WWE: 10 Best Facts About Daniel Bryan's Success Story

5. Daniel Bryan: Expert Chicken Salad Chef

Several times over the past few years it's felt like Daniel had someone within WWE actively working to derail his career. Fans have long cried foul at his treatment, complaining that someone with his talent deserves much better. It all started with his firing in June of 2011. When the Nexus made their memorable debut, attacking John Cena and ringside officials and destroying the Raw set, Bryan made the mistake of strangling announcer Justin Roberts with his own tie. WWE immediately fired him in an attempt to appease their sponsors, citing the incident as being too violent for the TV-PG programming. Fast forward to his return and WrestleMania XXVIII where Bryan lost the World Heavyweight title to Sheamus in 18 seconds. Despite being the heel, the fans rebelled and he became someone they chose to get behind in a major way. He spent a large part of 2012 and 2013 as part of Team Hell No with Kane. No disrespect to The Big Red Monster, but whenever a wrestler seems to be spinning his wheels he's put into a tag team odd couple comedy act with Kane. We saw it with X-Pac, RVD, and The Hurricane. It's not that the duo wasn't entertaining. On the contrary, their segments were routinely some of the best on TV. It's just that it felt like a demotion for a guy who should have been on his way up instead of running in place. No matter what kind of angles or situations he's been tasked with dealing with, Bryan has made the absolute most of them, giving his all every time out. It's another reason why he's gained so much adulation from the fans.