10 Most Underrated Daniel Bryan Matches In WWE

2. Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett (SummerSlam; Aug. 14, 2011)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGbHi-U6PjM As previously noted, WWE handled Daniel Bryan in strange fashion coming out of his Money in the Bank victory in July 2011. At the time, he was nowhere near the main event scene yet announced he wouldn't be cashing in the contract until WrestleMania 28, leaving him with nothing to do for the remainder of the year. In the meantime, he engaged in a brief feud with Wade Barrett, leading to a singles match between them at SummerSlam. The program barely received any build in the weeks preceding the event, and the match wasn't confirmed for the card until two days beforehand. Consequently, the fans had zero reason to care about who would win, but that didn't stop the NXT Season 1 alum from having an instant classic at the biggest party of the summer. Even without the briefcase on the line, they managed to pull out a gem of a match. On a show that featured a WWE Championship unification match with John Cena and CM Punk in addition to a Randy Orton vs. Christian No Holds Barred bout, Bryan vs. Barrett was buried beneath everything else. But watching the matchup back on the WWE Network will make you realize just how talented the two of them were and the potential they had to be breakout stars. Interestingly enough, the crowd didn't react to much of what was going on for the aforementioned reasons. Bryan and Barrett weren't skilled at fan interaction at that point in their careers, which is funny considering how over The American Dragon would become with the audience years later.