5 reasons why WWE turned Daniel Bryan heel

#2 Bryan Had Become Stale

Bryan had lost major momentum over the past several months

It’s maybe hard for some of us to admit, but if we’re being totally honest with ourselves, Daniel Bryan had gotten a little stale over the past few months.

Once upon a time, the prospect of Bryan somehow managing to get cleared for in-ring action was something that was unimaginable, at least under the WWE umbrella. The multiple-time World Champion managed to overcome those odds, and we were all left with tears in our eyes when the former American Dragon stepped back in the ring at WrestleMania 34.

From there, fans looked ahead at the slew of dream matches and moments that could lie ahead for Bryan. And sure, we’ve had some fun bouts in the post-Mania months, but it seemed as if the Daniel Bryan character had hit a wall.

Entertaining matches happened with the likes of Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, Samoa Joe, Andrade “Cien” Almas, The Miz, and, yes, AJ Styles, but it felt as if Bryan was left with very little left on the table bar the long-awaited dream match against Shinsuke Nakamura. In fact, it was only a couple of weeks ago that Wrestling Observer Live’s Bryan Alvarez reported that the WWE had no particular plans for D-Bry once the Saudi Arabia-held Crown Jewel event was out of the way.

Now, with a shocking heel turn, the Daniel Bryan character has received a shot in the arm, a refresh, and a new direction that will see him positioned as a main player on the SmackDown brand moving forward.