5 things you did not know about Daniel Bryan

Bryan vs Ambrose working a match for Dragon GateAlthough the professional wrestling fans have contrasting opinions about WWE superstars, Daniel Bryan is perhaps one of the very few individuals who are loved universally.Bryan was never supposed to make it big in WWE, but the perennial underdog fought his way to the top, and cemented his legacy as one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time.While the Cinderella story came to a scratching halt, Daniel Bryan is still fighting to resurrect his career in WWE. Last year, Bryan released his autobiography which was received very well by the fans worldwide, and Bryan divulged a lot of information that was unknown to the fans.In this article, we take a look at five things you might have not known about Daniel Bryan.

#1 Daniel Bryan never came up with his own ring names

Students at Shawn’s academy, with Bryan in the back

Daniel Bryan is undoubtedly one of the greatest technical wrestlers of all time. Going through his book, “Yes! My improbable journey to the main event of WrestleMania”, you’d read about the sacrifices and hardships Bryan faced throughout his career, mostly on the independent scene to make it big in the industry.

However, many a times, Bryan also confessed to not exactly being the brightest bulb in the room.

Daniel has a great sense of humor, which keeps popping up from time to time. Admittedly, Bryan was also bad with names; when Bryan started training at Shawn Michaels’ school, he had to come up with a nickname.

However, it was Shawn Michaels who came up with the “American Dragon” moniker, which later became legendary on the independent scene. Also, when Bryan joined WWE, he had to change his name (since WWE had to own the rights, he couldn’t use his real name).

Apparently, Bryan thought “Buddy Peacock” and “Lloyd Boner” were good names! It was William Regal who suggested the name ‘Daniel Bryan’, which he ran with.

#2 Daniel Bryan shared a room with a former UFC Light Heavyweight champion

The former UFC light heavyweight champ was Bryan’s roomie for a while

Bryan also talked in depth about not being well off financially while growing up, and how his mother had to do two shifts a day to keep them afloat.

When Bryan decided to take up professional wrestling full time, he understood that he had to travel and after a while, started training at the famous Inoki Dojo in Los Angeles. Although initially, Bryan lived in his car for a brief period of time, he then lived in the Dojo.

However, the Dojo also had an apartment in Santa Monica, and Bryan decided to move there instead.

However, what very few people know is that Daniel Bryan had a couple of very special roommates. Shinsuke Nakamura, the charismatic Japanese sensation lived with Bryan for a while, and his other roommate was none other than the former UFC Light Heavyweight champion, Lyoto Machida!

Bryan lived with Machida for a month or two, years before Machida made a name for himself inside the Octagon.

#3 Daniel Bryan lied during his WWE medical

Bryan used to wear an eyepatch, resulting from a detached retina

Around the time Bryan signed with WWE, another Ring of Honor legend, Nigel McGuinness was also offered a contract. But before WWE brings someone on board, every superstar has to undergo a thorough medical evaluation, done by the WWE doctors.

During his days on the independent scene, Bryan often wrestled a very physical, aggressive style, similar to the Japanese wrestlers. Moreover, he incorporated MMA techniques in his arsenal, and molded himself around the European wrestlers such as William Regal.

This often meant that Bryan got hurt in his matches, ranging from broken bones to ruptured ear drums and detached retinas. Bryan also suffered concussions, and during the medical, instead of telling the doctors the truth about his injuries and persisting medical conditions, Bryan chose to lie.

However, Nigel McGuinness opened up about his bicep injuries and was advised to undergo a surgery. Since it wasn’t financially feasible for Nigel at that point, he had to turn down the offer.

#4 Daniel Bryan didnt know the name of his own finisher

Daniel Bryan’s Cattle Mutilation submission

Bryan Danielson’s book also showed just why the bearded grappler is loved by the fans, as he comes across as a genuinely nice person. However, Bryan was also very naïve, and he would be the first person to tell you so.

When Bryan saw someone using a bridging double chicken wing, he made up his mind to use it as his finisher, and once he started using the submission move, he referred to it as “the bridging double chicken wing thing”.

Eventually, a grappler by the name of Reckless Youth was the first person to tell Bryan Danielson that the submission move was called “Cattle Mutilation”. However, Bryan persisted on calling it the ‘bridging double chicken wing thing’, until everyone else started calling it the Cattle Mutilation.

In the end, Bryan had to accept the name, although he admitted that he hated it.

#5 Bryan almost started his own wrestling promotion

Bryan almost

co – founded

Evolve along with Gabe Sapolsky and Paul Heyman

Bryan had a great working relationship with head booker for Full Impact Pro (FIP) and the head of talent relations for Ring of Honor, Gabe Sapolsky. Gabe gave Bryan his big break in the United States, and booked Bryan constantly for his shows.

It was also Gabe who wanted Bryan to be the man at Ring of Honor, and put the ROH World title on him. Back when Bryan was fired by WWE after the now infamous “tie gate” incident, Gabe and Bryan talked about starting their own promotion.

Bryan had the idea that pro wrestling in its existing state was out-dated, and wanted the industry to “evolve”. He, along with Gabe and Paul Heyman, who was a free agent at that time, talked about starting a new promotion called Evolve.

However, Bryan was offered another contract by WWE and Paul Heyman had different commitments to tend to, and Gabe co – founded the Evolve promotion, along with TNA wrestler Davey Richards and Sal Hamaoui.

On a side note, Daniel Bryan is an indy legend and has faced many current WWE stars and spawned instant classic in the process with the likes of Samoa Joe, Jon Moxley(Dean Ambrose), Tyler Black (Seth Rollins), AJ Styles and Austin Aries.