Genre: Drama/Sports
Director: Jonathan Levine
Writers: Giovanni Garcia & Chad Taylor
Cast: Mark Webber, Keira Knightley, Tommy Lee Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Naomie Harris, Patrick J. Adams, Troian Bellisario, Vincent D'Onofrio, Sam Waterston
Plot: Act I: 2009
On the outside, Bryan Danielson (Mark Webber) is a normal guy, for the most part. His non-threatening look, average height, and introverted personality does not exactly scream professional wrestler. But looks can be deceiving as Bryan has spent most of the years of his adult life in the prime of his life traveling all over the world picking up various wrestling styles and pushing his body beyond their natural limits to be the best version of himself as an athlete. In his farewell match for the independent wrestling scene, his love for the industry (combined with his natural talent and hard work ethic) has made him a beloved fan favorite among the hardcore wrestling faithful as they cheer him on during the match. Danielson ends up losing the match, like most people do on their way out, but is none the less showered with love and praise from the fans as they start chanting his name. The wrestlers in the back come out to congratulate Bryan, putting him on their shoulders as the crowd chants his name. A talent scout from World Wrestling Entertainment, the biggest wrestling promotion in the world, is in attendance and appears to be impressed with what he sees. Having recently performed at a tryout for the WWE, he recognizes the scout in the crowd but chooses to bask in the moment and is brought to tears by the adoration he is receiving.
Before receiving any callback from the WWE, Bryan visits his family's home in Washington. His supportive father, Buddy Danielson (Vincent D'Onofrio), is happy that his son is following his dreams but is unsure if his wrestling career is sustainable. He just doesn't get the appeal of it. He worries about the long term damage that his son is putting on his body by wrestling and tries to convince him to come join him in the lumber industry, where he can actually contribute something to the world. Knowing his dad is a sports fan, he gives his dad an analogy he can understand: as an independent wrestler, he has spent the last ten years of his life working hard in the minor leagues. If he makes it to WWE, he'll finally make it to the big leagues. And that's a chance to prove to himself that he's made it. Buddy tells him that he thinks his son has already made it. Bryan gives him a hug but says that no one remembers the all-time leader in home runs in the minors. That night, as his family cooks dinner, Bryan gets the call from WWE and is told that they liked what they saw and that they are offering him a contract. His father gives him a warm hug and tells him that the offer is still on the table. While still embracing, he asks his son if there's any updates on the ladies front and Bryan laughs and tells him "No, dad". Buddy absolves himself for asking and says he's just hoping to be a grandpa some day soon. He's been waiting a while!
In Stamford, Connecticut, Bryan arrives with wide eyes. The rest of the people in his rookie class are either bodybuilders, gymnasts, or much younger than him. On one hand, this makes him feel isolated but he also feels comfortable being the only mat technician in the group. While getting the tour of headquarters, the class gets to meet the chairman of WWE, Vince McMahon (Tommy Lee Jones). Vince is stern and shakes everyone's hand firmly. When he gets to Bryan, he seems unimpressed by his look but is impressed that Bryan shakes his hand just as firmly back.
Bryan, along with the rest of his rookie class, are placed in a developmental show where each rookie is paired up with an established member of the roster on television. The goal of the show is for the rookie to gain experience being in a televised setting and working with wrestlers used to the WWE system. Bryan is paired up with one of WWE's top stars, Mike Mizanin (Patrick J. Adams), made to be Bryan's on-screen "mentor" and is the opposite of Bryan in every way: good looks, little wrestling training, cocky, etc. One of the fellow rookies tells Bryan good luck as Miz is an attention whore, as he was on MTV's The Real World before starting wrestling. In reality, even though both men are not the other's idea of what they think of when they think of "professional wrestler", Miz focusing on acting and entertainment while Bryan is more in ring based and technical - meaning they both have a lot to learn from each other. In their initial training, Miz continuously hazes Bryan in order to establish his seniority, simply because he is a WWE guy. Bryan is pulled aside and told that they are giving him a new name as "Bryan Danielson" just doesn't sound like a wrestler. He is defiant and says that that is his family name but the company is insistent that this is no-win battle for him. They give him a list of stage name to use and he picks "Daniel Bryan", an inversion of his real name.
