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Back in the early 2000s, The Rock was known for putting over Superstars without hesitation and worries about what it could do to his career.
When he came back to WWE in 2003, The Rock gave a big rub to The Hurricane in what is now regarded as one of the most entertaining short-term feuds in WWE history. No one had imagined that a jobber could beat someone in the mold of The Rock.
Certain Superstars won't flinch one bit when it comes to putting over young guns or mid-carders who are in serious need of a push. Today, Daniel Bryan could be regarded as The Rock's equivalent when it comes to putting over stars who are way beneath him in terms of popularity and star power.
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Despite being one of the biggest stars on the blue brand, Bryan never has issues taking losses from anyone, be it a top star or a mid-carder. In the following slideshow, we'll be taking a look at five mid-carders Daniel Bryan has put over.
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#5 Ali
As a competitor on WWE 205 Live, Mustafa Ali got the attention of Vince McMahon, resulting in the boss moving him to the SmackDown Live brand. Reportedly, Daniel Bryan wanted a "hot young babyface" on the blue show, leading to Ali being chosen by the management.
Ali faced Bryan in his first SmackDown Live match, in a losing effort. Soon after, Ali was confirmed as a full-time SmackDown Live performer.
He teamed up with AJ Styles on an episode of SmackDown Live, facing Bryan and Andrade. The match ended with Ali pinning Bryan in a shocking victory for the former 205 Live Superstar. Ali had just pinned the WWE Champion, and the expression on his face told the whole story.
#4 Big E & Xavier Woods
The New Day has been one of the hottest acts in WWE for a while now. The group has won the SmackDown Live Tag Team titles on four separate occasions, and their playful mannerisms have made their merchandise hot favorites with the fans, especially kids.
Despite all of this, it's not a secret that Big E and Xavier Woods are mid-carders at best, in contrast to Kofi Kingston, whose career shot up earlier this year.
At Extreme Rules, Daniel Bryan and Rowan defended their Tag Team titles against The New Day and Heavy Machinery in a Triple Threat Match. The ending saw Woods and Big E putting down Bryan with a Midnight Hour, and Xavier pinning him to win the titles for a record fourth time.
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#3 Shelton Benjamin
Benjamin returned to WWE in 2017 and was put in a tag team with Chad Gable. The duo won their first match together, defeating The Ascension on an episode of SmackDown Live. Benjamin was a mid-carder for almost the entirety of his previous WWE run.
Things didn't change much on his return, and he became a mid-card mainstay on the blue brand.
On the October 2, 2018, episode of SmackDown Live, Benjamin faced Daniel Bryan. The match was marred with interference by Bryan's arch-rival The Miz, which resulted in Benjamin bagging the opportunity and pinning him to win the match.
#2 Buddy Murphy
After spending about five years on NXT, Murphy lost 25 pounds and requested to be a part of 205 Live.
He spent the next several months in pursuit of the cruiserweight title and finally got his chance to shine when he met Cedric Alexander at Super ShowDown in his hometown of Melbourne, Australia. Murphy won the title and became the first Australian wrestler to achieve the feat.
Recently, Murphy got involved in a major angle on SmackDown Live, which resulted in him facing Daniel Bryan on the latest episode. Surprisingly, Murphy defeated Bryan and turned babyface in the process.
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#1 Kofi Kingston
A Gauntlet Match on the February 12, 2019, episode of SmackDown Live saw Kofi Kingston giving a star-making performance. This match is rightfully dubbed by many as the moment KofiMania was born.
Kingston lasted almost an hour, defeating three major stars in the process. Kofi pinned Bryan to a loud ovation, followed by victories over Jeff Hardy and Samoa Joe, with AJ Styles finally putting him down.
The reception Kofi received during the match made WWE aware of the fact that the fans wanted to see him win the big one. Kingston went on to defeat Daniel Bryan for the WWE title at WrestleMania 35 and is now one of the most protected champions in recent memory.
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