10 Best Second Runs In WWE History

4. Daniel Bryan (2010 - 2021)

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WWE.com

To call the current Bryan Danielson's time with the Nexus a "run" is a bit cheeky, considering that he got fired after his first televised main roster appearance with them.

This happened because Bryan choked out ring announcer Justin Roberts with his own tie; a cool spot, but one that was deemed too violent for WWE and their sponsors. So, Bryan was let go.

He made his return to the indies, tangling with the likes of PAC, Shingo Takagi, and future BCC mate Jon Moxley before WWE realised the error of their ways and snapped him back up. He re-debuted for the company at SummerSlam 2010, facing off against his former stable as part of Team WWE.

The rest, as they say, is history.

His WWE career was a rollercoaster of highs and lows; from his World Championship win at WrestleMania XXX to his retirement in 2016. After over a decade of fantastic matches and moments, Bryan left WWE in 2021 to start a new legacy in AEW.

Despite his first WWE "run" being a blip in the American Dragon's iconic career, it's important to recognise how important it was and how things could have been very different had he never been fired in 2010.

Contributor
Contributor

Jacob Simmons has a great many passions, including rock music, giving acclaimed films three-and-a-half stars, watching random clips from The Simpsons on YouTube at 3am, and writing about himself in the third person.