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

9. Becoming A Monster

Daniel Bryan WrestleMania XXX
WWE

At WrestleMania XXX, Daniel Bryan, starved of the promotion befitting his level of skill and popularity, got his egg-free cake and ate it, too.

CM Punk had quit the company, and Bryan’s people had vociferously rejected Batista as prodigal son; they wanted Bryan, the prodigy of his generation, to headline ‘Mania at his expense. As loudly as those fans had rejected Boo-tista, they had roared Bryan on when he turned on Bray Wyatt. Following this vacillating din, with Bryan’s double shift formalised in the famous Occupy RAW segment of March 10, the Grandest Stage was set.

On it, Bryan delivered two of the most magical “moments” in WrestleMania’s history. Defeating Triple H in both the ring and behind the curtain—this absorbing, technically-minded blinder was very much removed from Trips’ favoured, methodical epic—Bryan captured the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from Randy Orton in a very different but no less dramatic WWE-style Triple Threat main that culminated in one of, if not the, most triumphant scenes ever broadcast in pro wrestling.

Confetti fell as hearts soared in New Orleans—and even those few who didn’t grasp Bryan’s appeal could not deny that this was as much a victory for the fans as it was for their hero.

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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!