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Bryan Danielson has once again opened eyes to just how great of a professional wrestler he truly is since signing with All Elite Wrestling. The American Dragon has wasted no time in immediately putting his name back in the "Best In The World" conversation with classics against Kenny Omega, Minoru Suzuki and Eddie Kingston.
It wasn't like he wasn't doing the same thing in WWE. This year, Bryan Danielson, then Daniel Bryan, was in the spectacular WrestleMania 37 triple threat main event against WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and WWE Hall of Famer Edge. Before leaving WWE, Bryan delivered a tremendous bout against Reigns on the April 30th SmackDown, a match that was highly praised.
With many fans and pundits trying to analyze Bryan Danielson's place in the greatest of all time discussion, his awesome feuds throughout his illustrious career should be further looked back on. In this article, let's take a look at the five greatest Bryan Danielson feuds.
5) Bryan Danielson vs. Randy Orton
Bryan Danielson went through a steady climb up the ranks of WWE during his stints there. After his World Heavyweight Championship and Team Hell No runs, Bryan had to work his way into the main event scene with Randy Orton acting as his final obstacle. They had a series of matches that were very entertaining and a victory in a No Disqualication Match over Orton helped elevate Daniel Bryan.
Randy Orton went on to win the Money In The Bank Ladder Match with Bryan in it and then proceeded to officially form the Authority with Triple H after cashing in on Bryan to win the WWE Championship at SummerSlam 2013. This led to more encounters between the two rivals, with Orton surviving with the title at the end of 2013 before losing to Bryan for the gold at WrestleMania 30.
Orton and Bryan made intriguing rivals during an important period of their careers. For Randy Orton, this helped him back into the top heel role and one of the more significant title reigns of his career. For Bryan Danielson, this solidified his spot as a top star for the WWE and helped kickstart the rivalry that took him into another stratosphere.
4) Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuiness
Bryan Danielson built his legacy on the independent scene. Whether it be for PWG or Dragon Gate USA, the former WWE Champion would work everywhere he was able in order to prove himself as one of the best wrestlers in the world. Across all of these promotions, the competitor that brought a different level to the American Dragon had to be Nigel McGuiness.
Nigel was an expert in the European catch-as-catch can style and made for the perfect foil for Bryan. The two men put on technical wrestling clinics up and down the road, helping build both their reputations. Bryan Danielson was already an exceptional worker, but he elevated himself with the help of Nigel McGuinness. Their classics from 2006-2009 have to be seen to be believed.
3) Bryan Danielson vs. CM Punk
The difference between this feud and the last is the second half of this rivalry. Nigel had a better feud with Bryan Danielson on the independent scene, but CM Punk had his fair share of great contests against the American Dragon as well. The two indie legends took their careers to the next stage when they signed with WWE. They came in at different times, but Punk and Bryan crossed paths in 2012.
CM Punk was the WWE Champion and Bryan Danielson came off the heels of the 18-second loss that sparked the Yes Movement. At Over The Limit 2012, they had an excellent WWE Championship clash with Punk coming out victorious. Their feud would also feature AJ Lee and Kane. They concluded things in a high impact No DQ bout at Money In The Bank with Punk winning again.
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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