As a part of his next angle, Bryan is told that him and The Miz are going to be put on a double date with The Bella Twins, Nikki (Troian Bellisario) and Brie (Keira Knightley), two models who are only a few years into their wrestling career. This makes Bryan nervous, not because of the girls but because being on camera is not his strong suit. He's a wrestler but not necessarily an entertainer. In the live shoot, Bryan becomes tongue-tied and stumbles on his words, forcing Mike to cover for him. Afterwards, Mike chides him for his mistakes but Brie, the quieter of the two twins, pulls him aside and tells him not to worry about it. She pulls out her phone and shows him a clip of her promo, just as bad, especially when compared to her more photogenic twin sister. He admits that this helps as he is really self-conscious when on camera, which is the opposite of how he feels in the ring. She tells the dirty little secret about WWE is that everyone feels that way on camera. She walks away before turning back and asking for his name again. He tells her Bryan and she shakes his hand, introducing herself as Brianna.
Bryan is assigned his first televised match, a tag team one with The Miz as his partner versus another rookie and their mentor. As opposed to the talking segments, Bryan thrives in the ring and runs circles around Mike, frustrating him despite them being teammates. Despite not knowing who he is (which is taking some getting used to for Bryan), the crowd starts to get behind him because of his inherent underdog capabilities. After the match, they exit the curtain and Miz tells Bryan he must admit that he was good out there. To Bryan's surprise, Vince McMahon pulls him aside and Bryan is scared for a moment. Vince says he just wanted to congratulate Bryan as he really stood out out there and to keep up the good work. Heading towards the locker room, Bryan is buzzing.
Act II: 2013
That buzz is all but gone. Bryan's career has kind of plateaued at this point, three years in. He finds himself frustrated with his position in WWE as he's no longer the upcoming rookie but he continually is pushed aside and denied a chance to prove himself in a prominent way in favor of returning movie stars and mixed martial artists. He calls his dad and tells him that he is considering quitting but, to Bryan's surprise, Buddy tells him not to do that. He says Bryan has gone too far to just give up on his dream, even if it isn't the dream that Buddy himself had for his son. It warms Bryan's heart to hear this and he says he'll stick to it, at least until the remainder of his contract. "Plus, you'll be pleased to know...there's this girl..." "OH?" Bryan encounters Brie backstage at show. They clearly have gotten to know each other better over the years but he is hesitant to make a move. Instead, he provides her with some pointers on wrestling technique, as he has begun to do over the last few months. She is appreciative but there is a hint that she wants something more.
Backstage, Brianna watches as Bryan performs in the ring. He is more comfortable with doing the entertainment bits of wrestling than he was before. As a part of his act, he has a ring valet, who he kisses before his match. Watching this makes Brie feel a certain way and she goes to talk with her sister about it. Nicole points out that it sounds like Brie clearly likes him and she should totally ask him out after the match. Brie isn't sure but Nicole says she thinks the two would be a good match. In the ring, the crowd is clearly behind Bryan, even if his push does not align. He has incorporated a new part of his act where he chants "yes!' and it has definitely caught on with the fans. After his match, a sweaty Bryan arrives backstage and is met by Brie asking him out on a date. He is blindsided by this and at a loss for words, even if he knows what the answer clearly is. She quietly does his "yes!" gesture as she bites her lip and asks him for his answer and he finally says of course.
On their date, Bryan takes her to a nearby national park as both are very into nature. As they walk and take it all in, they talk about how they are both amateur gardeners and start to realize that a lot of their interests line up. He admits that when he first saw her, he assumed she was just the model-type. She asks what that means and he says someone who looks really good but with a vanilla personality. Faux-offended, Brie asks how he would describe himself and he says not good looking with a vanilla personality. They both laugh. He then starts to talk about wrestling and how he doesn't feel like his love for it is being fulfilled but she shuts down this talk. She says no wrestling talk while they're not on the job and Bryan says he will try his hardest to commit to that (but it will be tough).
On the drive home in the rain, he reaches Brie's house and is ready to drop her off. She stalls before she gets out but Bryan is rambling about his favorite types of food to grow and she finally leaves. As he drives away, Bryan realizes that she was waiting for him to kiss him so he turns the car around and parks it in front of her house. On her doorstep, Brie hears the car stop as Bryan gets out and runs up to her and kisses her. She asks how long it took for him to realize that's what she was waiting for and he says about two seconds.
Even though Bryan is not booked in a top spot, his organic fan support builds up over the coming months with the fans loving Bryan more than ever before - even bigger than when he was on the independent scene - and are demanding that he be in a bigger role. Brie notices this and encourages him to ask Vince for a bigger role but Bryan is humble and says he is willing to earn it the hard way. This disappoints her.
