Bryan Lloyd Danielson (born May 22, 1981) is an Americansports commentator and semi-retiredprofessional wrestler. He is signed toAll Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he serves as acolor commentator for its flagship showDynamite and is a part-time in-ring performer. He is also known for his tenure inWWE, where he performed under thering nameDaniel Bryan from 2010 to 2021. Noted for his technical wrestling style and popularity with fans, he has been described as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time.
Danielson initially retired from professional wrestling in 2016 due to injuries arising from multipleconcussions, which led toseizures and a brainlesion. He then took on a non-wrestling role for WWE as the on-screen general manager ofSmackDown and remained in the role until 2018, when he was unexpectedly cleared by doctors to return to in-ring competition. His WWE contract expired in May 2021, and he made his AEW debut four months later. Since joining AEW, he has headlined severalAEW pay-per-view events and won the men's 2024Owen Hart Cup. He defeatedSwerve Strickland to become theAEW World Champion atAll In 2024, his first championship in the promotion. AtWrestleDream 2024, Danielson lost the AEW World Championship toJon Moxley in what was billed as the final match of his full-time professional wrestling career.
Bryan Lloyd Danielson was born inAberdeen, Washington, on May 22, 1981,[2] the son of therapist Darlene and lumberjack Donald "Buddy" Danielson.[3] His mother was pregnant with him for over 10 months.[3] He has an older sister named Billie Sue.[3] His father's job moved the family toVernal, Utah, then toAlbany, Oregon, before they returned to Aberdeen.[3] His parents divorced over his father's alcoholism when Danielson was a child, though they remained on good terms.[3] During his childhood, Danielson was shown aprofessional wrestling magazine by a friend, and has been a fan of wrestling ever since.[4] He considered himself shy and antisocial as a child and teenager, but still competed in sports such asfootball andtrack and field.[3][5] To help his mother support the family after his parents' divorce, he and his sister both delivered newspapers as children, and later worked atMcDonald's as teenagers.[3] For a brief time in high school, he lived with his father inCastle Rock, Washington.[3]
During his sophomore year atAberdeen High School, Danielson decided to pursue a professional wrestling career and attempted to train atDean Malenko's wrestling school in Florida. However, by the time he graduated in 1999, the school had closed down. Following a friend's suggestion, he instead began training underShawn Michaels and Rudy Gonzalez at theTexas Wrestling Academy (TWA) inSan Antonio, Texas.[2][6][7] After his wrestling debut in December 1999,[2][8] he toured Japan withFrontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) alongsideLance Cade, a fellow trainee from the TWA, and they competed in several tag team matches.[9] He won the TWA Tag Team Championship withSpanky on March 21, 2000, defeating The Board of Education (Jeromy Sage and Ruben Cruz), but theydropped the titles back to The Board of Education two weeks later.[10][11]
World Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Entertainment (2000–2003)
While touring the country'sindependent circuit, Danielson was signed to a developmental deal by theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) to work in theirdevelopmental system and was assigned toMemphis Championship Wrestling (MCW), where he gained exposure and was trained by WWF competitorWilliam Regal, whom he credited as being instrumental in the development of his career.[6] During this time, he adopted his moniker of the "American Dragon".[12] WWF severed its ties with MCW in 2001, but not before Danielson won the MCW Light Heavyweight Championship and the MCW Tag Team Championship with Spanky.[2] After 18 months with the company, he was released from his WWF contract in July 2001. Danielson revealed in his 2015 autobiography that he was close to being called up to the main roster during the2001 Royal Rumble match: he explained that the WWF thought of using him as one of their key figures in the newly createdcruiserweight division, which was inspired byWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW).[13]
In 2002, Danielson wrestled two matches for the renamed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) despite not being a contracted performer for the company. He wasquickly defeated by bothSean O'Haire andLittle Guido in his two appearances.[14] He went on to make four additional non-contracted appearances for WWE in 2003 on itssecondary shows,Velocity andHeat, initially asenhancement talent before being allowed to compete in longer matches; he wrestledJamie Noble at aVelocity taping in January,Rico at aHeat taping in February,John Cena at aVelocity taping also in February, and made his final appearance in November in a tag team match againstPaul London and Spanky at aVelocity taping, in which he was partnered with John Walters. This was his final appearance for the promotion for over five years.
In 2002, Danielson joined the independent promotionRing of Honor (ROH), where he is acknowledged as a "Founding Father" of the company.[16] On February 23, 2002, he competed in themain event of the company's debut event, The Era of Honor Begins, in athree-way match against Christopher Daniels andLow Ki, a match that Low Ki won.[17][18][19] One of his matches withAustin Aries, performed on August 7, 2004, at Testing the Limit, lasted seventy-four minutes before Aries was finally declared the victor.[20] One of the more notablerivalries he had in the early years in the company was withHomicide, as the two fought numerous matches with a variety of stipulations, culminating in asteel cage match on May 13, 2005, at The Final Showdown, where Danielson was victorious.[21]
Despite winning the company's inauguralSurvival of the Fittest tournament in 2004,[22] Bryan did not win a ROH title. In 2005, Danielson explained in the company's newsletter,The ROH Newswire, that he had quit ROH after being frustrated by his inability to defeat Austin Aries for theROH World Championship. It was later revealed Danielson had become frustrated in general with professional wrestling and planned to take some time off to evaluate his career options.[23] However, Danielson had several dates booked in Europe and Japan, leading fans to believe that the periodical was likely astoryline claim for Danielson's absence during this period.
Danielson defeatedJames Gibson for the ROH World Championship at Glory by Honor IV on September 15, 2005.[2][24][25] The rest of the year saw Danielson have successful title defenses even against wrestlers from other companies, such asPro Wrestling Noah starNaomichi Marufuji at Final Battle on December 17.[26]
At the beginning of 2006,Chris Hero, a representative fromCombat Zone Wrestling (CZW), invaded ROH and targeted Danielson—the two exchanged words over theinternet before having a match together, with nearly the entire roster of both companies embarking on an interpromotional feud.[27] Danielson became personally invested in this feud and invaded CZW himself, which led to him having physical altercations with a number of CZW wrestlers.[28] Hero intensified the rivalry, leading to the two wrestling at ROH's Hell Freezes Over event on January 14, where Danielson successfully defended the ROH World Championship.[29] On July 15 at Death Before Dishonor IV, he soon filled the vacant slot on ROH's five-man team which participated in one of CZW's more popular attractions, a steel cage match called theCage of Death, aten-man tag team match in which a man from each team starts in the cage and a random wrestler enters periodically thereafter. During the match, Danielsonturned on his team by assaulting his rivalSamoa Joe before leaving the match and effectively abandoning his involvement in the animosity between the two promotions.[citation needed] As the interpromotional hostility with CZW heightened, Danielson also defended against challengers from the rival company, who had signed an open contract for any CZW wrestler willing to challenge for the ROH World Championship. Former champion Samoa Joe also challenged Danielson at Fight of the Century on August 5, but their match ended in a 60-minutedraw.[citation needed]
Danielson in the ring in 2006
While having the ROH World Championship, ROH faced the issue of having another title with seemingly equal value, theROH Pure Championship. Danielson and the ROH Pure ChampionNigel McGuinness had a match tounify the titles. They met at April 29 in a match fought underpure wrestling rules and McGuinness left Danielson outside the ring after a chair shot to win bycountout—this was enough to retain the Pure title, but not to win Danielson's World Championship. They had another unification match in McGuinness's native England; ROH decided that there had to be a winner, with a title changing hands by countout anddisqualification and a draw forcing a restart.[30] Danielson won the match on August 12 and retired the Pure title as its last champion (the title would be reinstated in 2020).[31][32] During a match withColt Cabana on August 26, Danielson suffered areal injury when he separated his shoulder,[2] tearing two tendons in it and he tore another tendon in his chest.[citation needed] Danielson returned at Glory by Honor V: Night 2 on September 16 and was challenged byKenta, a guest competitor from NOAH, due to the two companies'talent exchange agreement—Danielson again retained his championship.[33] At Final Battle on December 23, Danielson's fifteen-month title reign finally ended after he lost to Homicide at his 39th defense and he subsequently took time off from wrestling in order to heal his shoulder.[2][24]
