10 Things You Might Not Know About Daniel Bryan

In case you've locked yourself away for the past week, Daniel Bryan has been cleared to once again compete in a WWE ring. Most fans know the big landmark moments of his career since 2010 - his release shortly after the Nexus invasion of Raw, his return at SummerSlam, his 18-second loss to Sheamus at WrestleMania XXVIII, and his glorious redemption two years later.

But Bryan's career goes far deeper than that. He enjoyed a long Ring of Honor run as one of the most influential wrestlers in the history of the promotion and popped up all over the independent scene for much of the 2000s.

He even appeared in WWE long before most fans knew his name, as well as early excursions to Japan under his 'American Dragon' persona.

It's time to take a look at some of the more surprising chapters in Bryan's incredibly impressive time as a professional wrestler, from tentative beginnings as a trainee under Shawn Michaels all the way through to his more recent years as a WWE Superstar.

We'll learn about impressive feats of endurance, surprising booking plans gone awry, and more than a little silliness along the way.

10. He Was Supposed To Be In John Cena's Role At SummerSlam 2014

Let's begin with an abandoned booking plan highlighted by Dave Meltzer in this week's Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

Bryan, of course, won the WWE World Championship at WrestleMania XXX, defeating Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista along the way. He was sadly forced to vacate the belt due to injury shortly afterwards - but perhaps it's best that he did...

Rumour has it that Bryan would have headed into a showdown with Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam 2014, where Lesnar - fresh from his merciless defeat of The Undertaker at 'Mania - would have destroyed the fan favourite in short order.

If that sounds a little familiar, that's because it's the role that was eventually fulfilled by John Cena. All things considered, it was probably better that things worked out the way they did. A crushing defeat for Bryan would have been massively disheartening for many fans, whereas Lesnar's utter domination of Big Match John came across as a far more shocking and exciting turn of events.

9. He Won His First Title Alongside Brian Kendrick

Bryan and 'The' Brian Kendrick have a long and storied history, growing up together as trainees in the Texas Wrestling Academy - a school ran by Shawn Michaels and Rudy Gonzalez.

TWA doubled as a promotion, and it was here that Bryan won his first wrestling championship - the TWA Tag Team Championship, to be precise. His partner was Kendrick, and the pair would both eventually end up in WWE.

Kendrick would continue to have tag success at the highest level, teaming with Paul London to win tag gold as a WWE Superstar. Bryan would do the same alongside Kane as the very popular Team Hell No. It was therefore especially heartwarming to see Bryan cheer Kendrick on during his stint on commentary at the 2016 Cruiserweight Classic.

8. He Wrestled John Cena...In 2003

Bryan and Cena enjoyed an intense rivalry in the years before Daniel's

retirement

, helped by an interesting dynamic that pitted the larger-than-life, archetypal WWE Superstar Cena against the smaller, indy-grown Bryan.

They even shared what could arguably be deemed Bryan's best WWE match, a world title showdown at SummerSlam 2013 (which Daniel won, before being screwed over in heartbreaking fashion by special guest referee Triple H).

However, the pair actually wrestled for the first time in February 2003. The stage? An episode of WWE Velocity.

This match was a far less spectacular affair, with Cena defeating Bryan in under four minutes. Interestingly, Bryan also had two other singles matches on Velocity - first losing to Nunzio, then to fellow future ROH World Champion Jamie Noble.

7. He Is The American Dolphin

The biggest moments of Bryan's career have been serious affairs - from the emotional release of his WrestleMania XXX victory to epic wars in his ultra-intense ROH persona.

However, he's also been known to engage in a little silliness from time to time - most famously alongside Kane as part of Team Hell No, a dysfunctional pair of tag partners forced to attend anger management classes together.

On the independent scene, Bryan wasn't exactly averse to humour either. A semi-viral PWG promo alongside Paul London is hard to watch without laughing out loud. In it, London claims to have drawn inspiration from dolphin pods when deciding to choose Bryan as his tag partner. He deems Daniel 'The American Dolphin' and himself 'The Dolphin Master'.

It's well worth seeking out, if only to watch Bryan's increasingly futile attempts to keep a straight face.

6. He Won NJPW Tag Gold...Alongside Curry Man

Bryan's wrestling style is so full-throttle and hard-hitting, it's easy to imagine him fitting in well in Japan. He actually wrestled in NJPW early in his career and even won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship in 2004.

His partner, however, may come as something of a surprise. Fans of independent wrestling in the mid-2000s may be familiar with Curry Man, a mysterious masked figure based entirely around the dish in question.

