cant get damper fork back on

hey all, i tried today to change my passenger side axle but it was for some reason super hard. i was like f- this, and i decided to put everything back together and take it to a shop…but i cant get the damper fork back on, its like 1 inch below where the bolt is, and its not budging. is this because of the spring/shock pressure on it or what??
if anyone could help me out, this day has been one of the worst:(

Have someone step on your wheel studs, that should pull it down far enough for you to get the fork back on.