On May 11, 2007, Danielson returned to ROH at Reborn Again and defeated Shane Hagadorn andAdam Pearce in separate matches. On May 12, ROH filmedits first pay-per-view,Respect is Earned, which had Danielson team with ROH World ChampionTakeshi Morishima against Nigel McGuinness and Kenta. Danielson's team won after Danielson made Kentatap out to his signaturesubmission hold, theCattle Mutilation. Danielson vied to contend for the ROH World Championship by defeating McGuinness at Domination on June 9, which appeared on the company's next pay per view namedDriven which took place on June 23, but was aired on September 21.[34] This allowed him, now as afan favorite, to challenge Morishima for the title at Manhattan Mayhem II on August 25 in a losing effort[citation needed] in which he also suffered a legitimatedetached retina.[35] Following surgery, he fought Morishima again in a match atMan Up on September 15, but thereferee stopped the match since Danielson was unable to respond to him.[36] In a rematch atRising Above on December 29, Morishima was disqualified.[citation needed] Morishima returned to the company atFinal Battle on December 27, 2008, in a match billed as a "Fight Without Honor" in which both men were allowed weapons and which Danielson won.[citation needed] Danielson commented in March 2012 on how he felt validated at Final Battle 2008, because he and Morishima managed to get 2,500 people to see the show in New York City.[37]
As part of ROH's agreement with Pro Wrestling Noah, the company held a show in Japan named Tokyo Summit on September 14, where Danielson wrestledGHC Junior Heavyweight ChampionYoshinobu Kanemaru and won the championship. Following his victory, NOAH allowed him to defend the title in Ring of Honor,[citation needed] with his first defense being at Glory By Honor VII on September 20, defeatingKatsuhiko Nakajima.[38] However, this was his only successful defense as he returned to Japan on October 13 tolose the title to Kenta.[39] Following his loss, Danielson challenged McGuinness for the ROH World Championship at the next ROH pay-per-viewRising Above on November 22, in a losing effort.[40] Ring of Honor made its national television debut with the programRing of Honor Wrestling and Danielson made his television debut in the main event of its third episode on February 28, 2009 by defeating Austin Aries.[41]
In the fall of 2009, Danielson signed with WWE after a farewell tour with ROH, during which he challenged Aries for the title again and lost.[42] On September 26 at Glory by Honor VIII: The Final Countdown, he won his last match in the company against McGuinness, who was also having his final match with the company until 2023.[43]
Aside from competing primarily in ROH, Danielson has also competed in a multitude of other independent promotions, both in the United States and abroad.[44] In 2003, he toured the United Kingdom for the British promotionAll Star Wrestling (ASW), where he sometimes used the name Dynamic Dragon.[45] While there, he won the World Heavy Middleweight Championship on May 6 in an eight-man one-night tournament inCroydon, defeating James Mason. He spent the next six months in the United Kingdom, working for ASW,Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA), theWorld Association of Wrestling (WAW), and Premier Promotions.[2] He returned several times over the next five years, working for various promotions. In February 2005 at New Dawn Rising, he made his debut in ROH's sister promotion,Full Impact Pro (FIP), teaming up withRocky Romero in a match against Austin Aries and Homicide.[46] The next night at Dangerous Intentions, Danielson competed in a losing effort againstCM Punk,[47] which led to a brief feud between the two.[citation needed] Danielson's biggest success came in 2006 by winning theFIP Heavyweight Championship,[48] holding the belt for eleven months before losing it toRoderick Strong.[2] Danielson wrestled his last match for FIP in December 2006 at Florida Rumble, where he lost toErick Stevens.[49]
Danielson also wrestled in thePro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) promotion. He made his debut in November 2003 at An Inch Longer Than Average in a losing effort toPWG ChampionFrankie Kazarian.[50] He continued to appear in PWG over the next couple of years, winning the PWG World Championship in 2007 and holding it for six months before taking an eleven-month hiatus from the company. He made his return to PWG at the2008 Battle of Los Angeles tournament. In April 2009, at PWG: One Hundred, Danielson defeatedKenny Omega. The match was notable for its opening, which included Omega and Danielson performing variable tests of strength, includingarm wrestling and athumb war, before singing "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt" along with the crowd. In May, he made another appearance teaming with Paul London, referring to himself as "American Dolphin" in a parodied manner.[51] On September 4 at Guerre Sans Frontières during his last night in PWG, Danielson defeated Chris Hero to win the PWG World Championship for the second time and immediatelyvacated it afterward.[52]
Following his return from his injury in 2007, theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA) published a video of Danielson stating his intent to challenge for theNWA World Heavyweight Championship, as the establishment that sanctioned the title at the time, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, was relinquishing the title back to the NWA.[53] A tournament, titled Reclaiming the Glory, was held to determine the new champion with Danielson making his way to finals, scheduled to competeBrent Albright on September 1, but due to the eye injury he sustained at ROH's Manhattan Mayhem event,[54] he withdrew from the tournament and instead acted as the referee of the match.[citation needed]
In 2009, Danielson's contract with Ring of Honor expired, which opened up Danielson to travel to other companies more freely while competing in his home promotion.[55]
In 2009, Danielson also signed a short-term contract with German wrestling promotionWestside Xtreme Wrestling (wXw). Shortly after his debut, Danielson won thewXw World Heavyweight Championship against Bad Bones and held it over a month before losing it to Absolute Andy.
Danielson re-signed with WWE in August 2009,[58] under his real name.[1] He made his debut on January 4, 2010, in adark match prior toRaw, defeatingChavo Guerrero.[59] He went to Florida to train withFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW), the WWEdevelopmental territory, to acclimate himself to his new work environment and work on hisring rust.[60] He debuted at the FCW television tapings on January 14 and lost to Kaval.[citation needed] At the February 11 tapings, he was given thering name Daniel Bryan.[1][61] He later said that he was given a list of 10 possible ring names to use in WWE (including Daniel Bryan, Buddy Peacock, and Lloyd Bonaire) but his real name was not on the list.[62] His name was given by William Regal.[citation needed]
On the May 31 episode ofRaw, Bryan was granted a match against The Miz by guest hostAshton Kutcher, which he won and threw Miz into Cole at ringside after the match.[66] On the June 7 episode ofRaw, the faction known asThe Nexus (NXT rookies from season one) invaded the WWE ring, attacking John Cena and causing destruction around the ringside area. On June 11, Danielson was fired from WWE for being too violent during the segment,[67] strangling ring announcerJustin Roberts with his own neck tie.[68] Danielson noted that WWE apologized to him for his release, explaining that they "had sponsors they had to deal with".[6] His release was put in a storyline, where the rest of theNXT rookies kicked him out of the group for showing remorse for his actions and declared that Bryan would never return to the WWE again.[69]
After being released, Danielson received several offers to sign with other wrestling companies, being contacted by TNA, albeit indirectly and some Japanese promotions.[6] Two weeks after his departure from WWE, Danielson made his return to the independent circuit on June 26, defeatingEddie Kingston at the CHIKARA event We Must Eat Michigan's Brain.[70] Rather than receiving streamers, the fans instead threw neck ties in light of the Justin Roberts incident in WWE.[71] The following day at CHIKARA's Faded Scars and Lines, Danielson defeatedYoung Lions Cup holderTim Donst in a non-title match.[72] On July 3, Danielson returned to wXw, defeating Wade Fitzgerald andTJP in the round robin stage of the Ambition 1 tournament.[73] The following day, he defeated TJP in a rematch and finally Johnny Moss in the finals of the tournament to win Ambition 1.[74] On July 17, Danielson debuted in theInternational Wrestling Association (IWA), beingbooked to defeat Q.T. Marshall for the IWA Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship.[75] On July 23, Danielson debuted in the fledglingEVOLVE promotion, which was originally conceived to be built around Danielson as their top star before he signed to WWE.[76] In the main event, Danielson defeated Bobby Fish.[77] The following day, Danielson returned to Dragon Gate USA and submittedShingo in the dark match main event of Return of the Dragon.[78] After the match, Danielson joinedBxB Hulk,Masato Yoshino, Naruki Doi andPAC as the fifth member of thestable World-1.[78] On July 30, Danielson returned to Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, competing in a match where he defeated Roderick Strong.[79] On August 7, Danielson unsuccessfully challenged Adam Pearce for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at the NWA Legends Fanfest.[80]
Despite returning to WWE on August 15, Danielson honored most of his independent bookings, making his first appearance on August 20 and defeatingJon Moxley at Heartland Wrestling Association's Road to Destiny.[81] The following day, he was defeated byDrake Younger at Insanity Pro Wrestling's Ninth Anniversary Reign of the Insane.[82] On August 22, Danielson defeated J Freddie at a Squared Circle Wrestling event.[83] On September 10, he returned to the IWA using the name Daniel Bryan and lost the IWA Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship toDennis Rivera.[84] The following day, Danielson returned to EVOLVE by defeatingMunenori Sawa in the main event.[85] Later that same night, Danielson wrestled for New York Wrestling Connection in a tag team match, where he andTony Nese defeated Dimitrios Papadon and Alex Reynolds.[86] On September 25, Danielson returned to Dragon Gate USA and defeatedYAMATO in the main event of the evening.[87] The following day, Danielson defeatedJon Moxley.[88] On October 1, Danielson wrestled the last of his independent matches by defeatingShelton Benjamin at a Northeast Wrestling event.[89]
Bryan (right) wrestling his formerNXT mentor,The Miz
Danielson returned to WWE as Daniel Bryan atSummerSlam on August 15, 2010, where he was revealed as the surprise seventh member of Team WWE for theseven-on-seven elimination tag team match against The Nexus.[90] Bryan was one of the two final members of Team WWE and managed to eliminate two members of The Nexus, but was eliminated byWade Barrett after The Miz, whose place he took in Team WWE, attacked him.[91] Despite this, Team WWE won the match.[92] As part of theRaw roster, Bryan feuded with The Miz,[93] defeating him atNight of Champions on September 19 to win theUnited States Championship, his first championship in WWE.[94][95]
