WWE history: 10 greatest heel turns of the 21st Century

#2 Triple H turns on Daniel Bryan

By the summer of 2013, Daniel Bryan had become arguably the most popular wrestler in WWE. He was given a shot at John Cena's WWE Title at the SummerSlam 2013 PPV, with Triple H acting as the guest referee.

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After a grueling battle, Daniel Bryan defeated John Cena with a knee to the face. As Bryan celebrated his victory, Randy Orton came down to the ring with the Money In The Bank briefcase in his hands.

Out of the blue, Triple H hit a Pedigree on an unsuspecting Bryan, and Orton pinned him to win the WWE Title. It had been a long while since Triple H had been a heel. This marked the beginning of a year-long journey for Daniel Bryan, with the Yes Movement garnering tons of mainstream coverage. The rivalry came to an end when Daniel Bryan defeated Triple H in the opening match of WrestleMania XXX. He went on to win back his WWE Title by making Batista submit in the main event of the night.

Morel of the story here is to never turn your back on Triple H.

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About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

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Edited by Atharva Papnoi