10 World Champions WWE Never Believed In

7. Daniel Bryan

As Daniel Bryan calls it a career, fans look back on the biggest highs and lows he had throughout his illustrious tenure in WWE, specifically when he won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of WrestleMania 30. But what made that moment so magical was that it was never meant to happen. He was scheduled to go up against Sheamus in an opening match before CM Punk's abrupt departure forced officials to switch up the card. From there, Bryan's surging popularity became too much to ignore, so he was placed in the headlining match at The Shows and Shows. Even had he not vacated the strap after suffering an injury, he likely would have lost it at SummerSlam to Brock Lesnar. That seemed to be the plan all along. Beyond that, who knows whether he would have been kept in the main event picture, but it's safe to say he wouldn't have been since he wasn't when he returned to the ring the following year. Years earlier, putting the World Heavyweight Championship on Bryan at TLC 2011 was the only option WWE had when Mark Henry went down with an injury, which is why he was booked to look weak and dropped it to Sheamus in an 18 second match at WrestleMania 28. His next two title wins in 2013 were also short-lived, and had it not been for the "Yes!" Movement in early 2014, he would have never been given another opportunity to contend for the championship.