4 Extraordinary things Daniel Bryan has done since WrestleMania 34

From the biggest babyface to the 'baddest' heel. SmackDown has been treated with a character change like no other in a matter of a year by one of its star performers Daniel Bryan.

While Shane McMahon is the self-proclaimed ‘Best in the World’, Bryan has worked hard both in the ring and on the mic to actually become one of the best in the world. It's not only his wrestling abilities that are unparalleled, but also how he handles his character and character changes which are phenomenal.

Since returning to the ring at WrestleMania 34, Bryan has managed to become an entertainer like no other in WWE today and has arguably delivered his best performances in the past year.

In this article, we will take a look at 4 extraordinary things that both Daniel Bryan, and The New Daniel Bryan, have done over the course of the past twelve months, and what makes his journey from one WrestleMania to another more special.

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#4 Returned after a career-ending injury

On February 8, 2016, Bryan announced his retirement due to medical reasons via Twitter. The news hit the WWE Universe hard as Bryan was one of the brightest WWE stars at the time of the announcement.

The following day, Bryan revealed that he suffered ten documented concussions while wrestling, but more might have been undocumented or misdiagnosed. He said a recent EEG reflex test revealed slowing and a small subacute or chronic lesion in his brain's temporoparietal region, which explained Bryan's post-concussion seizures and led to his retirement decision.

While it seemed as though Bryan would never wrestle again for the sake of his own well-being, Bryan was miraculously cleared by three external independent neurosurgeons, neurologists, and concussion experts.

This led to him coming out of his SmackDown General Manager role and teaming up with Shane McMahon to take on Kevin Owens and Sani Zayn at WrestleMania 34 in his first match in over two years.

#3 Ended AJ Styles’ reign

After a few feuds on SmackDown, with the most dreamy one involving himself and The Miz, Daniel Bryan squared off against AJ Styles.

In a run against play, Bryan defeated AJ Styles to end his 371-day reign as the WWE Champion just a few days before Survivor Series 2018. Styles was already being advertised to take on Brock Lesnar at the event and plans quickly changed as Bryan took on Lesnar instead.

Styles’ ran through many opponents during his reign which lasted over a year, but only Daniel Bryan was able to get through him which was a huge achievement put on the superstar.

Since then, Bryan has managed to become the face of the men’s roster of the blue brand once again in such a short time.

Currently, Bryan has held the championship for almost five months now and will be defending his title against Kofi Kingston at WrestleMania 35.

#2 Became the biggest heel

If you haven’t watched ‘The New’ Daniel Bryan yet, then you are missing out on one of the best heels in wrestling today.

Bryan beat AJ Styles for the WWE Championship after illegally delivering a low-blow to the champion. He lost his match against Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series but a week after that emerged to announce that he’d now be The New Daniel Bryan.

Bryan then went on to defeat AJ Styles at Tables, Ladders, and Chairs 2018 with the help of former partner Rowan. Since then, Bryan has been able to become one of the most hated characters on television who loves to mock the WWE Universe and what they stand for and who they support.

It’s incredible how Bryan competed at WrestleMania 34 as a babyface, later won the WWE Championship as one while turning heel in the process, and has transformed into the most vicious heel on the blue brand heading into WrestleMania 35.

#1 Put over talent

Many champions do not risk putting talent over while holding a title for the sake of their own credibility. However, Daniel Bryan has managed to put a lot of talent over in his run as the WWE Champion.

The first man who benefited from his heel turn was Rowan, who has come up to the spotlight instantaneously after returning from an injury.

The second man who really got a push through Bryan is none other than the heart of SmackDown Live Mustafa Ali. Ali was immediately engaged in a feud with Bryan and has managed to pin the champion to become a big deal on the blue brand.

The third, and our favorite, person who has benefited from Bryan’s title run is Kofi Kingston. Out of nowhere, Kofi was presented with a chance to enter the title picture at Elimination Chamber, and since then he has managed to have a good run with the champion in his sight with Bryan placing a lot of emphasis on Kofi during his promos. The two men will finally meet face-to-face, one-on-one at WrestleMania 35.

Apart from these three men, even other men such as Xavier Woods, Big E, and many others have managed to get some boost thanks to Bryan’s title run.