WWE comes to Bryan's hometown and he encourages his family to come. However, when he gets to the arena, he finds out that he is not booked and is pissed. This time, he does confront Vince, who defends his actions as saying that there is just not a place in the story for him at the moment. He peers out the curtain at the main event between two of the company's biggest stars - John Cena and Randy Orton - who look much more like the ideal wrestler than Bryan. He sees his family in the front row and can tell they will be disappointed that their son is not wrestling. And then it it begins: the Washington crowd as a whole realizes that Daniel will not be on the show and start a massive "Yes!" chant to show their support. Bryan is slightly embarrassed by this as the wrestlers in the ring come to a complete stop. But then Bryan can't help himself but to look to Vince and shrug his shoulders with a smile. In the front row, Buddy sees that the people love his son and has the biggest proudest smile on his face. After the show, Daniel introduces Brie to his family. Buddy excitedly tells him that people were coming up to him asking for his autograph and he was signing it "Buddy Danielson, Daniel Bryan's Dad". This brings Bryan to tears.
At the next show, McMahon pulls Bryan aside and says that he has become an unsolvable problem. No matter what they do, the fans won't stop chanting his name. He's never seen anything like it in his fifty years in this business. He says that it's not like he hasn't seen the work Bryan has put in day-in-and-day-out over the last four years. He'll admit: while Bryan is not his ideal image of a wrestler, but in business, the customer is always right. And so he is changing his plans and putting Bryan in the main event of Wrestlemania against Orton and Dave Bautista. Bryan is clearly elated but pauses for Vince to finish. Where Bryan will win the world title in the SuperDome. Bryan lets out a sigh of relief and tells Vince that he doesn't know how much this means to him.
On his way home, Bryan calls his family and tells them to book tickets to New Orleans for a few months time. And then flights to Arizona a few days after that, as he has got something else planned. He takes Brianna out on a hiking trip to the same park they visited on their first date. While reaching the highest point and looking out over the ocean, Bryan tells her how long it has been has been since they met, to the exact day. He then says that he wants to spend many more than that and gets down on one knee. She is a bit stunned at first but then quietly does the "Yes!" chant just as she had done before their first date.
Act III: 2014
The stage is set for Wrestlemania 30 in New Orleans, the biggest pay-per-view event that WWE puts on in its calendar year and an event that transcends wrestling into mainstream attention, if only for one night. Against all odds, the fan support propels Bryan all the way into the main event of Wrestlemania, for the top prize in WWE - the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. This is a spot that so many wrestlers kill for and that he himself never thought that he would reach just a year prior. Fully aware that he is in for the biggest night of his life, Bryan is excited but very nervous. After some words of encouragement and reassurance from his fiancee, Bryan runs into the man who trained him: beloved wrestler Shawn Michaels (Aaron Eckhart), who was a top star for WWE in the 1990s. Shawn tells him he remembers their training sessions 15 years before and how Bryan had a drive like no other. Sensing nerves, he tells Bryan to just relax, enjoy the moment and steal the show. Bryan psychs himself up and heads towards the entrance ramp. While making his entrance, Bryan is an awe of the 70,000+ people chanting "Yes!" along with him as he makes his way to the ring. Knowing that he is going to win, Bryan is eagerly anticipating the moment when the crowd will explode in cheers. However, at one point Bryan is dropped on his head at an odd angle and is almost concussed but he still powers through and finishes the match. He wins and the place goes into hysterics. Exhausted and banged up, Bryan still celebrates with the crowd and even brings a cancer stricken fan who he met during the weekend to celebrate with him in the ring.
Bryan and Brie's marriage is only days later - capping off the absolute best this best week of Bryan's life. Nicole tells Bryan that he is going to be a welcome addition to their family while Bryan's family tells Brie the same. While Brie and Buddy are talking, he mentions having always wanted be a grandpa and Bryan says it's true - he's been hearing this spiel for years now. He gives his dad a hug as Buddy talks about how proud he is, even if he isn't a lumberjack like his old man.
The newlyweds go on their honeymoon to Hawaii. It may not have been the most straightforward path but this is where he dreamed he be on that day he went to the tryout for WWE. No, that's where he dreamed he be one the day he went to the first day of training in Shawn's school. And then his phone rings. A distraught Bryan breaks down crying while comforted by Brie. He says that he doesn't even know how to say this: his dad has passed away unexpectedly. When they return home, they attend Buddy's funeral.
