Wrestling Forum banner

Favorite Daniel Bryan Moments

11K views 155 replies 115 participants last post by  The Main Headliner 
#1 ·
Since bryan is now unfortunatly retired due to injuries we are here to discuss about bryan's best wwe moments.

My favorite moment of daniel bryan career was actually at wrestlemania 30 when he defeated nearly all of evolution in 1 night to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship what's your favorite daniel bryan moments.
 
#48 · (Edited)
Daniel Bryan is an absolute legend

Now Daniel Bryan's career is ended. What di you think about his career? Is he an absolute legend?
I say YES, because he was not a top draw as Rocky, Austin, Cena, Taker, but he is more important for example than John Cena. He was more revolutionary than him , because he opened the road to the other indies superstars as AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn. Furthemore he was the face of ROH, the federation who revolutioned the pro wrestling in the 21th century, and he had legendary feud and matches againts McGuinness, Styles, Morishima, Low Ki and others.
To conclude for me he is an absolute legend, like as Triple H, Cena, Taker, Bret Hart.
 
#97 ·
Re: Daniel Bryan is an absolute legend

Now Daniel Bryan's career is ended. What di you think about his career? Is he an absolute legend?
I say YES, because he was not a top draw as Rocky, Austin, Cena, Taker, but he is more important for example than John Cena. He was more revolutionary than him , because he opened the road to the other indies superstars as AJ Styles, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn. Furthemore he was the face of ROH, the federation who revolutioned the pro wrestling in the 21th century, and he had legendary feud and matches againts McGuinness, Styles, Morishima, Low Ki and others.
All this was well written until you said

To conclude for me he is an absolute legend, like as Triple H, Cena, Taker, Bret Hart.
You fucked up here. There is no way in any remote way that you can put Bryan's name there (more so against Taker and Hart). He really loved the industry no doubt but what those men accomplished, Bryan didnt even come close.
 
#52 ·
#66 · (Edited)
Why Bryan Danielson is the Most Important Wrestler of this Decade

I'm going to start this off by saying that this has very little to do with Danielson's technical prowess, which in and of itself puts him head and shoulders above almost the entire roster. This also has little to do with his memorable Road to WrestleMania that led to the legendary night at WrestleMania XXX. I know, surprising, isn't it? I'll get to why that is now by detailing three reasons why I think he is of the utmost importance to WWE in this decade.


As some of you may know, Bryan Danielson retired because of injuries he sustained throughout his career that had compounded over time and given him neurological symptoms that were noticeable to specialists in the field, but not necessarily to Danielson himself or those around him. So, an injured wrestler retires? Big deal, it happens all the time. You're right it does happen all the time, but rarely, if ever for this particular reason. Heck, we still have a lot of WWE alumni and independent wrestlers in the wrestling industry wrestling who are far worse off than Danielson is.

The timing of this could not have happened at a more opportune time for McMahon's WWE. He is currently facing a class action lawsuit by former WWE wrestlers who say they suffer from post-concussive disorders that affect their day-to-day lives. This screening process that they have in place will greatly help McMahon garner sympathy in the lawsuit in question and will also demonstrate that had he known of the effects concussions had on his wrestlers, he would have taken the appropriate measures earlier. It also shows that McMahon is unwilling to budge on even his biggest talents if there is even a hint of some underlying issues with his contracted talent.

What happened on a weekend in June 2007 is still fresh in peoples minds. Some months after the Chris Benoit incident, it was discovered that Benoit's brain had greatly deteriorated over time due to multiple head injuries. WWE never came out and acknowledged that those head injuries that he had sustained over the course of his career likely led to his erratic behavior on that fateful weekend. It would also be ridiculous to expect them to. But since that incident, all of their moves suggest that deep down they believe in their own minds that it was the case. The banning of chair shots to the head, relentless neurological screening, a generally less risky hardcore style... I could go on. Bryan Danielson is the prototype for what should have happened to Chris Benoit (and many others) many years before. Now that these screening processes are in place, WWE are able to catch what could be a potentially tragic situation dead in its tracks. In a way, I believe that this situation relieves McMahon of at least some of the guilt that he harbors over what took place in the past.