The identity of Curry Man (spoiler alert) was actually Christopher Daniels, a pretty surprising answer given the Fallen Angel's usual intensity under normal circumstances.

5. He Once Wrestled Austin Aries For Over 70 Minutes

Like many independent stars of the mid-2000s, Bryan once specialised in astounding feats of endurance, and - like CM Punk, Samoa Joe, and many others - boasts a number of marathon matches in his career history.

The most notable could well be his epic two out of three falls match with Austin Aries in the summer of 2004. The bout took place at Testing The Limit and saw Aries take the first and third falls en route to a 74-minute victory.

The rest of the card reads as a real

who's who

of indy wrestling at the time and features the likes of Roderick Strong, Nigel McGuinness, Samoa Joe, Jay Lethal, and The Briscoes.

4. He Went Against A Huge Wrestling Tradition

Speaking of epic Bryan matches, his PWG World Championship match with Chris Hero in 2009 may not have stretched on as long as his bout with Aries, but still clocked in at over 40 minutes.

However, that's not what the match is chiefly remembered for, as Bryan shocked everyone in attendance by breaking one of wrestling's biggest traditions.

The fact that Bryan would soon be leaving the independent scene for WWE was known by many at the time, so everybody naturally expected him to lose on his way out of PWG. Instead, Hero shockingly tapped out, making Bryan a two-time PWG World Champion, and breaking from tradition in startling fashion.

Ultimately, this was a great booking decision. Not only did it provide a shocking and raucously-received result, but Bryan was forced to vacate the belt pretty much immediately. This meant that the winner of the annual PWG Battle of Los Angeles tournament would become the next champ, raising the stakes of an already exciting event.

The winner? A certain Canadian named Kenny Omega...

3. He Has Won 12(!) Slammy Awards

Despite being regarded as one of the best wrestlers in the world when he signed for WWE in 2009, many doubted that he'd be able to make a real impression in the big leagues. Nobody doubted his ability, but it was more a question of how casual fans (and indeed WWE themselves) would view the smaller, technical newcomer.

We now know that those fears were proven to be absolutely false, but if there's any stat that proves Bryan's ability to strike a chord in WWE, it's perhaps the fact that he has won 12 (

twelve!!!) 

Slammy Awards.

Some of the more notable accolades include Beard of the Year (obviously), Catchphrase of the Year ("Yes! Yes! Yes"), Couple of the Year (alongside Brie Bella, twice), and perhaps most importantly, Superstar of the Year (2013).

2. He's Been In A Match Of The Year (But Only Once)

The Wrestling Observer Newsletter's 'Match of the Year' is one of the most highly-regarded awards in all of wrestling - and while it's a fantastic accolade for Bryan to hold, it may come as a surprise to learn that he's only won it once.

That bout came in 2007 at Manhattan Mayhem II, where he took on the gigantic Pro Wrestling Noah star Takeshi Morishima.

Morishima was, at the time, the first ever foreign ROH World Champion, having defeated Homicide for the title. Incidentally, Homicide was the man who had ended Bryan's own critically-acclaimed reign after 462 days!

The match remains an excellent one, with the smaller Bryan attempting to chop down his much larger foe - and taking some tremendous punishment as a result. Despite arguably going into the match the favourite, he lost to Morishima, who would eventually lose the title to the 

second 

non-American ROH World Champion - Nigel McGuinness.

1. He Has An Award Named After Him

While we're on the topic of awards, let's end with a fact that perhaps justifies Bryan's reputation as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. He has - perhaps predictably - won the Wrestling Observer's 'Best Technical Wrestler' award a boatload of times.

Bryan scooped the prize every year from 2005 to 2013, demonstrating the way in which he managed to transition from an indy way of wrestling to the WWE style - without sacrificing his signature technical expertise along the way.

So dominant was Bryan in this category, the Observer eventually changed its name to the 'Bryan Danielson Award' - a very fitting decision given Daniel's greatness in this regard.

Interestingly, since 2013, only one other wrestler has won the award - mirroring Bryan's early streak. That man is Zack Sabre Jr., another wrestler who could be regarded as atypical in terms of appearance and style.

10. Brian Pillman vs. Jushin Thunder Liger

When WCW launched its own weekly TV show, Nitro, in 1995, the very first match they put on was a Cruiserweight clash between Flyin’ Brian Pillman and the owner of one of the greatest masks in wrestling history, Jushin Thunder Liger.

This would actually be the final time these two men would meet in the ring, as the bulk of their feud had taken place years earlier. Pillman and Liger first met in New Japan Pro-Wrestling but would feud in America over the WCW Light Heavyweight Championship, which the masked man beat the Loose Canon for on Christmas Day 1991 - What a present that was.

