10 Fascinating Facts About Famous Wrestling Finishers
9. Bryan Danielson: MMA Enthusiast
Bryan Danielson has a history of adapting MMA into his pro wrestling schtick, and, as with everything he does, it is incredible - and firmly in character.
As Daniel Bryan in WWE, in 2011, he borrowed from the UFC's Diego Sanchez. Sanchez psyched himself up during his ring walk with a "Yes!" self-affirmation. Bryan thought it was a stitch, and tweaked it to suit his delusional heel character. He celebrated himself on the way to the ring as if he were a worthy World Champion in storylines, and hadn't stolen the belt via cash-in. It was a riot, and while it evolved into a unifying call-and-response that transformed the very industry, it was an in-joke he shared with himself at first.
As the reborn American Dragon, Bryan Danielson is playing an altogether different character in AEW. He is the preeminent submission master, a man so violent with his technicality and so proud of his unparalleled brilliance that he brags when sleeping his opponents with his triangle choke finish by flexing his biceps.
In an interesting trivia note, he is mimicking a famous UFC finish; Nate Diaz put away Kurt Pellegrino with the exact same brand of smarmy arrogance.