Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.0

WWE: Daniel Bryan - Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes! Blu-ray Movie Review

Buy this Blu-ray? Yes! Yes! Yes!

Reviewed by Martin Liebman June 4, 2015

What unfortunate timing for a Daniel Bryan Blu-ray release. On the May 11, 2015 episode of Monday Night RAW, Bryan surrendered the Intercontinental championship he won at WrestleMania XXXI because, for real-life health concerns, he was unable to defend at the follow-up Pay-Per-View, Extreme Rules. Bryan delivered an emotional monologue to a supportive and disappointed crowd, reflecting on his career and the WWE universe's support and push for him to reach the top. It sounded like a retirement speech, a reluctant one at that but a farewell nonetheless. But a couple of weeks later on the Elimination Chamber pre-show, appearing on "Miz TV," Bryan proclaimed that he would one day wrestle again. It's no doubt been a topsy-turvy time for both Bryan and his loud fan base. Only time will tell if this Blu-ray spans (almost) his entire career and legacy or if it's but a milepost of sorts that delineates one moment from another. Regardless, fans have been treated to some of the best wrestling from one of the most approachable and charismatic wrestlers of his generation over the past few years and WWE Home Video's Daniel Bryan: Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes! takes audiences deeper into Bryan's life and career than they have gone before through a thoroughly satisfying film and a large collection of bonus matches and moments that, through the in-ring action for which he was loved, help shape his tale in ways even the most candid spots cannot.

Yes man.

The film follows Bryan's (real name Bryan Danielson) path through the professional wrestling ranks and culminates with his career-defining appearance at WrestleMania XXX, prior to which he and the "yes!" movement essentially forced the hand of The Authority (read: Triple H) for a showdown on the biggest stage of them all with the stipulation that, should Bryan defeat The Game, he'd move on to the main event for a title shot in a match against Randy Orton and Batista. Though not a full-on life and career retrospective, this film hits a number of highlights, including Bryan's upbringing in Aberdeen, Washington, including his burgeoning interest in professional wrestling while in the first grade. It follows his journey through the ranks, a rocky road traversed only by a select few of the smaller men to make it, first training with Shawn Michaels and moving on to look at his time in Ring of Honor and his initial foray into the WWE via the NXT where he worked under the tutelage of Superstar The Miz. An unfortunate firing after he took a gag too far resulted in a temporary departure, but pushes from Pat Patterson and John Cena brought him back into the fold for an appearance at 2010's SummerSlam. From there, it was a meteoritic rise that saw Bryan cruise over the bumps in the road, including a continuing doubt of his ability to headline the company at his size and a disappointing booking in a "dark match" with Sheamus at WrestleMania XXVII. The film also explores the origins of the "yes!" movement, Bryan's injuries and training regimen, and his relationship with WWE Diva and real-life spouse Brie Bella.

In the hour-long film, several recognizable faces -- Brie Bella, John Cena, Seth Rollins, Cesaro, Shawn Michaels, William Regal, Pat Patterson, and The Miz -- stand (or sit, as the case may be) in Bryan's corner, singing his praises in sound bytes that champion, mostly, his unique blend of determination and skill and praise his ability to find so much in a comparatively small package. Bryan dominates, however, humbly recalling his story and rise to stardom and unafraid to let his real personality shine through, one that allows him to excel in the ring but shy away from the spotlight outside of it. As he shapes the classic underdog story that's defined his rise through the ranks, the film offers plenty of candid moments from his life in the ring and outside of it, mostly with Brie at his side but, at times, his mother and sister. As with many other WWE "mini documentaries" -- films released essentially while the book is still being written rather than after its definitive conclusion -- there's not a lot of groundbreaking information here, not much that longtime WWE fans don't already know, but the pleasure of the movie comes in watching Bryan's humility shine through, a humility mixed with determination and, even in his words, some good breaks, that propelled him to the top.

