Daniel Bryan introduces new hemp-made WWE championship title at SmackDown in Phoenix

On Friday, two days before the WWE Royal Rumble pay-per-view at Chase Field, WWE champion, Valley resident and passionate environmentalist Daniel Bryan told yours truly that his plan of creating a new, sustainable WWE championship title was still in the works.

"Changing corporate things takes time," Bryan, who calls himself "the planet's champion," said during our Facebook Live at Chase Field. "I am on the verge of getting this changed. But to get it changed, I have to retain my championship at the Royal Rumble on Sunday, so that is my No. 1 priority."

Well, Bryan retained his title against A.J. Styles at the Rumble -- and on Tuesday, during SmackDown Live at Talking Stick Resort Arena, the planet's champion proved to be a man of his word.

He tossed the existing championship title -- a leather-bound belt made from a cow he called Daisy -- into a garbage can and introduced a new title that is made from, in Bryan's words, 100 percent sustainable organic hemp and wood carved from a fallen oak tree.

"This is the new symbol of excellence," he explained, as WWE fans said farewell to Daisy.

Bryan lives in the Valley with his wife, fellow WWE superstar and Scottsdale Chaparral High School grad Brie Bella. He is a vegan and a champion of environmental causes, and he enjoys all the hiking opportunities that Arizona has to offer. Last week, he took a stand against the Royal Rumble Burger,which sold out at Chase Field even before the Rumble began.