10 Wrestlers That Bled The Hard Way
3. Daniel Bryan (WWE SmackDown, February 2015)
There's something incredibly uncomfortable about watching Daniel Bryan burst his own forehead on Sheamus' during a routine SmackDown clash between the pair in 2015, even following his post-2018 return.
Battling lingering concussion issues after years of a career that hadn't been too kind to his body, Bryan shortly went on the shelf after this match with a series of complaints that would force his first retirement. Here, he bleeds thanks to a move and style he simply refused to compromise on until all the compromises were made for him.
As is WWE's policy, the net gain from the move - the blood - isn't really a feature. SmackDown was a dead issue by the time the two waged this needless war, with very little other than the shock of the moment likely to give the wound any lasting memory or notoriety. Bryan's thankfully worked as hard but substantially smarter since getting back everything he'd lost, though one senses he'd still gladly have these brutal scraps with the 'Celtic Warrior' more often if general rules around personal safety weren't so restrictive.