WWE: Daniel Bryan - Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Daniel Bryan: Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes! arrives on Blu-ray with a solid and typically WWE Home Video 1080i, 1.78:1-framed transfer. The film does reframe a few older clips from 4x3 to 1.78:1, apparently to keep up a visual continuity, something WWE Home Video does on all releases. This amounts to only seconds worth of footage, however. Generally, the image satisfies. Interview clips show an interesting range of balanced and crisp, drab and dull, and overly processed and sharp. Still, there's never all that much of an extreme push to any of these, but they're unmissable throughout. The Michael Cole and Steve Austin interview snippets are the worst offenders of the sharpened/processed look, while some scattered Bryan interviews -- but not all -- take the other end. Various occurrences of banding, blocking, noise, and aliasing are evident across various backgrounds, but never to a seriously detrimental level. Black crush is evident around the 32-minute mark. Colors are generally bold, particularly in-ring activities captured from various PPVs and television airings, which also happen to offer the best, most even baseline details and definition of the entire package. Nothing here's a deal breaker, but more demanding viewers will be left wishing for something a little better.

WWE: Daniel Bryan - Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Daniel Bryan: Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes! features the typical WWE Home Video Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Much of the program is comprised of interview snippets where the spoken word expectedly dominates. Clarity and vocal detail are precise and center placement is consistent. Music is enjoyable at times, with good definition, spacing, and instrumental clarity, but some of the more vigorous bits of Bryan's music blaring through arena speakers, mixed with the overwhelming "yes!" chants, can create something more akin to a blob of identifiable, but hardly well defined, sounds. The most glaring example comes when Bryan appears for his match at WrestleMania XXX against Triple H. Still, there's a good baseline presence to music and the track makes regular use of the surrounds, generally when the narrative shifts to showcasing old match footage.

WWE: Daniel Bryan - Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Daniel Bryan: Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes! contains extras on both discs under the "Matches" (which actually offers more than matches; each match is preceded by a clip that tells its story) tab on disc one and both the "Matches" and "Blu-ray Exclusives" tabs on disc two. All extras are presented in 1080i.

Disc One (2:56:25 total runtime):

• Power of Yes: A montage featuring Bryan's rise with the fans at his side.
• Tryout: Bryan and Shawn Michaels remember Bryan's tryout match in Austin, TX in February 2000.
• Career Match: Brian Kendrick & Lance Cade vs. American Dragon & Shooter Schultz. Austin, TX -- February 8, 2000.
• Extra List: A short look at Bryan's journey through some of the mid ranks.
• Career Match: Jamie Noble vs. Brian Danielson. Velocity -- January 18, 2003.
• Getting Signed: Bryan further reflects on his time in the mid ranks and finally signing with the WWE via Brian Kendrick.
• NXT Rookie vs. WWE Pro: Daniel Bryan vs. Chris Jericho. NXT -- February 23, 2010.
• Borderline Insulting: A look at how both Michael Cole's commentary and his pairing with The Miz helped build Daniel Bryan's character.
• United States Championship Match: Daniel Bryan vs. the Miz. Night of Champions -- September 19, 2010.
• Money in the Bank Winner: Bryan discusses the dangers of the Money in the Bank matches and scripting him as the winner.
• World Heavyweight Championship Match: Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show. WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs -- December 18, 2011.
• Champion: Bryan remembers the story behind cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase and wrestling with larger athletes like Big Show and Mark Henry.
• World Heavyweight Championship Match: Daniel Bryan vs. Big Show. SmackDown -- January 6, 2012.
• Redemption Match: Bryan remembers his WrestleMania XXVII and XXVIII disappointments and making up for it at Extreme Rules.
• 2 Out of 3 Falls Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus. Extreme Rules -- April 29, 2012.
• Anarchist: Bryan gets chewed out for wearing an inappropriate jacket.
• No Disqualification Match for the WWE Championship with Special Guest Referee AJ Lee: CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan. Money in the Bank -- July 15, 2012.
• Team Hell No: Bryan remembers his partnership with Kane.
• WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Daniel Bryan & Kane vs. Kofi Kingston & R-Truth. Night of Champions -- September 16, 2012.

