10 Most Shocking Daniel Bryan Moments

8. Betraying His WrestleMania Principles

daniel bryan world title
WWE.com

After moving on from Daniel Bryan as James Bond, WWE decided to capitalise on his burgeoning popularity by putting the underdog in the World Heavyweight Title picture. Bryan's MITB win in 2011 was greeted favourably and fans couldn't wait to see him capture the big one. He would, albeit not as a babyface.

Instead, Bryan betrayed his own promise to cash in at WrestleMania by doing so at on-screen pal Big Show's expense. At TLC, he seized the moment by running in post-beatdown by Mark Henry and won the World title for the first time.

Though he didn't turn heel immediately, Daniel started acting like his sh*t didn't stink in promos with Show.

WWE brilliantly inserted a red herring here; Bryan had tried to cash in on Henry before but failed. He was then seen on SmackDown bemoaning his own senseless rush and saying he'd let himself down. That was a nice precursor to the eventual turn.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.