This last point I was going to make pales in comparison to the other two, but I figured WWE's future warrants a big enough reason to include it as well. Roman Anoa'i has obviously been chosen as John Cena's successor for the WWE throne, whether you like it or not. They are adamant about making this happen. Their failed attempts at getting him over have not gone unnoticed. A big reason why this happened was because Bryan Danielson had gotten over organically long before Roman Anoa'i had even stepped out as a singles competitor on the main roster. Fans obviously took note of this and became bitter toward Anoa'i during his subsequent push as if it were his fault personally. All I can say is that nothing could have played out any better for Anoa'i than what has taken place. Danielson having to retire due to injuries effectively takes much of the heat off of Anoa'i and helps WWE push their next "Face of the Company". It will be interesting to see how this all unfolds in 2016, as it is still very early in the year.

To wrap this up, I'll just say that Bryan Danielson is a once in a lifetime type of performer and people (whether they liked him or not) were lucky to see someone of his caliber perform in a WWE ring, however brief it was.

-Dwayne "The Lou" Skunt
 
#5 ·
Undoubtedly his story which ultimately led to him winning the title at Wrestlemania 30. Him cashing in and winning the WHC was a fantastic moment too.

There's many more too, but those are the main ones that i remember. There's going to be a big void left with his retirement that will take a special talent to fill. Thanks for everything Bryan, you'll be sorely missed.
 
#79 ·
Re: Why Bryan Danielson is the Most Important wrestler of this Decade

Oh look I know his real name...
I'd see a point in complaining about it if Bryan didn't use his real name at all while he wrestled, but Daniel Bryan used his real name in the indies so its not like OP is being one of those guys who use real names. Don't be a douche for the sake of being a douche.
 
#82 ·
Re: Daniel Bryan is an absolute legend

There's about four articles talking about him and his retirement on prowrestling.net right now. I think that kind of speaks for itself. Here's some choice bits

"Along the way, Bryan made a believer out of me, just like he did everyone else. His infectious smile and his goofy sense of humor were unflinchingly genuine. He brought levity and honesty to poorly written WWE Comedy segments. He brought a warrior’s spirit and an artisan’s touch to his work in the ring. His energy and passion bled over into crowds, and forged a connection with fans that would complicate WWE’s plans for several years. He was a beacon of sincerity in a company that seemed like it was putting on a brave face while struggling to build new stars, consistently bringing in talents from yesteryear to boost star power.

Bryan didn’t obtain this bond with fans by being the greatest wrestler in the world. He didn’t inspire people to hijack the ceremony where WWE was set to unify its most prestigious Championships by using impassioned oratory, and he didn’t convince anyone to boo Batista out of Pittsburgh at the Royal Rumble with his electrifying charisma. They did it because Daniel Bryan was the one guy on WWE television that felt human.

The average WWE fan see’s Bryan as “one of us”, while they identify guys like Roman Reigns and John Cena as the products of a promotional machine. That may be unfair to them as people, because by all accounts they are both fine human beings, but their characters have a robotically assembled quality to them that will never wash off"
- Jake Barnett

WWE Raw Hits

Daniel Bryan’s retirement speech: "The easiest and biggest Hit in the history of the Hit List. As a sports fan, I’ve seen numerous retirement speeches. Some are emotional. Some are upbeat. Many are eloquent. None compared to the speech that Bryan Danielson delivered on Raw." - Jason Powell

"I’m not even sure how to write about it. I’ve never seen anything like it, but then again, wrestling has never seen anyone like Daniel Bryan. The whole night was dedicated to celebrating the WWE career of Bryan. I’m going to share some thoughts and feelings on it and hopefully they won’t just turn into a disorganized jumble of tears and laughter (like I did while watching Bryan’s speech).

If you’ve ever needed proof of how special Bryan is, look at how this crowd reacted to him. They loved him passionately. They loved him more than I can remember seeing a crowd love a wrestler. It wasn’t just a “movement” or a moment. It was Daniel Bryan’s emotional connection with fans on full display. Bryan has always had a unique ability to make fans feel things deep down in their souls.

After his amazing odyssey at WrestleMania XXX, I wrote about Daniel Bryan as an avatar for the fans. While his triumphs were scripted, nothing in wrestling has ever seemed as real to me. As WWE took us through his WWE career highlights over the course of the night, I was reminded of some personal highlights as a fan.

WWE put together an amazing tribute to Daniel Bryan throughout the night on Raw. It was only topped by Bryan’s retirement speech itself. I’m not sure I have seen a more emotional or compelling segment of Raw. I’m not sure I’ve seen a better TV wrestling segment in my life. This was one of those moments (and Bryan’s career has been defined by them) that real life crossed into the wrestling ring and passionate fans not only understood it, they embraced it. Bryan blurred the lines, not because his wrestling was more “real” than anyone else’s, but because he was.

