The 5 greatest Bryan Danielson feuds

Whether it be on the independent scene or WWE, Bryan Danielson has been apart of epic rivalries.
Whether it be on the independent scene or WWE, Bryan Danielson has been apart of epic rivalries.

2) Bryan Danielson vs. The Miz

Bryan Danielson came into WWE with lofty expectations.

He was considered an independent wrestling legend and among the best technicians of his generation. When Bryan was announced to be on season 1 of NXT, it surprised everyone when The Miz was chosen as his mentor. Bryan had been wrestling longer than the former Real World cast member after all.

This made for the best association possible to kickstart Bryan's WWE run. The dynamic between the two men became the highlight of the weekly NXT television program. The Miz would do everything possible to get under Bryan Danielson's skin and rally the fans behind him. When Daniel Bryan eventually got called up to the main roster, he did so by taking Miz's spot at SummerSlam 2010.

Things continued at Night of Champions when Bryan defeated Miz to become the new United States Champion. The two rivals continued to circle one another without interaction, but Daniel Bryan's retirement and appointment as general manager changed the dynamic between the two again. This led to the biggest moment of Miz's career.

On an August 2016 episode of Talking Smack, The Miz took issue with GM Daniel Bryan leaving him off the SmackDown earlier in the night as Intercontinental Champion. Bryan criticized Miz's tactics and wrestling ability, which infuriated the A Lister to go on a tirade tearing apart the American Dragon for not wrestling and being a coward.

With their first series and that Talking Smack promo, Miz and Bryan should be an easy top entry. However, the 2018 continuation of their rivalry left a lot to be desired. The Miz was riding high from that memorable promo and putting on the best work of his career, while Bryan had just returned and was a white hot babyface. WWE never gave them much besides two pay-per-view singles matches and a mixed tag.


1) Bryan Danielson vs. Triple H

Bryan Danielson's career will always be defined by his iconic run leading into WrestleMania 30. As Daniel Bryan, the Yes Movement made him an undeniably popular babyface that WWE had to take seriously. Leading into SummerSlam 2013, Vince McMahon claimed Bryan was a B-plus player, but Bryan beat John Cena to win the WWE Championship at the event.

This was short lived because WWE COO Triple H turned heel and laid out Bryan with a pedigree. Randy Orton cashed in the Money In The Bank contract to win the WWE Championship and create The Authority. This faction became the lead obstacle for the American Dragon to overcome to hit the mountaintop.

Months and months of torment by The Authority led to fans rallying behind Daniel Bryan. They hijacked RAW and forced Triple H give him a match at WrestleMania. The added stipulation was whomever won would make the main event of Randy Orton vs. Batista a triple threat match. Bryan Danielson defeated Triple H in a brilliant opener that night.

Triple H would injure Bryan Danielson following the bout. An injured Bryan fought through it all, including interference from the Authority and a crooked referee to beat Randy Orton and make Batista tap out to win the WWE Championship. The Daniel Bryan vs. The Authority storyline is considered a happy accident and a creative masterpiece because of its destination.

Bryan Danielson has put on a classic series of matches against many different opponents. However, no other feud in his entire career quite captured the imagination like his rivalry with The Game. That's why Triple H is the greatest feud of Bryan Danielson's career.

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Edited by Genci Papraniku
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