The two would continue to tussle over the title into 1992, with Pillman winning it back at SuperBrawl II and they would also team up as part of a tournament for the NWA tag titles, where, in the first round, they faced the tandem of Chris Benoit and a wrestler called Beef Wellington - Yes, you read that correct: “Beef Wellington.”

Though it wasn’t the longest feud ever, Liger versus Pillman helped put lightweight wrestling on the map in WCW, something the company would become famous for in later years.

9. Ricky Steamboat vs. "Stunning" Steve Austin

From Flyin’ Brian to his Hollywood Blonds partner and a man that WCW cared about so much that they fired him whilst he was injured. We’re sure nothing major happened as a result of that decision…

Before he was Stone Cold in the WWF, Steve Austin was Stunning in WCW, where he had an amazing feud with Ricky Steamboat spread over two years and multiple championships.

Their first encounter was for Austin’s World Television Championship, which he retained via disqualification. This was in December of 1991, and Steamboat didn’t win the belt until September 1992 - now that’s long-term booking!

In the meantime, the pair fought in numerous singles and multi-man matches, including the legendary WarGames main event of WrestleWar 1992.

After a tag title feud pitting Steamboat and Shane Douglas against The Hollywood Blonds, the two would engage once again over the United States title, which Ricky beat Steve for at Clash of the Champions 28.

The veteran clearly had the up-and-comer’s number, but the results were secondary to the wrestling art they painted on WCW’s canvas.

Stunning Steve was the perfect devious foil for The Dragon’s down-to-earth persona, and it was during this rivalry that we got our first glimpse of how great Austin would become.

8. Sting vs. Lex Luger

Everyone loves a good “Will They? Won’t They?” storyline, from Ross and Rachel on Friends to Mulder and Scully on The X-Files to Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith on The Great British Bake-Off - now there’s a soggy bottom we’d pay big money to see.

In wrestling, a great example of this is the turbulent friendship between The Total Package Lex Luger and The Man Called Sting. Sting and Luger first paired up in 1988, which was in the NWA era of WCW, but the union would continue long after the two promotions parted ways.

When Luger returned to WCW in 1995, the team immediately reunited, even though Luger would soon turn heel and Sting was one of the most popular babyfaces in the company. This unique dynamic made for some compelling TV, as Sting would constantly be caught between his friend and his squeaky-clean morals.

This wasn’t a feud in the traditional sense, but the underlying tension between these two pals was always exciting to watch, even though they didn’t have their first pay-per-view singles match against each other until 1999!

Was it a good match? Not really, but that’s besides the point.

7. Hulk Hogan vs. Ric Flair

At WrestleMania 8, WWE had a chance to run world champion Ric Flair against challenger Hulk Hogan. Did they? Of course not! That would have made too much sense!

Instead, fans would have to wait another two years to see these legends duke it out on pay-per-view, for rival organisation WCW at Bash at the Beach 1994. In his WCW debut match, Hogan pinned The Nature Boy to win his first WCW World Heavyweight Title and begin a rivalry that would crop up again and again… and again… and again… and again.

Unfortunately, Flair and Hogan would fight each other way too many times over the next seven years or so. Whether in singles matches, tag team bouts, or YAPPAPI INDIAN STRAP MATCHES BROTHER, what began as a dream pairing quickly turned into a nightmare.

However, you cannot dismiss how important that initial Hogan-Flair feud was in establishing WCW as a major force in American wrestling.

Naitch would also be among the first men to stand up to The Hulkster after his heel turn, playing a vital role in the early days of the New World Order.

See, it wasn’t all bad!

6. Vader vs. Cactus Jack

What happens when you put one of the toughest men in wrestling history against one of the most fearless men in wrestling history? In a word - carnage.

Having wrestled in various tag team matches, both on the same side and against one another, Big Van Vader first met Mick Foley’s Cactus Jack persona one-on-one in a World Heavyweight Championship match on an episode of WCW Main Event in 1993.

Though Jack never beat the Mastodon for the gold, the two would wage some epic wars, most notably at Halloween Havoc 1993 in a brutal Texas Death Match. It was during this feud that Foley got Powerbombed by Vader onto exposed concrete, giving him kayfabe amnesia and probably a fair few legitimate bumps and bruises too.

Of course, you can’t talk about this rivalry and not discuss that fateful house show in Munich, Germany in 1994, where Foley accidentally lost a portion of his ear in a ‘hangman’ rope spot gone awry.

For being one of the most violent feuds in all of wrestling history, Vader and Jack have more than earned their spot on this list.

