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Arguably one of the greatest to lace up a pair of wrestling boots, Daniel Bryan has had a decorated career in WWE and on the independent scene as well. A five-time WWE Champion, Bryan won his first world title in 2011 and had a career-defining run as a face, which culminated in a triumphant win in the main event of WrestleMania 30.
However, an injury in 2015 kept him out of in-ring action for a long time, and it resulted in him retiring prematurely in 2016 at the age of just 35. After two years of sitting on the sidelines and being the General Manager of WWE SmackDown, Bryan finally announced that he was cleared for in-ring action.
Since returning, Daniel Bryan has made up for all the lost time by wrestling some terrific bouts and having consistently great feuds against a variety of Superstars. In recent months, reports about Bryan slowing down his wrestling career in favor of focussing on his growing family have emerged. Despite that, he's regularly featured on TV and has helped the younger Superstars learn a thing or two from him.
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Here in this article, we will look at five awesome and memorable things Daniel Bryan has done since returning from his first retirement.
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#5 Daniel Bryan has put over underutilized Superstars in recent weeks and months
Despite being one of the most popular stars of this generation in WWE, Daniel Bryan is a keen believer in the basic wrestling philosophy of the experienced guys putting over the younger and underutilized guys and has immersed himself in performing these duties in recent weeks and months.
Since losing his WWE Championship to Kofi Kingston in 2019, Bryan has wrestled and helped many Superstars of the younger generation. Upon his debut on the main roster, Drew Gulak was put in a program with Bryan, which greatly benefited him. The two in-ring wizards wrestled several matches on PPV and TV, and despite not winning any of them, Gulak's position in the company grew.
In recent weeks, Daniel Bryan put over Shinsuke Nakamura in a Gauntlet match on SmackDown and Cesaro on two occasions. While those two aren't of the newer generation, they were languishing for a long time without any direction. Since winning their bouts against Bryan, both have found renewed attention on SmackDown and are sure to make a mark at this year's WrestleMania.
#4 Daniel Bryan has become a vital part of WWE's creative team on WWE SmackDown
Considering his invaluable experience and knowledge of the wrestling business, Daniel Bryan has become a vital part of WWE SmackDown's creative team in the last year or so. Despite being a full-time competitor, Bryan has devoted himself to the development of several characters in the company and ensuring the Superstars are rewarded for their hard work.
His recent string of losses to Jey Uso, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Cesaro are a result of Bryan's insistence on giving Superstars wins that matter. Apart from him, Royal Rumble winner Edge is also a part of WWE's creative team. However, the key difference between the two is their varying mentalities on who should be pushed.
While the Rated-R Superstar himself pitched his Royal Rumble win, Daniel Bryan has tried to utilize his position to push other talents in the company who don't often get the opportunities they deserve. However, Edge has said on numerous occasions that he can't wait to mix it up with new and upcoming stars, which should surely offer them an extra dose of exposure.
#3 Daniel Bryan delivered on the dream encounter with Brock Lesnar at WWE Survivor Series 2018
When Daniel Bryan won the WWE Championship on the November 13, 2018, episode of WWE SmackDown, the fans weren't only in shock over this title change but were also readying themselves to witness a dream match that nobody thought would take place in WWE.
Daniel Bryan vs Brock Lesnar was on top of the dream list of several fans for many years. But Lesnar's part-time schedule and Bryan's premature retirement dashed all hopes for the dream clash.
However, just five days before Survivor Series 2018, all the pieces fell into place, and the dream match was set to main event the PPV. When the dust settled, the bout not only delivered on the promise but found itself in the conversation of being one of the best matches of the year.
The clash was a clever subversion of a big man vs small man fight. While the small man is usually the underdog in such matches, Bryan worked as a heel in this clash and used many underhanded tactics to get the better of his opponent. Despite not coming up victorious, the bout yet again displayed Bryan's versatility as an in-ring performer.
#2 Daniel Bryan made an invaluable contribution to the KofiMania story in WWE
One of the greatest underdog stories in WWE, possibly on par with Daniel Bryan and his saga in 2014, Kofi Kingston's run in early 2019 was a magical one. A Superstar who was a constant fixture in the tag division found himself getting over with the fans due to his fantastic in-ring skills and relatable character work. As great as that story and Kofi's work was, it wouldn't have been such a success if Daniel Bryan wasn't such a convincing foe to the hero.
In many ways, KofiMania mirrored Bryan's own story in 2014, and it was almost poetic that this time Bryan was the hindrance in front of a Superstar who was on a journey similar to what he had embarked upon a few years ago.
After defeating the challenger multiple times on the road to WWE WrestleMania 35 through nefarious means, Kofi finally won the title at the PPV in an incredible match. While the New Day member stood tall as the champion, Bryan, despite losing, won the respect of legions of die-hard wrestling fans.
#1 Daniel Bryan portrayed one of the greatest heel characters in WWE of the last decade
When Daniel Bryan returned from his premature retirement in 2018, fans went in a frenzy over the prospective feud the five-time WWE Champion could have in his second run. However, his feuds with The Miz and Big Cass were mightily disappointing and gave way to fears of Bryan becoming just another member on the roster. Not that his work was below par, but the story was underwhelming at best.
To the utter shock of everyone, Daniel Bryan turned heel on the 13th November 2018 episode of SmackDown, where he cheated to defeat AJ Styles and became the new WWE Champion. One of the greatest underdogs in wrestling history had just done the unthinkable, and fans were wondering how the WWE would handle his heel character.
Bryan's environmentalist persona, which saw the Superstar replacing his WWE Championship with one made out of hemp, was utterly despicable but hard to disagree with. A lot of credit for the character's development goes to Bryan himself, as it was nothing but a hyper-exaggerated version of the man in real life.
Now that he's back to being a face, fans miss his work as a heel and could be hoping to see Daniel Bryan revisit that character at least once before he hangs up his wrestling boots for good.