Disc Two (3:05:56 total runtime):

• B-Plus Player: Bryan discusses the label meant to be an insult.
• Gauntlet Match: Daniel Bryan vs. Jack Swagger, Antonio Cesaro & Ryback. RAW -- July 22, 2013.
• SummerSlam Main Event: Bryan discusses the honor of wrestling John Cena in the main event at the year's second-biggest PPV.
• WWE Championship Match with Special Guest Referee Triple H: John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan. SummerSlam -- August 18, 2013.
• Great Moment/Short Reign: Bryan discusses pinning Cena and wrestling Randy Orton.
• No Disqualification Match: Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton. RAW -- March 17, 2014.
• The "Yes!" Movement: Bryan speaks on how the shifting WWE landscape and fan appreciation propelled him to the top spot in WrestleMania XXX.
• WWE World Heavyweight Championship Triple Threat Match: Batista vs. Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan. WrestleMania 30 -- April 6, 2014.
• Victory, Injury, & Recovery: Bryan remembers the high after WrestleMania and continuing work the next night on RAW. He also discusses surrendering the title prior to neck surgery.
• Career Moment: Daniel Bryan's Big Announcement. RAW -- December 29, 2014.
• What's Next?: Bryan recalls his return to the ring from injury, his desire to wrestle Brock Lesnar, and accomplish other personal goals.
• Winner Will Face Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns. WWE Fastlane -- February 22, 2015.

Blu-ray Exclusive Matches (1:19:55 total runtime)

• He Gave Me A Lot: A closer look at John Cena's place in Bryan's career.
• Career Match: John Cena vs. Brian Danielson. Velocity -- February 8, 2003.
• Mentor: An exploration of Bryan's bond with William Regal.
• NXT Rookie vs. WWE Pro: Daniel Bryan vs. William Regal. NXT -- April 13, 2010.
• Brie: Bryan recalls the origins of his real-life relationship with Brie Bella.
• Career Match: Daniel Bryan & Brie Bella vs. Ted DiBiase & Maryse.
• Career Moment: Daniel Bryan and Kane Attend Anger Management. RAW -- August 2012.
• The Wyatt Family's Newest Member: Bryan discusses a brief stint in the Wyatt family.
• Steel Cage Tag Team Match: The Usos vs. Bray Wyatt & Daniel Bryan. RAW -- January 13, 2014.

Blu-ray Exclusive Stories:

• School of Wrestling (1:10): Bryan remembers getting into one wrestling school and losing a $500 deposit at another.
• Just a Dude (1:09): Bryan recalls training with Shawn Michaels.
• Memphis Developmental (2:57): Bryan tells the story of Memphis Championship Wrestling's closure.
• King of the Indy's (1:10): Bryan discusses getting into Ring of Honor.
• Stigma (1:30): Bryan shares the truths and fictions surrounding wrestlers on the independent circuit.
• Charisma (1:14): Bryan discusses the different types of charisma and the type he possesses.
• NXT Troubles (3:09): Bryan recalls his displeasure with the NXT.
• Fired (1:24): Bryan remembers when Vince McMahon called to fire him and his independent circuit success that followed.
• Yes/No? (1:03): Bryan's brief flirtation with a "no" chant.
• The Proposal (1:49): Bryan tells the story of proposing to Brie Bella.
• Giant Yes! (1:40): Bryan mingles with the San Francisco Giants, a Major League Baseball team that adopted his "yes!" chant.
• Book of Yes (1:44): Bryan discusses the process of writing his book.
• The Beard (1:24): Bryan discusses growing his hair and beard.

WWE: Daniel Bryan - Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

At first glance it would seem that there couldn't be a worse time for a Daniel Bryan documentary release, but if nothing else it offers fans a chance to celebrate one of the most storied careers, and more importantly best individuals, amongst the recent crop of WWE Superstars. The film reinforces what everyone already knew about Daniel Bryan, that he's a clear fan-favorite, a hard worker, and by all accounts a great individual outside the ring whose positive impact on the WWE landscape will be felt for years to come. The film isn't remarkable in terms of construction or groundbreaking content, but it's a solid overview of Bryan's life and career that will hopefully not be the final word on him, one way or another. WWE Home Video's Blu-ray release of Daniel Bryan: Just Say Yes! Yes! Yes! features decent enough video and audio. Plenty of extra matches and scenes are included. Highly recommended.