In late 2010,The Bella Twins began competing for Bryan's affection, leading to them supporting him at ringside and competing inmixed tag team matches together.[100][101][102] On the January 24, 2011 episode ofRaw, it was revealed that Bryan had been secretly datingGail Kim, who began accompanying him to ringside.[103][104] On the March 14 episode ofRaw, Bryan lost the United States Championship toSheamus, ending his reign at 176 days.[105] Bryan was originally scheduled to have his rematch against Sheamus for the United States Championship on themain card atWrestleMania XXVII on April 3, but the match was rescheduled as a darklumberjack match that ended in ano contest when the lumberjacks fought among themselves to trigger the start of abattle royal, which he lost.[106] Bryan lost his title rematch the next night onRaw, after which he was saved from Sheamus by the debutingSin Cara.[107]
On April 26, Bryan wasdrafted to the SmackDown brand as part of the2011 supplemental draft.[108] On the May 6 episode ofSmackDown, Bryan made his debut for the brand by losing to Sheamus.[109]Cody Rhodes then started a feud with Bryan by attacking him after losing their match and placing a paper bag on his head. Bryan then aligned with Sin Cara to feud withCody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase.[110][111] On June 28, Bryan returned toNXT to manage Derrick Bateman once again.[112]
Bryan as World Heavyweight Champion alongside former on-screen girlfriendAJ Lee
On July 17 atMoney in the Bank, Bryan won the SmackDownMoney in the Bank ladder match which earned him a World Heavyweight Championship match at any point within the following year.[113] After several months of losing matches, Bryan began a feud with then World Heavyweight ChampionMark Henry.[114] On the November 25 episode ofSmackDown, Henry was knocked out again by Big Show, at which point Bryan cashed in his briefcase for a title match and quickly pinned Henry, but SmackDown General ManagerTheodore Long revealed that Henry was not medically cleared to compete and voided the match, so Henry remained champion and the briefcase was returned to Bryan.[115] Regardless of his briefcase, Bryan won afatal four-way match on the same episode ofSmackDown to become the contender for Henry's championship.[116] On the live November 29 episode ofSmackDown, Henry managed to pin Bryan to retain the title in a steel cage match.[117] Also in November, Bryan started being involved in a romantic storyline with AJ Lee.[118][119]
Bryan cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on December 18 atTLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs against Big Show, who had just defeated Henry and subsequently received aDDT onto a steel chair, which allowed Bryan to secure apinfall victory and become the World Heavyweight Champion.[120][121][122] As World Heavyweight Champion, Bryan turnedheel when he developed an extremely over-confident personality.[123][124]
The kiss with AJ that cost Bryan his World Heavyweight Championship toSheamus atWrestleMania XXVIII in 18 seconds
In January 2012, Bryan successfully defended his title three times: the first occasion against Big Show when Bryan goaded Mark Henry into attacking him and causing a disqualification; the second occasion ano disqualification rematch with Big Show which ended abruptly after Big Show accidentally ran into AJ, hospitalizing her within the storyline for which Bryan blamed him; and the third occasion against Henry in a lumberjack match when Bryan provoked the lumberjacks to interfere and cause a no contest.[125][126][127] This culminated in a triple threat steel cage match to exclude outside interference at theRoyal Rumble on January 29, where Bryan escaped the cage after freeing himself from Big Show's grasp to retain the championship.[128]
AtElimination Chamber on February 19, Bryan defeated Big Show, Cody Rhodes,The Great Khali, Santino Marella, and Wade Barrett in anElimination Chamber match to retain the World Heavyweight Championship. After the match,Royal Rumble match winner Sheamus attacked Bryan and chose him as his WrestleMania opponent for the World Heavyweight Championship.[129] In March, Bryan began to mistreat AJ, publicly demanding her to shut up and claiming that she always got in his way.[130] Despite these actions, AJ continued to stand by Bryan.[131] Bryan's reign as World Heavyweight Champion ended at 105 days when Sheamus defeated him in 18 seconds atWrestleMania XXVIII on April 1 due to Bryan being distracted with receiving a good luck kiss from AJ.[132] On the following episode ofSmackDown, Bryan blamed AJ for his title loss and ended their relationship.[133] Despite AJ's attempts to mend their relationship, Bryan cruelly rebuffed her multiple times, leaving AJ an emotional wreck.[134] AtExtreme Rules on April 29, Bryan failed to regain the World Heavyweight Championship from Sheamus in atwo-out-of-three falls match, losing twofalls to one.[135]
Bryan feuded withCM Punk for theWWE Championship in 2012 after losing the World Heavyweight Championship.
The next night onRaw SuperShow, Bryan became the number one contender to CM Punk'sWWE Championship when he won aBeat the Clock challenge by defeatingJerry Lawler in under three minutes.[136] Bryan received his title match atOver the Limit on May 20 and suffered a controversial loss—when Bryan rolled back onto his shoulders as he applied the"Yes!" Lock, Punk tapped out immediately after the referee counted a pinfall win for Punk.[137] Shortly before Over the Limit, Bryan interfered in a match between Punk andKane to frame Punk attacking Kane with a steel chair, leading to a three-way feud.[138][139][140] During this time, a jiltedAJ Lee turned her affections to both Punk and Kane.[141] On the June 1 episode ofSmackDown, Bryan's interference caused WWE Championship match between Punk and Kane to end in a double disqualification,[142] resulting in a triple threat match being set up on June 17 atNo Way Out, where Punk managed to retain the title after AJ distracted Kane.[143] On the June 25 episode ofRaw SuperShow, Bryan defeated Punk and Kane in a non-titlethree-way elimination match to earn another shot at the WWE Championship.[144] AtMoney in the Bank on July 15, Bryan failed to capture the WWE Championship again from Punk in a no disqualification match with AJ asspecial guest referee.[145] The following night onRaw SuperShow, AJ accepted Bryan's marriage proposal.[146] OnRaw 1000, Bryan's storyline wedding ended in failure when AJ left Bryan at the altar and instead acceptedMr. McMahon's offer of the position of permanent Raw General Manager. Bryan's night turned from bad to worse as he was later attacked byThe Rock and insulted by celebrityCharlie Sheen.[147]
Kane offers to "hug it out" with Bryan.
AJ's rejection of Bryan turned him into an angry and bitter individual and resulted in Bryan lashing out at audiences.[148] AJ continued to exact her revenge on Bryan by denying him a WWE Championship match and instead forcing him to face Kane on August 19 atSummerSlam,[149] where Bryan emerged victorious.[150] As a result of Bryan and Kane's issues, AJ enrolled them inanger management classes hosted by Dr. Shelby[151] and they were later forced to "hug it out".[152] At the arrangement of Dr. Shelby and AJ, Bryan turned face once again when he and Kane formed a team whose constant bickering and infighting even during matches inadvertently resulted in them defeatingThe Prime Time Players (Titus O'Neil andDarren Young) to become the number one contenders to theWWE Tag Team Championship on the September 10 episode ofRaw[153] and then defeating championsKofi Kingston andR-Truth to win the championship on September 16 atNight of Champions.[154]
On January 27, 2013, at theRoyal Rumble, Team Hell No retained the WWE Tag Team Championship against Team Rhodes Scholars.[156] On the February 4 episode ofRaw, Bryan was inserted into the World Heavyweight Championship number one contender Elimination Chamber match when he defeatedRey Mysterio, after which the returning Mark Henry attacked both men.[157] On February 17 atElimination Chamber, Bryan was the first man eliminated from the match, courtesy of Henry.[158] On April 7 atWrestleMania 29, Team Hell No defeated Dolph Ziggler andBig E Langston for another successful title defense.[159] Team Hell No rekindled their rivalry with The Shield the following night onRaw after savingThe Undertaker from an ambush by them.[160] On the April 22 episode ofRaw, Team Hell No and The Undertaker were defeated by The Shield in a six-man tag team match.[161] The Shield went on to take out Undertaker and rack up wins over Bryan and Kane in both singles and tag matches that also included WWE Champion John Cena.[162][163][164][165] On May 19 atExtreme Rules, Bryan and Kane lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to Shield members Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, ending their reign at 245 days.[166]
As Bryan being pinned led to the loss of the WWE Tag Team Championship, he became obsessed about proving that he was not the weak link ofTeam Hell No and as a result became even more aggressive, but his overzealous behavior led to Team Hell No losing their rematch against Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns on the May 27 episode ofRaw.[167][168] During this storyline, Bryan was praised as the best performer in WWE and having an unmatched connection with crowds by critics, peers and veterans of the professional wrestling industry.[169][170][171][172]
On the June 14 episode ofSmackDown, Bryan (with Kane and Randy Orton as his tag team partners) ended The Shield's unpinned and unsubmitted streak in a televised six-man tag match by forcing Rollins to submit.[173][174] On June 16 atPayback, Bryan and Orton lost against Rollins and Reigns for the WWE Tag Team Championship.[175] The following night onRaw, a match between Bryan and Orton ended via referee stoppage after Bryan suffered a legitimatenerve injury,[176] which was astinger resulting in Bryan being unable to feel both his arms for the rest of the match.[177]
He's the most technically proficient wrestler the WWE main-event scene has seen possibly sinceBret Hart, and he connects with the crowd (the whole crowd — sorry, Mr. Cena) in a near-euphoric way we haven't seen consistently since The Rock in his prime.
