Is "Yes!" bigger than Daniel Bryan?

[CrucifiedRaven]

I've noticed on RAW the last few weeks that crowds have been chanting "Yes!" and to a lesser extent "No!" in segments that don't even directly involve Daniel Bryan.

One example is last night in the closing segment with all of the Shield/Usos/Rhodes/Big Show/Triple H stuff, there was a significant "Yes!" chant going on. Now, since all of these guys had been involved with Bryan over the last few months, it's fair that the crowd assumed Bryan might be coming out as well.

However, it got me thinking... Is "Yes!" bigger than Bryan? Similar to the "What!?" chant outlasting Steve Austin. Will "Yes!" just become the next thing for live audiences to chant when they like what they see, regardless of who is actually in the ring?

And if so... how will this impact Daniel Bryan? There's no question that the Yes trigger is hot. It's over. But if it becomes so over that they don't even need Bryan for it, will this impact him negatively?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

In my opinion, I'd say no. The "Yes!" catchphrase is something that's spread beyond WWE and into other venues, such as baseball for instance. In WWE, the only time I see anyone chanting "Yes!" for anyone other than Bryan is when it's someone that's associated with Bryan. Big Show, for instance, has gotten some "Yes!" chants and has helped lead those chants in some cases. Throughout Bryan's main event feud with Orton, Show was someone who became the other primary target of The Authority, thereby loosely associating him with Bryan even though their troubles with The Authority were mostly separate.

The "Yes!" chant wouldn't have caught on if WWE fans weren't very strongly in support of Daniel Bryan. After all, it's a single syllable word and it's not exactly the most creatively original catchphrase that's ever been uttered. People enjoy watching Daniel Bryan inside the ring, for obvious reasons, as he's among the top in-ring workers in all of wrestling. Also, and this is just something that I see myself, maybe they also enjoy the more "normalcy" of Daniel Bryan. Bryan's character seems genuine when you compare it to who Bryan Danielson is. By all accounts, he's a pretty easy going & down to earth person. In a business that's made up of flamboyant, over the top fictional personas, being a down to earth kind of guy that's still has personality, being able call up that great passion & intensity he has when he wants & needs to and highly respected in-ring ability allows him to stand out in his own way. It also makes him more relatable to a lot of fans, kind of like Mick Foley was in some ways.

The "Yes!" chant, like any other catchphrase or whatever from any wrestler, is a small and, in the grand scheme of things, a relatively unimportant piece of the puzzle. What's FAR more important is if the wrestler is able to make fans interested in him and care about whatever situations he's involved in. He has to make them want to see him get inside the wrestling ring and do his stuff in matches or on the mic. Daniel Bryan has accomplished all that in spades with or without the "Yes!" chant.

 

[Kris Benwa]

I think it's a pretty clear yes. They cheer it all throughout the show whether or not Bryan is relevant to the segment. I don't think it will impact Bryan negatively and if does impact him at all it'll be positively. Because in 20 years when he's old and can only make appearances as a legend every once in a while the crowd will love to cheer it with him. So I'd say it's the thing that made him extraordinarily memorable in the minds of the wrestling fans of this generation.

 

[cm ben]

Hmm, I fear that the wording in your thread could easily be misconstrued. I think that it's pretty much undeniable that the audience has latched on to "Yes" to the extent that it now exists outside of Daniel Bryan. That was the case almost immediately after it became a "thing," in fact, with people chanting "Si" at Del Rio as early as the post-Wrestlemania RAW, if I remember correctly.

However, it's not a question of being "bigger" than Daniel Bryan. People say "Woo" at a wrestling event more than they chant specifically for Ric Flair, but the chant is not bigger than the Nature Boy. Same with Austin's "What," or, I don't know, Schwarzenegger's "I'll be back," or Nicholson's "Here's Johnny!" It's just that these people had an easy-to-remember, easy-to-repeat saying, maintained a high enough level of popularity among the populace that it warranted being repeated, and had the dumb luck that enough people said it at the right time that it became something of a cultural meme.

