Daniel Bryan Press Release

The following was issued today:




DANIEL BRYAN TRIUMPHS OVER TOUGH COMPETITION TO NAIL PETA2 AWARD



WWE Superstar Credits Veggie Power With Keeping Him on Top in the Ring



Los Angeles — WWE superstar wrestler and World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan can now add Most Animal-Friendly Athlete to his impressive list of titles. Bryan—who credits going vegan with giving him remarkable strength and endurance and is known for his punishing style and incapacitating submission maneuvers—captured the Libby Award from peta2, PETA's youth division. The sixth annual Libby Awards ("Libby" is for "liberation") honor animal-friendly people, organizations, businesses, and products.



Bryan also shot a pro-vegan ad for peta2, in which he talked about why going vegan was one of the smartest decisions he's ever made:



"My vegetarian diet allows me to lead a healthier lifestyle, reduce my carbon footprint, and save the lives of more than 100 animals every year," says Bryan. "I'm stronger and healthier than ever, and I feel good about doing something positive for myself, animals, and the planet."



Why have Bryan and millions of other people slammed meat to the mat? Health is one reason: The American Dietetic Association found that vegetarians have lower rates of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer than meat-eaters do. Also, in addition to producing vast quantities of greenhouse gases, raising animals for food is a leading cause of water pollution and land degradation. And billions of animals are raised in filthy, abusive conditions and slaughtered in terror every year.



The other nominated athletes were Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley, Strikeforce mixed martial arts champ Jake Shields, and Denver Broncos running back Willis McGahee.



For more information about the winners, please visit peta2.com/Libbys.



Winners were chosen by peta2 based on equal consideration of three factors: the number of votes received, the quality of the animal-friendly product or the nominees' enthusiasm for being animal-friendly, and feedback fr