5. Chris Jericho vs. Dean Malenko

There are many reasons why this Cruiserweight feud was one of WCW’s all-time greats - in fact, there are 1,004 of them…

At Uncensored 1998, after weeks of animosity between the two, Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho humiliated Dean Malenko by making the master of submissions tap out to the Liontamer. In his embarrassment, The Iceman vanished from TV for two months, although that didn’t stop Y2J from continuing to dump all over him.

Jericho carried on feuding with Malenko even though he wasn’t there, constantly reminding the audience that he had made Dean tap. Then, at Slamboree, fans were stunned when relatively unknown masked wrestler Ciclope won a Battle Royal to earn a shot at Jericho’s title.

But it wasn’t Ciclope at all! In fact, he was… oh come on, you know exactly who he was. You’ve seen wrestling before. The mystery man pulled off his mask to reveal himself as none other than the returning Dean Malenko, creating one of the loudest pops in the company’s history, before going on to beat Jericho to win the belt.

Sure, he would have to vacate it shortly thereafter because of his deceptive actions, but still.

4. Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Misterio Jr.

If you asked a seasoned wrestling fan what the best match in WCW history was, then there’s a good chance they’d say Eddie Guerrero versus Rey Misterio Jr. at Halloween Havoc 1997.

With both the Cruiserweight Championship and Rey’s mask on the line, these two Latino legends showed everyone how high-flying lucha libre was supposed to be done. In a match as psychological as it was physical, Misterio countered a second rope crucifix powerbomb to pin Eddie and win an utterly incredible match.

The story didn’t stop there, though, as Eddie would actually win the belt back off Rey just a couple of weeks later. This led to a rematch at World War 3, as well as several more encounters on TV.

Though it wasn’t particularly long, the Guerrero-Misterio rivalry gave us some breathtaking matches and helped promote lucha libre on the world stage. The only thing that would have made this dispute even better would have been the fate of the custody of a small child hanging above the ring.

3. Booker T vs. Scott Steiner

Like a well-cooked leg of lamb, sometimes a good wrestling feud takes time.

Booker T and Scott Steiner were involved in the final ever episode of WCW Nitro, where the Bookerman beat Big Poppa Pump to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship, although this was far from the first time the two parties had shared a ring.

Harlem Heat and The Steiner Brothers were mainstays of the WCW tag division in 1996, even swapping belts with each other a couple of times throughout the year.

Every tag team must split, though, but even without their respective brothers, Booker and Scott continued to cross paths.

At Spring Stampede 1999, Freakzilla defeated G.I. Bro in a tournament final to win the United States Championship. Then, the pair traded the world title back and forth during the promotion’s dying days, eventually culminating in the aforementioned Nitro finale.

To be able to feud up and down the card at various levels takes some serious skill, and it was a pleasure to watch both of these men evolve alongside each other over the years.

2. Diamond Dallas Page vs. Randy Savage

Alongside Bill Goldberg, Diamond Dallas Page was probably the biggest star WCW ever created on their own, but he needed some help from an ex-WWE name to really get to that next level.

After learning to wrestle aged 35, DDP bopped around the midcard until he came face to face with “Macho Man” Randy Savage in 1997. Page had recently turned down an offer to join the New World Order, which Savage took great offence to, leading to Page’s first-ever pay-per-view main event at Spring Stampede 1997.

In a fantastic battle between two immaculate workers, DDP walked away with the win, cementing his status as a new top guy in the company. He would continue to battle Savage until that year’s Halloween Havoc, where Savage beat Page in a Las Vegas Sudden Death Match.

For its amazing matches, memorable moments, and for elevating Page to his rightful place in the top spot, his feud with Savage gets a big “Oooooh yeah” from us.

1. Sting Vs. The NWO

Alright, alright, we know we said that it would be one entry per person on this list, but come on, could we really have left off the defining rivalry of WCW’s most successful period?

When Hulk Hogan turned heel and formed the New World Order, Sting took one look at the gathering darkness and went “See ya!”. WCW’s neon-drenched painted hero walked out on the company he had helped build, taking a leave of absence from the ring that would last over a year.

Though he didn’t wrestle, Sting was still a presence on WCW TV, lurking in the rafters in his best Crow cosplay, watching the NWO do their dirty work before, finally, he’d had enough.

After descending from the heavens at Uncensored 1997, the face-painted avenger set his sights on Hollywood Hulk Hogan, culminating in a match at Starrcade, which - actually, we don’t need to go into that right now.

Though they bungled the finish, WCW created something magical with Sting versus the NWO. The ultimate heel group against the ultimate underdog babyface, so many great moments came from this storyline and, had it ended right, the course of the Monday Night Wars might have changed forever.