8 Ups & 13 Downs For WWE In 2021
5. Daniel Bryan
In which the best wrestler of the year is permitted to leave the company midway through assembling the CV that earned him the honour.
Daniel Bryan's latter half of 2021 is perhaps likely to be pored over in greater detail by fans of the industry at large, but those exclusive to WWE were left with so many amazing memories from one of the best to ever do it. Airlifted in to save the WrestleMania main event (when it felt certain he was going to win the Royal Rumble in the first place) Bryan engaged in a ripper of a singles feud with Roman Reigns and The Bloodline either side of a triple threat main event at the 'Show Of Shows' that found him back where most thought he'd never be. Quality offerings against AJ Styles, Cesaro and Jey Uso didn't stray from the norm, but they didn't have to for a wrestler that established his "norm" as f*cking fantastic".
Typical of Bryan's wholly unique career and life, his last WWE match had a loser leaves stipulation that actually stuck. All logic pointed to him moving to Monday Night Raw, but the not-even-that-old dog had a brand spanking new trick left to play and brought Bryan Danielson back to pro wrestling in a roaring return.