Josh Reddick Loses Beard-Off With Daniel Bryan

A big reason why Josh Reddick has become one of the most, if not the most popular member of the Oakland Athletics was the tremendous manner in which he burst onto the scene in Oakland in 2012.  His bat was hot, he flashed impressive leather in the outfield, and had a knack for cutting down runners who had eyes on taking that extra base.  That was just part of the equation though, his personality captivated the fans as well.  He developed a close relationship with his soon-to-be disciples in the right field bleachers, much of that relationship built upon the mutual interest in professional wrestling.

October 4, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Athletics right fielder Josh Reddick (16) looks on before game one of the American League divisional series playoff baseball game against the Detroit Tigers at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Fans held signs patterned after WWE logo’s, held WWE Championship replica belts in the air when he came to bat, and chanted “Yes! Yes! Yes!” while his walkup music played just like WWE fans do for Daniel Bryan.  Reddick’s walkup music was almost always a wrestler’s theme song, and he often took requests from fans on Twitter as to whose music he should use next.  Reddick is every bit a fan of wrestling as the fans who worship him in the bleachers, so when he made a connection with Daniel Bryan, it was the first step in a dream coming true for the A’s right fielder.

Bryan and Reddick established something of a bond over their mutual high volume of facial hair, and decided before the 2013 baseball season to have a “beard-off”.  Reddick’s name was mentioned on Monday Night Raw, and a voting contest was held on WWE.com.  Well, needless to say Daniel Bryan had a much larger fan base to tap into, and he has emerged victorious in this season long duel.  While the WWE was nearby to Reddick’s Georgia home this week, Reddick paid a visit to the WWE locker room and had to suffer the consequences of his loss.  Bryan, armed with a pair of clippers proceeded to shave Reddick’s beard on camera (See for yourself here).

Perhaps with this side contest out of the way, Reddick can concentrate on recapturing his early 2012 form.