Daniel Bryan's 5 greatest career defining moments

Bryan vs McGuinness in ROHDaniel Bryan has been one of the most popular wrestlers of recent times. While John Cena has detractors, one cannot deny that Daniel Bryan is perhaps more universally beloved than him.He has turned from an amazing worker to one of the best underdog babyfaces in wrestling history, combining his athleticism and technical work with his unbelievably unique charisma. In recent times, no one has held the crowd in the palm of his hand like Bryan and that is saying a lot. The man formerly known as Bryan Danielson has had a fabulous career in professional wrestling for almost 16 years, wrestling all over the world and 'living his dream'. Bryan has had some great moments in his career and in this article I will cover the top 5 that defined his career. Honorable mentions go to his Money in the Bank ladder match victory and his first world title win over a prone Big Show as he cashed in briefcase and his 18-second defeat to Sheamus at WrestleMania 28 which kicked off the ‘Yes’ movement.

#5 NXT and main roster match debuts

Bryan Danielson as Daniel Bryan didn’t have the best start to his WWE career as he showed up in the gameshow version of NXT. He failed to win the season (Wade Barret would go on to win and lead the Nexus) but WWE officials were convinced of Bryan’s titles after his short but fantastic match against then World champion Chris Jericho on an episode of NXT. Bryan may have lost, but he made a dent and his efforts wouldn’t go unnoticed. Of course, he would be fired for ‘choking’ Justin Roberts with his own tie as the NEXUS debuted on RAW.

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Bryan locking in the LeBell lock en route to his first title in WWE

At SummerSlam, Bryan, having been rehired was a surprise entrant on team WWE in what was a great booking decision fought off and eliminated two members of the Nexus. He then engaged in a rivalry with his NXT pro The Miz and won the United States Championship at Night of Champions.. it was clear that Bryan was going to be a major player in WWE and his first steps were reasons for optimism.

#4 Hijacking Raw

On the night that Bryan and his ‘Yes Movement’ hijacked Raw, it was a symbol of acceptance from the WWE that they finally agreed with their fanbase. The fans wanted Daniel Bryan, and finally the company decided to give fans what they wanted. It served as the perfect setup to the culmination of Bryan’s struggle against the Authority as he went from the ‘B-Plus player’ to THE man in WWE.

The sight of Daniel Bryan surrounded by a whole horde of adoring fans, all screaming “Yes” at the top of their lungs, is a truly memorable one and one that the American Dragon will likely never forget and one that will live on as one of the most innovative and entertaining parts of RAW.

Bryan’s hijacking was so successful due to his insane popularity. WWE made it clear that they didn’t want Bryan to be a main eventer but the relentlessness of fans meant the company had no choice but to give in to their demands and with the hijacking, Bryan cemented his legacy as one of the most popular and over stars ever.

#3 ROH title unification

Daniel Bryan’s pre-WWE career saw him succeed as one of the best technical wrestlers in the world. His runs in ROH, Dragon Gate USA and New Japan amongst other promotions saw him become one of the most popular workers on the independent scene. Bryan’s success saw him win the Wrestling Observer Best Technical Wrestler award from 2005 to 2013. His efforts mean that the award has been renamed the Daniel Bryan award.

One of Bryan’s best rivalries in Ring of Honor was with Nigel Mcguinness. It revolved around the unification of the ROH World title and the ROH Pure Wrestling title. Bryan, as World Champion, would unify the titles in a fantastic match which put both performers as well as ROH on the map as a promotion with some serious talent.

The match had everything: it was ROH’s first UK show, it was McGuinness’ home country, Danielson was ROH World Champion, McGuinness was ROH Pure Wrestling Champion, it was a title unification match, the crowd was white-hot and the competitors put on a truly phenomenal example of what professional wrestling should be.

#2 Beating John Cena clean

Like Hulk Hogan and Stone Cold Steve Austin, Cena barely loses clean. If he does, he will get his win back , thus nullifying the point of the victory (Kevin Owens and the Rock are examples).

Cena being the top guy meant that he never loses and if he does, its due to shenanigans. This context made Daniel Bryan’s clean as a whistle 1-2-3 in the centre of the ring against Cena at Summerslam 2013 all the more special.

Bryan connecting with the Knee+ against John Cena

The occasion also marked Bryan’s first WWE championship reign. Sure, Triple H and Randy Orton would screw him out of a title shot but this match showed everyone that Bryan can main event and he has what it takes to be the top guy.

Bryan’s win was widely celebrated but the fact is that Bryan now joined a list of exclusive people who have beaten super John Cena clean and this meant that WWE began viewing him as a main player, thus allowing his memorable story to conclude at WrestleMania XXX.

#1 Wrestlemania XXX

Speaking of Wrestlemania XXX, the ultimate overcoming of the odds. Cementing Bryan as a sure shot headline Hall of Famer, his win over Triple H and then in the main event triple threat over Batista and Randy Orton meant that the ‘B+ player’ had overcome the odds and beaten out all challengers.

Bryan overcame the Authority and was now WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Bryan celebrating with confetti is the ultimate feel good WrestleMania moment and one that will live on for ages and ages to come.

‘The American Dragon’ was atop the highest peak, but alas it wasn’t to last. After a lacklustre feud with Kane, Bryan would suffer a neck injury that ruled him out for more than half a year and could be seen as the beginning of the end of his career.

Perhaps his story is best summed up by Professional Wrestling Torch editor Wade Keller, who analysed that Bryan's WrestleMania journey was due to several factors: the fans' rejection of Batista and continual support of Bryan over the previous six months (even when he joined the Wyatt Family), as well as CM Punk legitimately walking out on WWE after the Royal Rumble. His popularity was too much to ignore and Bryan broke down barriers for indy wrestlers to succeed in WWE.

Edited by Staff Editor