10 Wrestlers We Had To Love Before We Could Hate

3. Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan Eric Rowan
WWE

Daniel Bryan deserves all the credit in the world for his chameleonic shift over the past 12 months. At WrestleMania 34, he had literally everybody in his corner as he returned to the ring for a tag-team match alongside Shane McMahon. In 2019, the same guy hears everyone booing his name whenever someone so much as mentions it during a promo.

That's rather extraordinary.

People loathe Bryan's eco-friendly rants or tut-tutting about the way they choose to live their lives. His message now is totally different to the one he used to deliver as a babyface, and that change from inoffensive underdog to supremely-confident preacher has been a whirlwind ride.

This 'New' heel DB is superior in every way to his previous runs as a bad guy. They, though fun, lacked the little touches of realism his current one has. Daniel believes in his message, that's clear, and he's succeeded in chastising the audience so much they now look at him as a green-touting tit.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.