—David Shoemaker ofGrantland, while declaring Bryan as theMVP for theWWE Midseason Awards in October 2013[177]
Heading toSummerSlam, Bryan started a storyline where WWE chairmanVince McMahon was against Bryan due to Bryan's image not fitting of McMahon's vision of a typical WWE wrestler, while WWE chief operating officerTriple H was in support of Bryan.[178] At SummerSlam, Bryan defeated John Cena to win his first WWE Championship, but after the match special referee Triple H performed hisPedigree finishing move on Bryan, leading to Randy Orton cashing in his Money in the Bank contract to win the title from Bryan.[179]
When [Vince McMahon] had HHH call Bryan a B+ player, that is because Vince saw Bryan that way. Vince was just going to screw Bryan in the storylines and then push him down the card.
—Dave Scherer of PWInsider.com's analysis of Bryan's feud withThe Authority[180]
The next night onRaw, Triple H and the McMahons endorsed Orton as "the face of the WWE" while labeling Bryan a "B+ player" and forming The Authority faction.[181] With Triple H threatening to fire anyone who disobeyed him, Bryan was left alone to take on and suffer attacks from Orton and The Shield.[182] Bryan regained the title from Orton atNight of Champions,[183] but was stripped of the title the following night onRaw by Triple H.[184] Bryan wrestled Orton for the vacant titles twice, one atBattleground in a match that ended in a no contest,[185] and the second match was aHell in a Cell match atHell in a Cell, where Orton won the title.[186]
I wasn't supposed to be anywhere near the top of the card. I think I was scheduled to wrestle Sheamus, and probably be 5th or 6th match from the top, and maybe get a 10 minute match if we were lucky, but because of fan support, all of the sudden now I'm doing 2 matches and I'm in the main event of WrestleMania.
Until January, he was involved in a storyline withThe Wyatt Family.[188] Bryan and CM Punk defeated Wyatt Family'sLuke Harper andErick Rowan atSurvivor Series,[189] but Harper, Rowan and the leader Bray Wyatt defeated Bryan in a handicap match on December 15 atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs.[190] On the finalRaw of 2013, Bryan gave in and joined The Wyatt Family.[191] His ring name was briefly changed to Daniel Wyatt at this time.[192][193] However, on the January 13, 2014 episode ofRaw, after Wyatt and Bryan failed to win theWWE Tag Team Championship againstThe Usos in a tag team steel cage match, Bryan attacked Wyatt and led the live audience in a "Yes!" chant and gaining more support.[194] At theRoyal Rumble on January 26, despite Bryan losing to Wyatt in a singles match and later not participating in the Royal Rumble match, the audience continued to chant for Bryan during the Royal Rumble match and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match between John Cena and Randy Orton.[195][196]
Meanwhile, he also continued his feud with The Authority as Kane attacked him on multiple occasions, attempting to injure Bryan before his Elimination Chamber match on February 23 at Elimination Chamber,[197][198] in which Bryan survived until he was one of the final two participants, but defending champion Randy Orton retained after Kane interfered in the match by attacking Bryan.[199] On the March 10 episode ofRaw, Bryan and multiple fans occupied the ring (while WWE road crew members dressed in Bryan T-shirts posed as fans outside the ring) and refused to leave, resulting in an irate Triple H agreeing to Bryan's demand for a match at WrestleMania XXX, with the stipulation that the winner would be inserted into the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania.[200] At WrestleMania, Bryan defeated Triple H and, later that night, he won the triple threat match againstBatista and champion Randy Orton to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.[201][202]Pro Wrestling Torch editorWade Keller analyzed (and Danielson later confirmed in his memoir) that Bryan's WrestleMania journey was due to several factors: the fans' rejection of Batista and continual support of Bryan over the previous six months (even when he joined The Wyatt Family) as well as CM Punk legitimately walking out on WWE after the Royal Rumble.[203] Both Bryan and Chris Jericho later said that Bryan's original WrestleMania XXX opponent was supposed to be Sheamus.[187][204]
I don't know how my life got to be like this... I'm just a normal dude. I was never a special athlete. I wasn't great at any sports or anything like that. And now an arena full of people were chanting, 'You deserve it'. And I don't know what I've done to deserve it.
—Bryan reacts to the events of theRaw after WrestleMania XXX[177]
ThePro Wrestling Torch Newsletter wrote: "Leading into WrestleMania 30, the Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H program was the top draw ofRaw each week. Coming out of WM30, Bryan as new WWE World Hvt. champion has been solidified as a ratings draw".[205] This trend continued until at least May 2014, when Bryan had to undergo neck surgery due to his first of the two major injuries that would eventually force him to retire in February 2016.[206][207]
On theRaw following WrestleMania XXX, Triple H used his authority to grant himself a title match against Bryan, who was then attacked by Orton, Batista and Kane just before the match which ended in a no contest and Bryan's retention when The Shield interfered to chase away Bryan's adversaries.[208]Stephanie McMahon enticed Kane to return to his masked self which Kane complied and was granted a future title match against Bryan and proceeded to carry out a brutal attack against Bryan which led to a scripted injury to give him time off to mourn his recently deceased father.[209] AtExtreme Rules on May 4, Bryan defeated Kane in an Extreme Rules match to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.[210]
Major injury and Intercontinental Champion (2014–2015)
At some point in time, Bryan lost all strength in his right arm and required neck surgery. On the May 12 episode ofRaw, he was attacked by Kane and stretchered away that same night to justify his absence.[211] On May 15, Bryan underwent successful neck surgery, with a cervicalforaminotomy to decompress thenerve root having been performed,[212] but he was stripped of the WWE World Heavyweight title when it was revealed that Bryan would not be able to compete atMoney in the Bank.[213] Due to his injury, Bryan was largely off WWE television during this period.[214][215] Months after the neck surgery, Bryan's strength still had not returned to his arm.[216] He returned on November to television,[217][218] returning to the ring on the January 15, 2015 episode ofSmackDown.[219]
Bryan entered the2015 Royal Rumble match at number 10,[220] being eliminated byBray Wyatt in the first half of the match, causing the Philadelphia crowd to repeatedly chant for him during the second half of the match while booing other wrestlers entering the match, including eventual winner and fellow "good guy" Roman Reigns.[221][222][223]
Bryan came in like a homecoming hero and was gone, just a few minutes later, like a freshman nerd. ... Beyond that, the lion's share of the WWE audience wants him to be a top guy – and are willing to pay for that.
—Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com on Bryan's showing in the 2015 Royal Rumble match.[224]
His workrate in the ring and what he gives through the match just means so much more to the wrestling fans than anything else... His run [as champion] was cut short and I think fans wanted to see him get that [WrestleMania] moment that he deserves... WWE put a line through that.
