10 Daniel Bryan WWE Matches You Have To Watch
He's back, so here's some matches to watch and get fired up.
After years of speculation, rumors and wishful thinking, wrestling
fans got their Christmas wish this week, as WWE announced that SmackDown GM
Daniel Bryan has been cleared for in-ring competition.
That means that one of the most popular characters in WWE – and one of the biggest superstars the company has seen this decade – will be wrestling once again, adding a new dynamic to the in-ring product and possibly reinvigorating the fanbase.
If you’re unsure what all of that means, you might not be entirely familiar with Bryan’s rise to superstardom in 2013-14. Bryan’s “Yes Movement” was born during that time and turned him into a megastar who battled The Authority almost as an avatar for the fans.
Bryan’s popularity has endured, even though he hasn’t wrestled in nearly three years. And fans are giddy at the prospect of seeing one of their favorites get back in the ring and do what he loves.
But until that happens, fans should reacclimate themselves with some of the American Dragon’s best work in a WWE ring. If you’re a relatively new fan, then this will help you understand exactly why this is such a big deal.
This list should provide a good mixture of D-Bry’s body of
work to get people pumped. So grab the remote and fire up the WWE Network for
these contests. Let’s get to it…
10. Team WWE Vs. The Nexus (SummerSlam 2010)
Let’s set the Wayback Machine nearly eight years to Daniel
Bryan’s first WWE PPV. And it was a match some fans didn’t think would ever
happen.
Bryan was an NXT washout, eliminated early in the first season of the then-competition show. He reemerged as a member of The Nexus, attacking John Cena on Raw. But fate intervened, as he was fired for choking ring announcer Justin Roberts out with his tie. And thus, Bryan’s WWE career was over before it even started.
Or so we thought. As the WWE banded together to fight the remaining seven members of Nexus, Cena recruited Bryan as the seventh member of Team WWE, and Bryan produced, eliminating Michael Tarver and Heath Slater before being eliminated himself.
This match is noteworthy if only because it’s Bryan’s first WWE PPV, and how different he looked way back then.