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Daniel Bryan debuted in WWE in 2010 after a dazzling career on the Independent scene which saw him compete for a wide array of promotions such as the FWA, ASW and PWG. However, the company wherein he made his name was Ring of Honor.
Bryan's relationship with ROH lasted from 2002 through to 2009 and incorporated a lengthy reign as ROH World Champion between 2005 and 2006 which included a record 38 successful title defences across the 462-day title run.
Bryan's success on the Indy scene caught the attention of WWE officials and he was unveiled as a new signing at WrestleMania XVI along with the rest of the cast of the inaugural season of NXT to which Bryan was assigned.
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Bryan's previous life as a touted Indy performer was referenced on air but denigrated. WWE commentator, Michael Cole openly mocked Bryan, declaring he had achieved nothing in his career as he had not competed in WWE.
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WWE booked Bryan to lose every single match he competed in as a member of the NXT roster and he was the first person to be cut from the show. However, due to his beautifully crisp performances and dynamic personality he had already gotten over huge with the WWE Universe.
Bryan became part of the main roster from SummerSlam 2010 onwards and a year later would hit upon a heel character that got him over even more with the WWE audience. He has not looked back since. As of November 2018, Bryan is a four-time WWE and 1 time World Heavyweight Champion in the promotion and has contested more thrilling matches in the company over the past eight years than anybody else.
In the following slideshow, SK looks at seven of the best WWE matches of Daniel Bryan's career.
#7 versus AJ Styles - SmackDown Live (October 30, 2018)
Daniel Bryan was set to face AJ Styles for the WWE Championship at Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia on November 2, 2018. However, after Bryan refused to go, WWE brought forward his title bout with Styles to the go home show of SmackDown instead.
In a thrilling encounter, Bryan and Styles targeted parts of each other's anatomy to soften them up for their signature submissions as well as neutralize their top offensive maneuvers.
Watching Bryan target Styles’s arm to prevent him utilising the Phenomenal Forearm and Styles targeting Bryan’s knee to prevent him from using Knee Plus was a thing of beauty.
Witnessing such psychology in a WWE match in 2018 was a joy.
The finish came when Styles locked Bryan in a submission that didn't rely on his neutralised arm strength before Samoa Joe interfered and choked Styles out to set up another Styles versus Joe match at Crown Jewel.
It was the type of match that offered much but was easy to see that the two men had so much more to give. They did and they gave it to the WWE audience in an even more incredible contest two weeks later.
#6 versus The Miz - SummerSlam 2018 (August 19, 2018)
The issues between The Miz and Daniel Bryan date back eight years to when Miz was Bryan's "mentor" on the first season of NXT. The escalating tensions saw Bryan overcome Miz for the United States Championship in Autumn 2010 before Miz became WWE Champion.
The simmering feud exploded on the partially scripted Talking Smack show on August 23, 2016 when Bryan told Miz he wrestled like a "coward." An incensed Miz, off script went crazy at Bryan, saying he had never been injured in his entire career whilst Bryan (at the time) was seemingly retired due to his high-risk ring style.
At SummerSlam 2018, the pair finally got their hands on each other in a heavily hyped clash. Bryan smacked Miz with stiff leg kicks and strikes as he unleashed his fury. Miz, for his part, hung with Bryan and smashed him with leg kicks of his own.
The action heated up down the stretch, when Miz's wife, Maryse who was sat at ringside with their baby girl, smuggled some brass knux to Miz and Miz met a Bryan suicide dive with a knux assisted left hand.
That was enough for Miz to steal the win via pinfall. Terrific action, full of heat and with the right winner to intensify the ongoing rivalry.
#5 versus Brock Lesnar - Survivor Series 2018 (November 18, 2018)
Five days after his instant classic with AJ Styles on SmackDown Live, Bryan contested another phenomenal match-up with Brock Lesnar in the first time ever meeting between the two stars.
Originally pencilled in for SummerSlam 2014 for the WWE Championship, Bryan's career-threatening neck injury sidelined him, meaning John Cena had to take his place.
Now, Bryan finally got the match he desired with the "Beast." The encounter was all Lesnar in the early going as he tossed Bryan around with ease and hit suplex after suplex.
However, Bryan turned the match on its head with a low blow and pounded on Lesnar with kicks. Bryan smashed Lesnar with knees before locking in the Yes lock. Lesnar furiously tried to escape but couldn't and Bryan looked to be seconds away from the win until Lesnar did finally overpower Bryan to release the hold.
Bryan locked the hold back on and then moved into a triangle before Lesnar popped up with an F-5 and the clean pinfall to end a terrific contest.