After defeating Kane in acasket match on January 29,[226] Bryan won the WWE Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 31 in a multi-man ladder match.[227] This made him one of six wrestlers at the time to achieve WWE's newGrand Slam due to winning every male active title in WWE, while also making him WWE's 26thTriple Crown Champion[228]
WWE's storylines for Bryan since his return were widely criticized. Dave Scherer ofPro Wrestling Insider questioned "bringing Bryan back for the Rumble in the first place" if there was no intention of letting Bryan win.[180] Benjamin Tucker ofPro Wrestling Torch criticized WWE for having "watered down" Bryan's heroic character to a "sneaky, backstabbing, cheap, aggravating jerk" for the feud against Roman Reigns.[229] Mike Tedesco ofWrestleView wrote in March that WWE "killed Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton dead in the last two months. It takes a special bunch of nincompoops to pull that off".[230] Jake Barnett ofPro Wrestling Dot Net said that Bryan being labeled a "turd" was "asking fans to disbelieve what they see with their own eyes" and "will do nothing to calm down the conspiracy theorists who insist WWE is intentionally cooling off Bryan to make Reigns look better in comparison".[231] In a piece for theWrestling Observer, Zach Dominello was "dumbfounded and disheartened" that "after returning from a very serious injury, WWE's bright idea is to put Bryan in one of the most dangerous matches possible at WrestleMania", while having "dragged Bryan down to the levels ofR-Truth and Stardust".[232] On the April 16 episode ofSmackDown, in his last in-ring match for nearly three years, Bryan teamed up with United States Champion John Cena to defeat WWE Tag Team ChampionsCesaro and Tyson Kidd by submission.[233]
[Professional wrestling] is a far better place because of his involvement. There were things dating back to 2001 that he was involved with that changed the underground foundation of the industry, and over the past few years, significantly changed talent evaluation at the highest level of the industry.
—Dave Meltzer in 2016, reflecting just after Bryan's retirement[234]
Following the April 16 episode ofSmackDown, WWE pulled Bryan from wrestling on the remainder of WWE's touring of Europe as a "precautionary measure".[235] Bryan's scheduled title defense atExtreme Rules on April 26 against Bad News Barrett was later canceled as Bryan was "medically unable to compete".[236] Less than a week later, WWE stopped advertising Bryan from all future live events or television tapings.[237] After about a month off television, Bryan returned on the May 11 episode ofRaw to explain that after having undergone anMRI he would be out for an unknown period of time and could possibly have to retire (though the nature of his injuries were not revealed), therefore he relinquished the Intercontinental Championship.[238] On theElimination Chamber pre-show on May 31, Bryan stated that he would eventually wrestle again.[239]
In July, Bryan revealed that his injury wasconcussion-related and claimed that he had been cleared to return to the ring by external medical professionals and was waiting for WWE to clear him.[240][241] During his time away, he trimmed his signature beard and cut his hair short,[242] donating his hair to Wigs 4 Kids, a charity similar toLocks of Love.[243]
On February 8, 2016, Bryan retired for medical reasons.[244] Later on that day's episode ofRaw, broadcast from Bryan's home state of Washington, Bryan gave a retirement speech expressing his gratefulness for the happiness wrestling had brought him.[245] The following day onESPN, Bryan revealed that he suffered ten documented concussions while wrestling, but more might have been undocumented or misdiagnosed. He said a recentEEG reflex test revealed slowing and a small subacute or chronic lesion in his brain'stemporoparietal region, which explained Bryan's post-concussionseizures and led to his retirement decision.[246][247] Bryan had been cleared by a doctor for theArizona Cardinals and passed a concussion test atUCLA with "flying colors", but WWE's head of medicalJoseph Maroon refused to clear him. Journalist Dave Meltzer suggested that this may have been because of Maroon having been portrayed in a negative light in the filmConcussion. Initially, Bryan requested his release from WWE and was looking to return to NJPW and ROH as well as work in Mexico forConsejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL), but the request was turned down by Vince McMahon. Bryan underwent a new test, where the lesion in his brain was discovered, after which he himself made the decision to retire.[248] OnThank You Daniel, aWWE Network tribute to Bryan, he confirmed that he had been asked about working for WWE in a different capacity while comparing this to "a partner breaking up with you, getting married to someone else and then asking you to be best friends", expanding to say that he needed time to heal emotionally before he could agree to such an offer.[citation needed] During this period, WWE confirmed that Bryan would continue to appear for the company in a non in-ring role alongside his wife Brie Bella, who served as a WWE Ambassador[249] following her retirement from in-ring competition on April 3 atWrestleMania 32.[250][251] Recognized as a WWE Legend,[252] Bryan co-hosted the WWE Network tournamentCruiserweight Classic alongside SmackDown commentatorMauro Ranallo in mid-2016.[253]
With the inception of WWE's secondbrand split, Bryan was appointed as SmackDown General Manager on the July 18 episode ofRaw.[254] AfterSummerSlam on August 21, Bryan unveiled two new championships exclusive to the SmackDown brand: theSmackDown Women's Championship and theSmackDown Tag Team Championship.[255] He also co-hostedTalking Smack withRenee Young, a post-show interview segment on the WWE Network.[256] The segment frequently became the site for heated altercations between Bryan and The Miz; Bryan openly expressed his disdain while The Miz complained about being mistreated. The two continued to feud for the rest of the year, with The Miz often running away from Bryan when a physical altercation was teased.[257]
On the April 10 and 11, 2017 episodes ofRaw andSmackDown Live, Bryan was involved in the2017 Superstar Shake-up in which brand's former championsAlexa Bliss, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, The Miz, Heath Slater andRhyno were traded to Raw.[258] Bryan later took time off from WWE television for paternity leave and returned on the June 20 episode ofSmackDown Live, during which he strippedCarmella of herMoney In The Bank briefcase and suspendedJames Ellsworth due to his interference in the match.[259] On the August 1 episode ofSmackDown Live, Bryan appointed Shane McMahon as a guest referee for United States ChampionAJ Styles's title defense againstKevin Owens atSummerSlam on August 20,[260] thereby triggering a long-term feud between Owens and Shane that would ultimately also involve Bryan himself. Bryan was again absent from television after being attacked by Kane on the October 30 episode ofRaw.[261] He returned on the November 14 episode ofSmackDown Live.[262]
AfterSurvivor Series on November 19, Bryan became deeply involved in Shane McMahon's feud against Kevin Owens andSami Zayn, favoring the latter two. On the November 21 episode ofSmackDown Live Shane was about to fire the two[263] for attacking him during their Survivor Series interbrand elimination match against Team Raw, which SmackDown ultimately lost.[264] To settle the dispute whether Owens and Zayn should be fired, the two were scheduled to wrestle Randy Orton andShinsuke Nakamura atClash of Champions on December 17 with Owens's and Zayn's jobs on the line.[265][266] During the match Shane and Bryan acted as guest referees and come to blows: after Shane intentionally stopped a count at two during a pinfall attempt by Zayn, while Bryan made a fast count to give Owens and Zayn the win.[267] Over the following weeks, Bryan kept on favoring Owens and Zayn by giving them multiple opportunities at AJ Styles's WWE Championship, first in a handicap title match at theRoyal Rumble on January 28, 2018,[268] and then by including Owens and Zayn among the five challengers on March 11 atFastlane. During the match at Fastlane, Shane broke up pinfall attempts by Owens and Zayn,[269] resulting in a brutal attack by Owens and Zayn on the following episode ofSmackDown Live.[270]
In-ring return and "The New" Daniel Bryan (2018–2019)
At that time, after more than two years of evaluations, reviews of his medical history and neurological and physical evaluations, Bryan was cleared by three external independent neurosurgeons, neurologists, and concussion experts (in addition to Joseph Maroon) to return to WWE in-ring competition on March 20.[271] He feuded against Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn, wrestling his first match in years atWrestleMania 34, where he and Shane McMahon defeated them.[272] As a result of being medically cleared, Bryan resigned as general manager.[273][274]
Bryan participated in the 50-man Royal Rumble match atGreatest Royal Rumble on April 27 as the first entrant, lasting for 76 minutes before being eliminated byBig Cass in the final three. He broke the record for longest time spent in a singleRoyal Rumble match, previously held by Rey Mysterio in2006.[275] Bryan defeated Cass atBacklash on May 6[276] andMoney in the Bank on June 17.[277] On the June 26 episode ofSmackDown Live, Bryan was aided by Kane in a post-match attack fromThe Bludgeon Brothers, reuniting Team Hell No. AtExtreme Rules on July 15, Team Hell No lost to The Bludgeon Brothers after Kane was attacked pre-match with Bryan having to compete in a handicap match.[278]
