5 current WWE Superstars who once used to wrestle under a mask

#3 Daniel Bryan (WWE SmackDown)

From Power Pro 2009. Cliq 2000 American Dragon who later became Daniel Bryan, Shooter Schultz, the late Lance Cade and Spanky, later Brian Kendrick. pic.twitter.com/ZWiPNQA0V0

— Randy Hales (@Rbhales) September 4, 2019

Before becoming a huge WWE Superstar, Daniel Bryan's first stint with the company was in 2000, where he was trained by William Regal. Performing for MCW, Bryan was closed to being called up to the main roster but was then released in 2001. He then went to New Japan Pro Wrestling, where he started wrestling under a red, blue, and white mask, as seen in the picture above.

After competing on the independent circuit and promotions like Ring of Honor, Daniel Bryan returned to WWE in 2009. He was introduced as one of the members of The Nexus but then released by the company only to return a few months later at SummerSlam 2010.

Daniel Bryan's career highlight came at WrestleMania XXX when he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship by defeating Randy Orton and Batista in the main event. Unfortunately, he had to relinquish the title after a few months. A similar situation took place the next year as he was forced to relinquish his Intercontinental Championship.

In February 2016, Daniel Bryan announced his retirement from WWE due to his medical conditions and soon became the General Manager of SmackDown.

Where does Daniel Bryan rank among the best ever in WWE? pic.twitter.com/VUWGkerctf

— Jeremy (@Jeremy8911) September 19, 2020

Weeks before WrestleMania 34, Daniel Bryan was cleared to compete after more than two years. He made his return to the ring at The Grandest Stage of Them All, starting his career once again. Since then, he has been one of the top Superstars on SmackDown.