10 Ups & 7 Downs For Daniel Bryan’s WWE Career

2. That Awesome Match With The Awesome One

The Miz Daniel Bryan Night Of Champions
WWE.com

Rewatch the match between Daniel Bryan and The Miz at Night Of Champions. Before the bell, there was little in the way of atmosphere. Minutes before that bell sounded again, Chicago’s Allstate Arena, roof very much blown off, went bonkers in support of Bryan.

Early in the match, a furious Bryan targeted Miz with an early LeBell lock attempt before Miz slinked away. When he eventually stormed back in the ring, Bryan outwrestled him instantly with an arm drag and front drop-kick. Bryan positively embarrassed him with his technical proficiency; Miz only gained an advantage with the assistance of Alex Riley.

Mirroring perfectly Bryan’s macro struggles in the company—Bryan’s genius was immaterial, the odds were always stacked ludicrously against him—this was the expert storytelling we expected from him recalibrated to WWE’s broader context. In the end, unable to cope with Bryan’s relentless skill, Miz resorted to just pushing him away.

The timing of the finishing sequence was just incredible. Listen to the crowd reaction. Bryan, before the rush of the counter, struggled in the Skull Crushing Finale attempt just long enough to coax sympathy from the crowd without steering into melodramatic loser territory.

A match impervious to the pretentious and toxic commentary stylings of Matt Striker and Michael Cole—just—this was Bryan making a mockery of the mockery.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!