10 WWE Dream Matches That Happened On The Indies

5. Bryan Danielson vs. Johnny Gargano

One night after Johnny Gargano defeated Tomasso Ciampa at NXT TakeOver: New Orleans, another small, gifted performer with prominent facial hair had his first match after a career-ending injury. Now that Daniel Bryan and Gargano were both on WWE's books, it would only be a matter time before they met in the ring, right... right? 

Unfortunately, by the time Gargano made it to the main roster, Bryan was long gone. He was in AEW and, at time of writing, Johnny Wrestling has yet to follow his former partner Tommaso Ciampa over to the other side. For a match between these two, we have to go back to a time before either man was in WWE.

Bryan Danielson (as he was known at the time) wrestled Gargano twice for a promotion called Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW). The future DIY member actually defeated The American Dragon in their first battle in 2009. The following year, the two wrestled to a time-limit draw with Gargano's AIW Championship on the line. 

With Danielson now retired, this clash of the generational babyfaces will remain a fantasy to everyone except a select few.