10 Wrestlers So Good They Changed Vince McMahon's Mind

2. Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan AJ Styles Elimination Chamber
WWE.com

"Him? He doesn't even eat meat!"

"Daniel Bryan is a vegan nerd who doesn't even watch television."

Those two quotes, quite incredibly hurled at Daniel Bryan in 2010, were eye-watering when heard in full. The aim of a wrestling promotion is to promote talent. Bryan was literally heckled on commentary, where the aim of the commentator is to put over the wrestlers.

But the constant use of the word "even" suggested that this was a suffix to an insult spoken in subtext. As in: he's boring/overrated and he doesn't even..."

WWE listened to the recommendation of William Regal and Shawn Michaels, learned that Bryan had some buzz about him, and signed him up. Vince was so mystified by the pale, short man on his monitor that the thought of Bryan being great actually amused him.

But then Bryan showed Vince how great he was. He was outstanding in the ring, a genius, who adjusted to the WWE much quicker than his lauded contemporaries and inspirations. He could play smart babyface and vicious heel. He could do dream matches with CM Punk, and he could work comedy magic in the sports entertainment component with AJ Lee and Kane. He could cycle through modes as seamlessly as his awesome submission transitions. Bryan earned so much respect that Vince afforded him elusive creative control upon his return.

The "deformed" "vegan nerd" is now the Vince Whisperer.

In this post: 
CM Punk
 
First Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

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!