It was never going to be easy for Daniel Bryan.

At 5-foot-8 and 190 pounds, he didn’t fit the typical mold of a WWE superstar. And he certainly didn’t fit Vince McMahon’s vision of a WWE world heavyweight champion. He always had to work harder to make sure he was noticed, which is exactly what he did.

We definitely noticed, the WWE eventually noticed, and we loved watching every moment of his journey.

That’s what made it so difficult to grasp Monday’s announcement that Bryan was retiring because of medical issues. That is, until he showed up on “Monday Night Raw” to give his retirement speech and let us down gently with plenty of laughs.

It was a reminder of why we’ve loved rooting for him so much. He explained why he shaved his beard and that he donated the hair to Wigs for Kids, a charity that makes wigs for kids with cancer. Then later in his speech he told us that he’s looking forward to having babies in the near future with his wife, WWE diva Brie Bella. That naturally elicited a “Yes!” chant from the Seattle crowd, which Bryan took the opportunity to hit us with a corny “That’s what Brie tells me” joke.

It was classic Daniel Bryan.

Bryan told us about all the things he loves: the Seahawks, when fans react to his music, diving through the ropes. From wrestling in gas station parking lots when he first started 16 years ago to wrestling in front of 70,000 fans at Wrestlemania.

And, of course, that he loves his fans.

“You guys got behind me in a way that I never thought was possible, more than I ever thought you could for a guy who was 5-8 and 190 pounds,” he said. “You guys got behind me in a way that made me feel like I was more than just me.

He finished his speech simply with, “I am grateful.”

We’re the ones who are grateful. #ThankYouDanielBryan