For years, one word was synonymous with Bryan Danielson, 'YES.' First introduced during Bryan's slow heel turn in late 2011 and early 2012, the monosyballic chant would become a staple for the remainder of Bryan's career both in and out of WWE.
Bryan isn't the first wrestler to use a one-word chant, and 'YES' has often been compared to Stone Cold's 'What?' Speaking to Nick Stav, Bryan argued that Austin's chant would do damage to the efforts of those in the ring.
It's not like What. The What thing was really hard [to deal with.] Still hard to this day when a crowd really starts doing it. Somebody's out there doing an interview and they're trying to do their thing, but the crowd keeps interjecting at any pause.... I don't feel like the Yes is like that. People do it when they're excited about something.
The crowd were certainly screaming 'YES' at AEW All In: London 2024, where Bryan captured the AEW World Championship, his first title in over five years. When asked about his favorite crowd, those in Wembley immediately came to mind.
This amazing crowd reaction in front of 50 plus thousand people but my kids are there and they get to see it and then they get to get in the ring with me and then they get to experience the crowd reaction and so as a family we're all experiencing this together.
Starting this week, Bryan will serve as an AEW commentator as questions continue to loom about his in-ring future. While the American Dragon will be on the sidelines moving forward, don't be surprised if there's a YES! chant from rabid crowds, a testament to the support of Bryan Danielson.
