10 Wrestling Swerves That Actually Worked

9. Daniel Bryan Cheats To Become Champion (WWE SmackDown - 13 November 2018)

Daniel Bryan Wins WWE Title
WWE.com

The emotion that accompanied Daniel Bryan's in-ring comeback at WrestleMania 34 was powerful, intense and honest. Fans had been on a rollercoaster journey with the underdog for years, and they (just like him) had refused to accept that he'd never wrestle again. When he finally did and settled back into his career, relief washed over the masses.

Then, Bryan somehow made the crappy 'New' gimmick a winner.

On 13 November 2018, he beat AJ Styles to become the new WWE Champion. What should've been a tear-filled moment was cheapened by Bryan's decision to boot fellow face AJ in the nuts, smile wickedly and gleefully cheat to win. This maniacal drive to rekindle championship glories of old was fantastic, and the heel run reinvigorated Daniel.

Best of all, nobody saw it coming. Fans had accepted a babyface vs. babyface tale because of the quality on hand. Nobody believed for a second that Bryan would turn his back on sentimental vibes to become a devilish preacher who later introduced a title made of hemp.

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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.