Lesnar won his best match since his encounter with AJ Styles at Survivor Series the previous year while Bryan contested his second classic within a week.
#4 versus Randy Orton versus Batista - WrestleMania XXX (April 6, 2014)
Daniel Bryan earned his WrestleMania XXX main event spot by defeating Triple H earlier in the night and was in control early as he hit a hurricanrana on Batista to send him to the outside.
Bryan hit running dropkicks on both guys as they were standing in opposite corners of the ring and another hurricanrana from Bryan, this time on Orton earned a near fall.
Triple H along with his wife Stephanie McMahon came down to ringside to prevent Bryan from winning the gold. "The Game" pulled the referee out of the ring when Bryan seemingly had the match won via submission.
Batista smashed Bryan with a Batista Bomb for a stunning near fall the live crowd massively bit for. Triple H grabbed a sledgehammer and attempted to smash Bryan over the head with it but Bryan knocked it out of his hands and nailed "The Game."
The action intensified as Bryan rolled up Batista but Orton interjected before the three count.
In a stunning spot on the announce tables Batista hit the Batista Bomb and Orton caught Bryan in mid-air to deliver an RKO. That was a dangerous spot which sliced Orton's back open and could have seriously injured Bryan's neck.
As the bout hit the final stretch, Orton set up for the punt to the head on Batista but Bryan re-entered the ring and hit the Knee Plus on Orton. Batista hit the Batista Bomb on Orton before Bryan nailed Batista with the Knee Plus and locked in the match-winning Yes Lock.
The crowd erupted as Bryan won the match and the WWE Championship. Still the highlight of Bryan's entire career.
#3 versus CM Punk - Money in the Bank 2012 (July 15, 2012)
The summer of 2012 saw Daniel Bryan embroiled in a love triangle of sorts with WWE Champion, CM Punk and AJ Lee.
Lee was assigned as the special referee with the WWE title at stake as Punk and Bryan attempted to settle their differences.
The bout began with some sick strikes, as the pair targetted each other's chests with chops before brutally kicking each other with more stiff shots.
A ref bump saw Lee taken to the back as Bryan took over on Punk with brutal kendo stick strikes.
Lee returned to the ring moments later and mischievously picked up a chair and placed it in the centre of the squared circle between the two men.
Bryan grabbed the chair and hit Punk over and over, softening him up for the Yes Lock. Punk wrenched himself free and set up a table and suplexed Bryan through it from the top rope and pinned him to retain the WWE Championship.
Brilliant match, with great technical wrestling, effective use of weapons and emotional depth with the love triangle story. Likely Punk's finest hour in WWE and one of Bryan's very best as well.
#2 versus John Cena - SummerSlam 2013 (August 18, 2013)
Another Daniel Bryan WWE Championship bout with a special referee.
Triple H officiated the title match between reigning champion, John Cena and Bryan.
Atypically for a Cena match, the action began on the mat before Cena's greater power told. Bryan utilised the surfboard and Yes Lock as he severely worked over Cena's arms.
Cena bounced back with a powerbomb and hit his usual finishing stretch of moves but Bryan escaped from the AA and caught Cena with a dropkick.
Bryan locked in another Yes Lock before Cena escaped and nailed the AA for an electric near fall. Bryan hit Cena with a series of dropkicks before an increasingly frustrated Cena smacked him full force with a clothesline. That was brutal.
Bryan reversed an AA attempt into a roll up but could only get a two count. Bryan kicked Cena in the head before catching him with Knee Plus for the clean three count.
Quite possibly Cena's best ever non-gimmicked WWE match and a thrilling contest of power moves and submissions and counter after counter.
One of the best main event matches WWE has ever produced.
#1 versus AJ Styles - SmackDown Live (November 13, 2018)
Two weeks after their last title encounter, Daniel Bryan challenged AJ Styles once again in the headline slot of SmackDown Live.
This encounter, however displayed a more aggressive Bryan as he literally showed willingness to stoop to any level to win.
The match began with Bryan working over Styles with kicks before the champion grounded things.
The action intensified as both men hit big time high flying moves. Bryan countered a 450 splash from Bryan with knees and locked in the Yes Lock. That was a beautiful sequence.
Styles reversed into the calf crusher but Bryan countered into the armbar and Yes Lock once more.
Styles managed to roll out but accidentally knocked down the referee. Bryan took advantage nailing the champion with a low blow and finishing Styles with the Knee Plus.
The new and four-time WWE Champion: Daniel Bryan.
What a match. The finest of Bryan's WWE career to date.