To make matters worse, the injuries he has sustained throughout his career - plus the bump that he took on his head during Wrestlemania - have worsened. A mere month into his reign as WWE's top star, he is told that he is no longer cleared to compete and he must sit the summer out. While taking time off from WWE he visits Dr. Joseph Maroon (Sam Waterson), WWE's resident neurosurgeon, who tells Bryan that scans show something much more dire: his brain injuries are bad enough that we will need to retire from professional wrestling. With a lot mind after the death of his father, Bryan's ears are ringing and he refuses to accept what Maroon tells him. He says that he will get a second, third, hell, tenth opinion and prove that he can still fight. Maroon calls in Vince, who isn't sure what to tell an emotional Bryan. He sits him down and says he needs to think what is best for himself and his family. Dr. Maroon is one of the most respected neurosurgeons in the world for a reason. While initially tender, Bryan's initial refusal causes Vince to snap and says that Bryan will stay out the remaining three years of his contract and will not wrestle during that time. The decision is final. Bryan is left with no-win decision - sit out three years or retire in his prime. He seeks wife's level-headed guiding hand for advice.
With WWE back in Washington, Bryan knows the place he has to do this. Bryan comes out to the ring and addresses the fans, after choking up at certain points in his speech he tearfully states that he can no longer compete in WWE due to health concerns. In what will be his final time in a WWE ring for a long time, the crowd chants thank you Bryan and have a standing ovation for him.
Act IV: 2017
Bryan sits in the Dr. Maroon's office. Maroon tells him that the scans still do not look up to a wrestler's standards. Bryan seems much more mellow this time and accepts the answer.
He goes back home - one much nicer than the apartment we see him in earlier in the film - and delivers the news to a pregnant Brie. They go out to the garden that they both have been keeping. She tells him that he knows what she wants - for him to stay retired - but that she also wants him to have what he wants. And since wrestling has been his passion since his childhood and was snatched away from him prematurely, she has been researching other doctors around the world as neurological assessments have become more thorough over the last few years. She has found one of the top in England that she thinks would be good for him to visit. He rests his head on his shoulder and tells her she doesn't understand how much she has meant to him over the last five years.
Bryan visits Dr. Fiona Cooke (Naomie Harris) and tries to not get his hopes up. Dr. Cooke tells him that while she is not a wrestling fan her son is a huge fan of him, Bryan is flattered by the compliment and thanks her. Cooke tells Bryan that she will try everything to make sure that she gets a concrete answer on whether or not Bryan is eligible to compete but that does not mean it is going to be a yes. Bryan understands this and says that whatever decision that Dr. Cooke decides to make, he is at peace with himself. After extensively reviewing two years' worth of Bryan's medical history and neurological and physical evaluations, she makes the decision to clear Bryan to return to in-ring action. Bryan is elated to hears this news and thanks Dr. Cooke.
Bryan calls Brie and tells her has good news to deliver but she says that she has more urgent news: she is in labor. He rushes home and barely makes it in time for the baby's birth. Bryan, Brie, Nicole, and just about everyone there are in tears. As he cradles his newborn daughter, Bryan looks to the sky with a tearful smile.
Bryan meets with Vince, and tells him the news. While Vince seems happy for Bryan, he cannot guarantee that Bryan will be cleared for a WWE return as he still must need approval from WWE’s doctor, who ultimately has the final say in the matter.
On his way home, Bryan is angry. He talks with Brie about it and contemplates totally giving up on Maroon’s approval and just running out the last few months of his contract to go back to being the king of the independent scene. She asks Bryan what he wants and he says he just wants to continue wrestling. It is all he has ever known and he’s not ready to give it up. In this talk, he decides that wants to prove Vince and his doctor wrong and ultimately makes the decision to go to Maroon.
Bryan visits Maroon for the fifth time in three years. Maroon looks at scans, physical evaluations and all the whole nine yards to get all the information he needs to determine whether or not he can clear Bryan. After a while of waiting, Bryan asks Maroon is a return to the ring a yes or no, Maroon says.......Yes.
For Wrestlemania 34, WWE is back in the SuperDome. Backstage, Bryan is in his ring gear and, just like last time, some one comes to congratulate him but it is not Shawn Michaels: it is The Miz. He congratulates Bryan and tells him not to have any hard feelings about their first few months together. He was just envious of Bryan’s cult following and the respect he had earned while everyone looks at Miz as someone who doesn’t deserve a spot here. Bryan tells him that people could come up with any reason for any of them not to be here. But they’ve made it and they’ve lasted this long, proving that they do. They shake hands and Bryan goes to kiss Brie and his daughter before his match. He sees Vince with a smile and gives him a nod. He stands at the curtain with his head down before his music hits.
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