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#1 Daniel Bryan
After over a year of AJ Styles on top of SmackDown Live, the WWE Universe was left stunned as Daniel Bryan turned heel and won the WWE Championship five days before Survivor Series 2018. It was unthinkable at the time, even despite how bland Bryan's babyface character had become. This kickstarted one of the best WWE Championship reigns of the entire decade.
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Bryan's new character was an incredible breath of fresh air, as he kept on one cutting scathing promo after another towards the fans, calling them fickle every time. His in-ring work also seemingly improved, with Bryan wrestling barnburners with Styles, Brock Lesnar and even Mustafa Ali.
He was not afraid to put other Superstars over, as demonstrated by his selfless performances against the former 205 Live Superstar and Kofi Kingston, during the pre-Elimination Chamber gauntlet match and eventually at WrestleMania 35. Despite the occasional defeats, Bryan was still excellent on the microphone and was as believable a world champion as any. The addition of Erick Rowan to his environmentalist act was also a good touch, giving the evil and conniving champion a tough heavy to occasionally do his bidding for him.
Bryan's ability to get the WWE Universe to despise him should not go unnoticed, considering he is the most likeable person in the entire company. It takes a pro wrestling wizard to pull off something to that level. His role in the KofiMania storyline was played to perfection, especially considering how it was him in that very position five years ago.
Daniel Bryan was given the ball with his new character and he ran full speed with it, becoming the Planet's Champion and even replacing the existing belt with an eco-friendly version made of hemp. He made the WWE Championship matter and his matches as champion were more often than not the best thing on any given pay-per-view. Bryan's five-month reign was near perfect, from start to finish.
An outstanding run from an outstanding talent. Daniel Bryan truly was the best WWE Champion in the SmackDown Live era.
