I went with "he's honoring his viking roots".

The best one I heard on Twitter was "they're boot beards".

Day six of the "Daniel Bryan WrestleMania Diary" feature on WWE.com reveals the true story behind the gray faux-fur lined boots that The Beard pulled double-duty in last night in New Orleans at The Showcase of the Immortals.

They were a tribute to another long-haired, bearded outsider...Bruiser Brody.

The new champ doesn't have a whole lot in common with 6' 8" brawler, other than grooming habits, but it's a nice tribute to a fallen legend of the territory days.

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Check out this edition of the Diary for a cool, different perspective on last night. There are lots of pictures of Bryan and fiance' Brie Bella, for Total Divas junkies jonesing that their show wasn't on last night.

And while there's no photo, the scene described where Cesaro, Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose were waiting backstage to give the new champ an ovation is enough to warm the most cynical of smark hearts.

YES!