After months of goading and later avoiding Bryan—as well as getting involved in Team Hell No's feud with The Bludgeon Brothers—Bryan competed against long-time rival The Miz atSummerSlam on August 19, but lost due to an undetected use of brass knuckles.[279] Following SummerSlam, atHell in a Cell Bryan and his wife Brie Bella lost to The Miz andMaryse. AtSuper Show-Down on October 6, Bryan defeated The Miz to earn a WWE Championship opportunity against AJ Styles atCrown Jewel on November 2.[280] However, in wake of theKhashoggi death incident he refused to work the Crown Jewel event in Saudi Arabia and the storyline was altered so that their match took place on the October 30 episode ofSmackDown Live, which Bryan lost.[281][282][283]
On the November 13 episode ofSmackDown Live, Bryan defeated AJ Styles to win the WWE Championship for the fourth time following a low blow. After the match, he attacked Styles, turning heel for the first time since 2012.[284] At Survivor Series, he facedWWE Universal Champion Brock Lesnar in an interbrand champion vs. champion match, which he lost.[285] As part of his heel turn, Bryan christened himself as "The New" Daniel Bryan, retaining the title against Styles atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs[286] andRoyal Rumble.[287] On the January 29 episode ofSmackDown Live, Bryan threw the standard title belt in a garbage can (bemoaning the fact it was made from leather) and introduced a new belt, made from "entirely sustainable materials" and started calling himself "The Planet's Champion".[288][289] Bryan defended the title in an Elimination Chamber at theElimination Chamber event, by last eliminating Kofi Kingston.[290] AtFastlane on March 10, Bryan was originally scheduled to defend his championship against Kingston, but afterMr. McMahon replaced Kingston, Bryan successfully retained the title in a triple-threat match against Kevin Owens andMustafa Ali.[291] Bryan eventually defended the championship against Kingston atWrestleMania 35 on April 7, where Bryan lost, ending his reign at 145 days.[292] On May 6, Bryan competed on his first match onRaw since March 2015, where he lost to Kingston in a WrestleMania rematch, ending their feud.[293]
On the May 7 episode ofSmackDown Live, Bryan and Rowan defeated The Usos for the vacant WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship, marking their first reign as a team.[294] AtMoney in the Bank on May 19, Bryan and Rowan faced off against The Usos in a non title match in a losing effort.[295] AtStomping Grounds on June 23, Bryan and Rowan defeated Heavy Machinery (Otis andTucker) to retain the titles.[296] On July 14 atExtreme Rules, Bryan and Rowan lost the titles toThe New Day (Big E andXavier Woods) in a triple threat tag-team match, which also involved Heavy Machinery.[297]
In August 2019, Bryan and Rowan became involved in a storyline with Roman Reigns, as Reigns was being targeted for attacks by a mystery conspirator.[298] Reigns suspected Rowan as his attacker due to seemingly incriminating video footage, but Bryan instead revealed that the attacker was merely a man who resembled Rowan.[299] However, Rowan later turned on Bryan and revealed that he was the attacker the entire time, ending the alliance between the two.[300] On the September 24 episode ofSmackDown Live, Bryan was saved by Reigns from an assault from Rowan and Luke Harper.[301] Bryan then joined with Reigns to take down Rowan and Harper, thus turning face once again in the process.[302] AtHell in a Cell on October 6, Bryan and Reigns defeated Rowan and Harper.[303]
Universal Championship pursuits and departure (2019–2021)
On the November 8 episode ofSmackDown, Bryan was attacked by Universal Champion "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt.[304] In response, Bryan challenged Wyatt for the Universal Championship atSurvivor Series on November 24, which Bryan lost.[305] On the followingSmackDown, after Wyatt challenged Bryan to another match, Bryan accepted the challenge and said that the Yes Movement was back.[306] During the Yes chants, Wyatt appeared as The Fiend and attacked Bryan, ripping out his hair and beard.[307] Bryan, sporting a clean shave and hair cut short, returned atTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 15 to attack Wyatt.[308] On the December 20 episode ofSmackDown, Bryan defeated The Miz andKing Corbin in a triple threat match to earn another Universal Championship match at theRoyal Rumble on January 26, 2020,[309][310] but Bryan was again unsuccessful at the event.[311]
Bryan then began a rivalry withDrew Gulak, who claimed to have "found holes in Bryan's game".[312] This led to a match being made forElimination Chamber on March 8, which Bryan won.[313] On the March 13 episode ofSmackDown, Bryan formed an alliance with Gulak, as Gulak managed Bryan during his match against Cesaro, where both were subsequently attacked by Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Intercontinental Champion Sami Zayn.[314] On the March 27 episode ofSmackDown, after Gulak defeated Nakamura, Bryan earned an Intercontinental Championship match against Zayn at the first night ofWrestleMania 36 on April 4,[315] which he lost.[316] AtMoney in the Bank on May 10, Bryan competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match, but was unsuccessful as the match was won by Otis.[317] On the May 15 episode ofSmackDown, Bryan defeated Gulak in the quarter-finals of atournament for the vacant Intercontinental Championship.[318] On the May 29 episode ofSmackDown, Bryan then defeated Sheamus in the semi-finals who replaced Bryan's scheduled opponent Jeff Hardy, who was arrested for crashing his car intoElias and who had won a battle royal to face Bryan.[319] Bryan ultimately lost to AJ Styles in the finals on the June 12 episode ofSmackDown.[320]
After taking a hiatus, Bryan returned on the October 16 episode ofSmackDown.[321] On theTLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pre-show on December 20, Bryan, Big E,Chad Gable and Otis defeated Sami Zayn, King Corbin, Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro.[322] Following this, Bryan participated in theRoyal Rumble on January 31, 2021, but was eliminated by Seth Rollins.[323] Bryan competed in an Elimination Chamber match atElimination Chamber on February 21, where the winner would receive a match for the Universal Championship immediately.[324] Bryan won the match, but was quickly defeated by Universal Champion Roman Reigns.[325] Bryan would subsequently request a rematch from Reigns,[326] which he would receive atFastlane on March 21, in a match whereEdge was the special guest enforcer.[327] In the main event of Fastlane, Bryan was defeated by Reigns after Edge had attacked both men with a steel chair.[328] Afterwards, it was announced that Bryan would again challenge Reigns for the Universal Championship at the main event of night 2 ofWrestleMania 37, in a triple threat match also including Edge.[329] On the second night of WrestleMania 37 on April 11, Bryan failed to win the title after Reigns pinned both him and Edge.[330] On April 30, he lost to Reigns in achampionship vs. career match, meaning that he became banished from SmackDown.[331] This was Bryan's final match in WWE; on May 4, it was reported that his contract with WWE had expired later that week, and that the company was "pushing hard" for him to sign a new one.[332]
On the June 27, 2022, episode ofRaw, Bryan made an appearance via a video to congratulate John Cena on his career.[333]
All Elite Wrestling / Ring of Honor (2021–present)
On September 5, 2021, Danielson made his surprise debut forAll Elite Wrestling (AEW) at theAll Out pay-per-view, confrontingThe Elite; the team had been joined byAdam Cole, who had made his debut just moments earlier. Danielson came to the aid ofChristian Cage andJurassic Express following a brawl between the two teams after Kenny Omega had retained theAEW World Championship against Cage.[334] AtDynamite: Grand Slam on September 22, Omega and Danielson fought to a 30-minute time limit draw in a non-title match.[335][336]
Danielson won theAEW World Championship Eliminator Tournament (an eight-mansingle-elimination tournament) and received a future AEW World Championship match after defeatingDustin Rhodes,[337] Eddie Kingston,[338] andMiro in the finals on November 13 atFull Gear.[339] He would then feud with the recently crowned AEW World Champion"Hangman" Adam Page, who he faced on December 15 atWinter is Coming. The match ended in another 60 minute time-limit draw, giving Danielson his second 5-star match from Meltzer.[340] On the January 5, 2022 episode ofDynamite, Danielson once again faced Page for the World Championship, but was defeated, marking his first loss in AEW.[341]
Shortly thereafter, he began a storyline with the recently returningJon Moxley, offering to team up with him.[342][343] However, Moxley stated that he would only team with Danielson if they wrestled each other first.[344] AtRevolution on March 6, Danielson lost to Moxley, after which the two began brawling; William Regal, once a mentor to both men, then made his surprise debut to break up the fight and force them to shake hands.[345] The two formed a team with Regal acting as their manager, later being named theBlackpool Combat Club.[346][347]
Following this,Wheeler Yuta was recruited into the group.[348] They soon began a feud with theJericho Appreciation Society, whom they lost to atDouble or Nothing on May 29 in anAnarchy in the Arena match.[349] On the June 22 episode ofDynamite, Danielson revealed that he was not medically cleared to compete againstZack Sabre Jr. atForbidden Door on June 26, instead organizing a replacement as "the one person" he trusted to take his place at the event and the subsequentBlood and Guts special episode ofDynamite.[350] At Forbidden Door, the debutingClaudio Castagnoli took Danielson's place, defeating Sabre Jr. and joining the Blackpool Combat Club.[351] On the August 24 episode ofDynamite, Danielson challenged Chris Jericho to a match atAll Out on September 4, which he accepted.[352] At All Out, Danielson lost to Jericho.[353]