There's no way it can negatively affect Daniel Bryan, as far as I can see. It's not like people have stopped chanting it during his segments, that's for sure. But whether or not it's directed at him is not important; it's still "his thing," and people are always going to connect it to him at some level, just as people connect Flair to "woo," even if it's during a match between two no-name wrestlers, or people acknowledge that Schwarzenegger said "I'll be back" first, even though he's gone on to play many other roles.

---

One counter-example to what other posters and I have said so far is Fandango-ing, maybe? That actually was more popular than the performer. It still didn't negatively affect him in any way, I don't think, but it's kind of died out. The performer was not popular enough for the meme to survive.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

There is a difference here between Austin and Bryan which is the most direct comparison. Austin got over, then incorporated "What?" into his act, which the fans seized on and eventually it damaged him. He couldn't make a serious point without the fans chanting "what?" in a word it backfired.

In Bryan's case, he wasn't over but YES! and the passion that it displayed to the fans engaged them. Here was a "geek" according to what they were told on TV, coming out to classical music, bouncing around like a loon yelling yes... there was no way it was intended to get him over - but the fans liked it, chose him and embraced it and in time the E was forced to.

Has it overshadowed him, no - not as it did Austin because it's one of the REASONS the fans love him and make no mistake, Bryan is the most naturally, organic over face since Austin. But in the E's eyes that's BAD with a breaking in front.. they'll go for it cos they have to, hate every second and still fuck him over at the end of it. Cos Austin was already over, they never could.

 

[thebowtiekiller]

i agree it is just one of those simple things like austins what and flairs woo that just gets huge for some reason.probally just because its easy to cheer on or annoy the wrestlers with it.

anyways i dont think its fair to say the yes thing is actually bigger then bryan but it is hard to deny it has been a very large part in making him the star he is.

 

[BaconBits]

Yes, it has. In fact, it was bigger than Daniel Bryan the moment it actually started becoming a thing that night after Wrestlemania. It started off as a smarkfest and the casuals adopted it.

Evidence...

ADR comes out the same night... "Si! Si! Si!". This is ADR we're talking about. He is so boring he probably doesn't even get a reaction from his family at holidays.

 

[jameyt2003]

I do not think so. IMO Daniel Bryan makes that chant worthy and without him, it would fade into oblivion. It is an easy chant that carries a heavy load and lands a significant punch. But it is associated with Bryan and it makes no sense with anyone else.

Now, when DB turns heel again, the YES! chant will take on another role. If that role with benefit or overshadow Bryan is debatable.

 

[Rooster Smith]

Totally. i once saw the YES chants in Isreal. That's something people do now regardless of who's out there.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The chants started before he won the belt, when he himself was coming out and just leaping, yelling to "Ride Of The Valkryies" it was simply bizarre at the time but I think he realised something early on. Ride this till the wheels fall off, the back think you're a dork? Dork it up, go so stupid that the fans will love you for it. And they do, this is a guy who was as far from "cookie cutter" as it gets, comes out to 160 year old music (yes think about that, Jim Johnston didn't write this one... wrestling, much less Carney's didn't even exist when that tune was written!) at first glance he looked desperate, but he is the first guy since Hogan to really tap into that thing of making the crowd your own. It took the simple yes/no but he could have said anything at that time - that he kept it so simple just makes Bryan perhaps one of the smartest guys in wrestling. Add to that the no small displeasure in proving Vinny, Trips, Cole and any other doubter wrong by doing the most dorky thing possible... That's why Bryan is where he is... the E (Trips) need him, know they do, but just HATE how easy it came to him. Even the Goatface rib from Charlie Sheen (a hell of a rub for the time)... GOAT also means Greatest of All Time... Trips missed that one I guess... but it was funny right? Makes it all the more tragic they're gonna blow it... Bryan was the one shot they truly had who could connect with the public, not just their audience... and they seem intent on not letting it be...

 

[GeneralKarim]

No, the chant is not bigger than him.It just seems that way because its a very easy thing to do, its a freaking 3 letter word and a simple hand gesture, its going to catch on, but it caught on because people supported Daniel Bryan.

Since he arrived in the WWE he has proven time in and time out that he can get w/e angle they throw at him and make it gold or at least close to that.He pours his soul into everything WWE gives him and people notice that.

