock.