Afterwards, he competed in a tournament for the AEW World Championship, defeating Adam Page[354] and Jericho[355] before losing in the finals to Moxley atGrand Slam on September 21.[356] The following week, Jericho gaveDaniel Garcia an ultimatum about his loyalties, who told Jericho he did not take orders from him. Danielson came down and told Garcia to make his own decision, and offered him a spot in the Blackpool Combat Club.[357] On the October 12 episode ofDynamite, Danielson lost to Jericho in aROH World Championship match after Garcia hit Danielson with hisROH Pure Championship.[358] At theFull Gear event on November 19, Danielson challenged for the ROH World Championship in a four-way match involving Jericho, Castagnoli andSammy Guevara, but lost.[359]
After this, Danielson began a rivalry with AEW World ChampionMJF.[360] The two faced in a 60-minuteIron Man match at theRevolution event on March 5, 2023, which Danielson lost after the match went tosudden death overtime.[361] The match was met with critical acclaim,[361][362] and received a 53⁄4 star rating from Dave Meltzer.[363] On the following episode ofDynamite, Danielson declared that it was time for him "to go home".[364] Danielson returned on the March 29 episode ofDynamite where he seemingly came out to helpKenny Omega from an attack by Moxley, Castagnoli, and Yuta but joined the group in attacking Omega, turning heel in the process.[365] AtDouble or Nothing on May 28, the Blackpool Combat Club defeatedThe Elite (Omega, Adam Page, andThe Young Bucks) in an Anarchy in the Arena match.[366]
AtAll Out on September 3, Danielson made his return from injury as a face and defeatedRicky Starks in aNo DisqualificationStrap match.[367][368] On October 1 atWrestleDream, Danielson defeatedZack Sabre Jr..[369] On November 11, Danielson and AEW presidentTony Khan announced a tournament called theContinental Classic, which Danielson also announced he will be one of 12 competitors where he would compete in the Blue League.[370] Danielson finished top of his block with 10 points, allowing him to advance to the semi-final round. In the semi-final round, Danielson was defeated by Eddie Kingston, eliminating him from the tournament.[371]
On the December 15 episode ofRing of Honor Wrestling, Danielson would make his return to Ring of Honor, now the sister promotion ofAll Elite Wrestling, for the first time since 2009, by challengingFTR (Dax Harwood andCash Wheeler) andMark Briscoe to a match atFinal Battle against the Blackpool Combat Club in honor of Briscoe's later brotherJay. At the event, held later that month, the Blackpool Combat Club were defeated.[372]
On March 3, 2024 atRevolution, Danielson unsuccessfully challenged Eddie Kingston for the Continental Crown Championship.[373] On April 21 atDynasty, Danielson was defeated byWill Ospreay.[374]
Danielson returned on the May 8 episode ofDynamite, becoming the final member of Team AEW with Eddie Kingston (later replaced byDarby Allin) andFTR (Cash Wheeler andDax Harwood) to take on The Elite in an Anarchy in the Arena match atDouble or Nothing on May 26.[375] At Double or Nothing, Team AEW was defeated by The Elite.[376]
In June, Danielson participated in theOwen Hart Foundation Tournament, defeatingShingo Takagi in the first round atForbidden Door,[377]Pac in the semi-final atDynamite:Beach Break on July 3[378] and "Hangman" Adam Page to win the tournament on the July 10 episode ofDynamite. In doing so, he also earned a match againstSwerve Strickland for the AEW World Championship atAll In: London on August 25.[379] On the July 31 episode ofDynamite, Danielson declared that if he failed to win the AEW World Championship at All In: London, he would never wrestle again.[380] At All In: London, he defeated Strickland to win the AEW World Championship.[381] On the following episode ofDynamite on August 28, he announced that as long as he's AEW World Champion, he would remain a full-time AEW wrestler and that his full-time career would end as soon as he lost the championship.[382] During his reign, he retained againstJack Perry atAll Out on September 7. After the match, he was attacked by Castagnoli and Moxley, leading to Danielson's expulsion from the Blackpool Combat Club.[383] He lost the title against Moxley atWrestleDream on October 12, thus ending his reign at 48 days and full-time wrestling career. After the match, the Blackpool Combat Club would once again attack Danielson, writing him off television indefinitely.[384]
Sporadic appearances and commentator (2024–present)
On December 9, Danielson made his first appearance since WrestleDream at theAll In: Texas tickets on-sale rally.[385] In an April 2025 interview, AEW presidentTony Khan confirmed that Danielson remained working with AEW behind the scenes, maintaining a role on the company's creative team.[386] On June 25, 2025 after aCollision taping, Danielson competed in his first match since his WrestleDream defeat in adark match againstMax Caster that lasted eight seconds.[387] He also appeared on television atGlobal Wars Mexico,[388] and All In: Texas.[389]
On June 6, 2023 atDominion 6.4 in Osaka-jo Hall, Danielson made his return to NJPW for the first time since 2004 in a pre-taped vignette, challengingKazuchika Okada to a match atForbidden Door which Okada later accepted at a press conference.[393][394] At Forbidden Door on June 25, Danielson would defeat Okada via submission, despite suffering a legitimate broken arm following a flying elbow from Okada.[395] On November 4, atPower Struggle, Danielson made another appearance in a pre-taped vignette and challenged Okada to a rematch atWrestle Kingdom 18 which Okada accepted.[396] On January 4, 2024 at Wrestle Kingdom 18, Danielson was defeated by Okada. After the match both men bowed to one another, showing their mutual respect.[397] AtThe New Beginning in Osaka, Danielson was defeated by Zack Sabre Jr., in a rematch from AEW WrestleDream.
Bryan in his signature "Yes!" T-shirt in 2012Bryan wearing a robe atWrestleMania XXVIII
Danielson has spent the majority of his career without an overt character or catchphrase in favor of becomingpopular with the fans through his monikers, signature mannerisms, and wrestling ability. His attire has also varied, with the majority of his tenure spent wearing a pair ofshort trunks,[400] but he also ventured into wearing a mask for a time in Japan as an extension of his American Dragon persona.[401] He has cited a number of international wrestlers as influences to his style, including Japanese wrestlersToshiaki Kawada andMitsuharu Misawa and English wrestler William Regal.[402] He has also made mention of modeling his wrestling on that of American wrestlerDean Malenko and Canadian wrestlerChris Benoit in his early career, before usingBrazilian jiu-jitsu as a platform to develop his own style.[403]
Danielson has been described as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.[404][405][406][407]
Some notable parts of Danielson's persona are his mannerisms and the reactions he inspires from the crowd during the course of his matches, which include the following:
During his time in ROH, Danielson made his way to the ring to his entrance song ("The Final Countdown") and, once in the ring, stood on the topturnbuckle and sang the refrain along with the fans in attendance.[408] He reused the song as an entrance theme at the 2023Forbidden Door, as well as at the 2023All Out.[395][409] His theme song in WWE was arock variation of "Ride of the Valkyries".[410] In AEW, his theme begins with the original version of the main theme from "Ride of the Valkyries" before going into a hip-hop variation.
After winning the ROH World Championship, he displayed traits of avillainous persona, starting to behave more aggressively and threatening to the fans as well as taking more liberties with the rules; despite his rule-breaking character, he still retained a certain level of popularity with the fans and continued to uphold the company'sCode of Honor, ROH's storyline rules of wrestler conduct, allowing him to perform as a moreneutral character.[411]
During his initial reign as ROH World Champion, he told the ring announcer to add an extra note about him pertaining to the current circumstances around his match, which was generally insulting the crowd or his opponent.[412]
At the beginning of his ROH matches, the crowd would chant "you're gonna get your fucking head kicked in" at his opponents.[413] He brought back this catchphrase during his time in AEW, with it also being present (albeit censored) in his entrance music.
After winning WWE's World Heavyweight Championship, he began shouting "Yes!" repeatedly on his way to the ring and after defeating an opponent, crediting mixed martial artist fighterDiego Sanchez with the inspiration.[414][415] This chant grew in popularity and has become his main catchphrase, being heard outside of WWE at events such asMLB,NHL, andNBA games,[415][416][417] as well as at music concerts such asAndrew W.K. shows inGlasgow andManchester.[418] After turning into a villainous character at the start of 2012, he slowly turned against the fans; afterWrestleMania XXVIII in April, he began chanting "No!" instead of "Yes!" He claimed that the fans were mocking him by chanting "Yes!" so he chanted "No!" back at them, but this then further encouraged the crowd to chant "Yes!" to annoy him as he was a villain. Shortly after turning back into a heroic character, he began chanting "Yes!" again, but would still shout "No!" when in a negative situation or showing disdain towards a critique, which also involved crowd participation.