And as Jack said, in this world of professional wrestling where everybody has a nickname and is a persona and all that, he is a serious ( but easy going ),down to earth guy, with loads of passion, insane wrestling skills, good mic work ( if he is actually allowed to say what he wants ) and people relate to him, because he doesnt represent what WWE wants in a superstar.

Especially now in the "Age of Awakening" that the world is experiencing, a dude who beats to his own drum and doesnt have the look and is anti-establishment will get over and will stay over because people connect with someone like that.

Hell, in a way I'm glad they are going with Wyatt and Bryan instead of keeping him in that ( in my opinion pretty awful ) Corporation angle.Its now all about Big Show and it was always about getting the Corporation over and everything overshadowed Bryan, hell even Orton was basically just a pawn there and their feud was meaningless cause, although Triple H took the title in abance or w/e the hell that word is, Orton was still Triple's boy and he himself was overshadowed by everything that was going on. ( And yes I know the feud wasnt recessarilly meaningless because of the title they were fighting for, but even the title feud itself felt overshadowed by Big Show and other stuff going on )

This is just me tho, the corporation angle just didnt click with me, if it did with you that's great.

Only thing I liked about it is that The Shield had a lot of matches which is always a plus and the Rhodes got lots of airtime and are very over atm.

Kinda went off on a tangent ( if that's even the right word for it ) but I feel everything is connected when it comes to Daniel Bryan cause this talk of Yes chant being more over than him is more related to recent events rather than something old.

 

[rge2010]

Daniel Bryan is just like Fandango. A fad.

Bryan is a B+ and people need to accept this. Great wrestler, ok on the mic, zero marketing potential. He is not a franchise and has gotten over by his entrance. People do not pay to see him as an individual like they do Cena, Rock, Brock...

 

[Slyfox696]

Daniel Bryan needs "Yes" more than "Yes" needs Daniel Bryan. Like others have mentioned, you hear it chanted, in various forms and fashions, in many other segments on the show. The chant is definitely bigger than Bryan.

 

[boozinjedi]

"YES" has become bigger than Bryan.
It's a simple one word catchphrase a crowd can easily do,It's his legacy now

Cases in point...
People still "WOOO" after a chop,
They still "WHAT" when someone pauses while cutting a promo.
It's simple and catchy.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

GOAT also means Greatest of All Time... Trips missed that one I guess... but it was funny right? Makes it all the more tragic they're gonna blow it... Bryan was the one shot they truly had who could connect with the public, not just their audience... and they seem intent on not letting it be...

Just to add to this part of your post a little bit. "Yes" really got Bryan over. I guess I have a concern that the WWE could stop pushing Bryan himself, while still allowing fans to do the "Yes" chant, if it is no longer associated with Bryan.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Its about time someone finally made a thread about this, since it seems to be the oh-so trendy thing to say lately.


No, it isnt. The crowd pops like a motherfucker any time he is on screen for a promo, for his victories, and when he does a run-in.

 

[cm ben]

Daniel Bryan is just like Fandango. A fad.

I don't think that's true. Fandango's schtick fizzled after a month, while the YES thing has been going strong for several months now.

Not to mention Bryan's been pushed steadily for roughly two years now, while Fandango, much like his cheer, had a sharp push upwards, then a sharp dive back down to low/midcard. No hate towards Fandango-- I think he rules, and I hope he makes it big, but I don't think the comparison really works here.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

When it comes to what the crowd says compared to the longevity of the superstars that first coined said phrase, the chants will outlive their career. Austin and Flair haven't been around for quite a while, but the fans continue to give resounding "What?!"s and "Wooo"s whenever a situation calls for it, or remind them of Austin and Flair.

Daniel Bryan is no different. There will be a crowd that chants "Yes!" because they like what they see. Daniel Bryan doesn't have to be there, just like Flair and Austin aren't. I mean hell whenever a musclehead walks into the arena "Gooooldberrrg" is jeered at them. We haven't seen him since 2003ish.

It's safe to say "Yes!" will and should be bigger than a performer.