His "Yes!" chant again entered popular culture in late 2013 and early 2014. DuringMichigan State's regular-season victory over arch-rivalMichigan, Spartansguard Travis Jackson celebrated a touchdown with a "Yes!" chant.[419] On January 7, the university honored the football team, fresh off victory in theRose Bowl, during halftime of themen's basketball home game againstOhio State. Jackson again led Bryan's chant, this time with the entire home crowd, especiallythe student section, joining in. The event quickly wentviral and drew extensive coverage onESPN'sSportsCenter. One contributor toYahoo! Sports speculated that this event and the associated media coverage led WWE to prematurely end his short-lived villainous run as a member of The Wyatt Family.[420] In the wake of his championship victory at WrestleMania XXX, thePittsburgh Pirates began using the "Yes!" chant as a rallying cry, gradually replacing theZoltan gesture the Pirates had been using the previous two years; it was said that Pirates first basemanGaby Sánchez, a huge wrestling fan, was behind the team using the "Yes!" chants.[421] In May, members of theSan Francisco Giants started using the chant and hand gesture to celebrate home runs. This led to him performing the chant at a Giants playoff game and actively supporting the team all the way to the World Series, which the Giants won against theKansas City Royals in seven games. He was also a part of the team's victory parade.[422] Fans of theNew York Islanders now use the "Yes!" chant after every Islanders goal scored during home games.[423]
On several occasions, such as the 2013Slammy Awards, fans have successfully hijacked segments with his "Yes!" chant when he was either not involved or involved only secondarily. In the case of the "Championship Ascension Ceremony" segment, the fan's continuing "Yes!" chants forced John Cena to go off-script and acknowledge Bryan (especially since the show was held in Seattle) even though the segment was supposed to be about Cena and Randy Orton's impending title unification match.[420]
Throughout his career, Bryan has been known as a submission specialist.[424][425] In his initial run on the independent circuit, he utilized abridging double chickenwing, named the Cattle Mutilation, to finish his opponents.[426][8] This style has continued throughout his WWE career, where he used anomoplatacrossface,[427] which has been variously called either the LeBell Lock, the "No!" Lock, or the "Yes!" Lock.[428] After his return to active performing in 2018, he began using aheel hook to finish matches.[429]
Shortly after capturing the WWE Championship for a fourth time by low blowing AJ Styles and turning into a villainous character at the end of 2018, Bryan changed his in-ring persona, beginning to smile more often in a sinister way and not leading any "Yes!" chants, which resulted in him receiving heat from the crowd.[284][285][430][431] AfterSurvivor Series in November of that year, he also started to repeatedly call the fans "fickle" while claiming that the "old Daniel Bryan" that the people loved and the "Yes!" movement were both dead before christening himself as the "new Daniel Bryan".[431] His character then became an exaggerated and villainous version of his real-life personality:[432][433] a militantenvironmentalist andvegan who constantly berated the WWE fans for theirconsumerism,environmental damage, andconsumption of meat, as well as discussing the harm brought to animals by the farming industry.[434] He also chastised fellow wrestlers such asMustafa Ali for driving anSUV.[435] Two days after the2019 Royal Rumble, he threw the standard WWE Championship in a garbage can, bemoaning the fact it was made from leather, and introduced a new custom belt with the same design as the old one but made from entirely sustainable materials (such as the strap being made fromhemp and the front and side plates carved from the wood of a "naturally fallenoak tree") to go with his new persona.[436]
Danielson was prominently featured in theWrestling Road Diaries documentary, which was filmed in 2009 before he signed with WWE.[437] In 2011, Danielson recorded a single withKimya Dawson that was a tribute to wrestling legend"Captain" Lou Albano.[415]
On July 21, 2015, Danielson and Craig Tello co-wrote Danielson's autobiographyYes: My Improbable Journey to the Main Event of WrestleMania.[3] Later that year, he was one of the judges on thesixth season ofTough Enough.[439] After his relationship with Brie Bella became a regular feature on E! Network reality seriesTotal Divas, he became part of the cast of thespin off seriesTotal Bellas.
In May 2016, during his first retirement, Danielson competed in anOlympic weightlifting competition in his hometown.[440][441][442] He came in first place in his weight division, receiving akatana as his prize.[443]
Danielson has been featured in 10 WWE video games under the Daniel Bryan name, starting withWWE '12 in 2011 and most recentlyWWE 2K Battlegrounds in 2020. He was the alternate cover star ofWWE 2K14, alongside The Rock. He made his first video game appearance under his real name inWWE 2K19, which featured a showcase story mode based on his career in WWE.
Danielson made his first appearance in a AEW video game under his real name when he appeared inAEW Fight Forever in 2023.
Danielson married fellow WWE wrestlerBrie Bella on April 11, 2014, after they had been dating for nearly three years.[433][444][445] On April 6, 2016, almost two months after Danielson's retirement, Bella also semi-retired from wrestling so that the two could start a family.[446] They have two children, born in 2017[447] and 2020.[448] They reside inNapa County, California,[449] having previously lived inPhoenix, Arizona.[450]
Danielson became avegan in 2009 after suffering fromelevated liver enzymes and severalstaph infections.[453][454] In 2012, he receivedPETA's Libby Award for Most Animal-Friendly Athlete.[455] That same year, Mayor Micah Cawley ofYakima, Washington, declared January 13 "Daniel Bryan Day".[456] Later that year, Danielson explained that he was no longer a vegan due to his inability to find sufficient vegan food while traveling with WWE. He also revealed that he had developed asoy intolerance and could not find enough non-soy vegan protein on the road, but was still maintaining a primarily vegan diet. In 2018, it was reported that he and his wife planned to raise their children asvegetarians.[457] In 2022, he stated that he was still "very much in favor of aplant-heavy diet" but does not "stress too much if he feels like eating off-plan".[458]
In 2011, in response to fans mistakenly pointing out what they believed was anicotine patch on his arm, Danielson revealed that the discoloration actually stems fromvitiligo.[459]
In October 2012, a social media campaign was started in an attempt to helpConnor Michalek meet Danielson, his personal hero. Michalek was six years old at the time and suffered fromcancer of the brain and spine.[460] The campaign succeeded, with Danielson meeting Michalek in December 2012[461] and October 2013.[462] After Michalek's death, he was posthumously awarded theWarrior Award by Danielson at theWWE 2015 Hall of Fame ceremony.
In a 2015 interview, Danielson revealed that he is a lifelongteetotaler who has never had a drink of alcohol.[463]
Danielson (as Daniel Bryan) was a five-time world champion in WWE—pictured here as WWE World Heavyweight Champion, then represented by the formerWorld Heavyweight Championship belt (around his waist) and the 2013–2014 version of theWWE Championship belt (over his shoulder).
Tweet of the Year (2012) –"Goat face is a horrible insult. My face is practically perfect in every way. In fact, from now on I demand to be called Beautiful Bryan"[535][537]
^"Bryan Danielson: The American Dragon (2 Disc Set)".Ring of Honor. Archived fromthe original on September 22, 2012. RetrievedSeptember 16, 2012.One of the founding fathers of Ring of Honor, Bryan Danielson fought to earn his reputation as one of the best wrestlers in the world from day one and helped put ROH on the wrestling map.
^Thomas, Jeremy (January 31, 2020)."411MANIA".ROH Reviving Pure Championship, Tournament For New Champion to Start in April. RetrievedFebruary 9, 2020.
^"ROH Newswire for the Week of August 26th". August 27, 2007.Danielson paid the price for the hard-hitting contest. He suffered a small orbital fracture and there is something wrong with his retina.
^"First match revealed for tonight's Raw". Pro Wrestling Torch. RetrievedJanuary 10, 2012.In the video, Bryan plays up his new over-confident, success-has-gone-to-his-head persona interacting with Kingston outside of the venue in Corpus Christi, Texas.
^"EXCLUSIVE: Former WCW Champ offers praise for Daniel Bryan, which former WWE Champ does Bryan remind him of?". Pro Wrestling Torch. RetrievedJune 15, 2013.WWE star Daniel Bryan continues to receive praise from his peers and veterans in the wrestling business... Diamond Dallas Page offered his viewpoint on Bryan's current hot run and compared Bryan to former WWE champion Eddie Guerrero ... that son-of-a-b---- was as big and bad and electric and more over than anyone out there
^"WWE NEWS: D-Bryan gets very strong endorsement during Raw". Pro Wrestling Torch. RetrievedJune 15, 2013."I may be the best in the world at what I do, but @WWEDanielBryan is the best performer in the entire business right now. #muchrespect", Jericho tweeted.
^"TUCKER ON RAW 6/3: DVR Guide & Instant Reaction to the Daniel Bryan & Friends Show". Pro Wrestling Torch. RetrievedJune 15, 2013.Bryan has become the number one reason to watch WWE television. His performances tonight out-shined every single member of the roster by a mile. He showed incredible range in his moveset and an un-matched connection with the crowd ... ... he was the true, unquestionable star of tonight's broadcast
^"peta2 names Bryan "Most Animal-Friendly Athlete"".WWE.Last Friday, Mayor Micah Cawley of Yakima, Wash., declared Jan. 13 "Daniel Bryan Day" in honor of The Submission Specialist, who hails from nearby Aberdeen, Wash.
^Meltzer, Dave (February 2023). "February 2023 Wrestling Observer Newsletter: Results of the 2022 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Awards".Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
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