I’m not sure I would have kept watching wrestling through the first half of this decade if it wasn’t for Daniel Bryan. I know I would have walked away after WrestleMania XXX had WWE not told the Bryan story they told. Bryan kept me engaged and emotionally invested.

Daniel Bryan made me believe again. He allowed me to watch wrestling like I did when I was seven.

As Bryan rides off into the sunset, I hope he’s able to find happiness and creative success in whatever he does next. I hope Bryan realizes the joy he brought to millions of people through being the very best at his chosen art form. I hope Bryan realizes how he opened doors and changed the wrestling business for those who came after him (Sami Zayn and Bayley wouldn’t exist without Bryan. Any “small” wrestler in NXT likely wouldn’t be signed without Bryan coming before them)."
- Will Pruett

"Everyone who has been exposed to Bryan felt a bond with him on a level I don’t think I’ve ever seen, not just in wrestling but in any sport. Even as I’m typing this right now in work, some of my work colleagues who are only casual wrestling fans at best are having a conversation about Daniel Bryan retiring. The guys who hadn’t heard the news are expressing shock and dismay. I cannot imagine that kind of reaction from anyone regarding any other topic or sport that they have only a passing interest in. My girlfriend has been exposed to Daniel Bryan only through the ladder match at WrestleMania last year, Total Divas, and what I’ve told her, but even she was shocked and saddened by the news. If Bryan can take any solace in what he has been forced into doing and the end of 16 years of blood, sweat, and tears, he can know that his career has meant something to everyone on the spectrum, from the hardcore fans who watched him as American Dragon through to the most casual fans who have seen him as the kooky husband of Brie Bella on Total Divas. He should be proud of that fact, and I’m sure he is.

For me personally, there have been times over the years where wrestling has become stale to me, and it has taken something incredible to knock me out of the funk I’ve felt. In the mid ’90s it was ECW through to the rise of Steve Austin. At the end of the first decade of the 2000’s it was Daniel Bryan

The first time I ever saw him live would be the only time and it turned out to be his final match, which took place at the Smackdown tapings in the O2 Arena last April. Watching how the crowd reacted after a very ho-hum show was phenomenal, and even thinking about it right now I get goosebumps. I had a friend of mine with me who hadn’t watched wrestling since the ’90s, and even he turned to me and mouthed “Wow.” I will never forget watching 10,000-plus fans throwing their arms in the air and being one with this man in the middle of the ring. It was something special that will never be replicated."
- Haydn Gleed
 
#128 ·
Re: Was Daniel Bryans retirement pop the biggest ever in wwe

Don't know if anyone in WWE will get pops like this again any time soon. Just check 1:11 on this video and again at 1:50. Those are the loudest pops you'll ever hear in PG Era WWE. That's literally the voice of every person in the arena. This was the moment that Jim Ross said reminded him of Austin's days

 
#132 ·
Re: Was Daniel Bryans retirement pop the biggest ever in wwe

Don't know if anyone in WWE will get pops like this again any time soon. Just check 1:11 on this video and again at 1:50. Those are the loudest pops you'll ever hear in PG Era WWE. That's literally the voice of every person in the arena. This was the moment that Jim Ross said reminded him of Austin's days

That was seriously incredible, and the fact that it happened in Rhode Island of all places makes it even more impressive. This wasn't even a post-RAW episode where all the hardcores fly in


Anyway, the ovation that Bryan got last night was super long and super loud. Biggest reaction in history? I wouldn't go that far, but it was amongst the bigger ones for sure
 
#27 ·
Honestly, if you take the entirety of Bryan's career from the moment he debuted to the main event of Wrestlemania 30, you have the perfect career/story of how someone rose to the top of the company.

Debut with people telling him he'll never be anything in the WWE. Then being actually fired but brought back because fans loved him so much.

Good time spent in the mid-card scene facing guys like Ziggler, Barrett, Miz, being a workhorse and getting the crowd over on him because of his talent and natural likeability.

Winning the MITB at MITB 2011 which is unofficially the night of the Indie wrestling fan with Christian winning the world title and CM Punk winning the WWE title.

Cashing in at TLC 2011 and the start of the Bryan character we know today except the heel version, along with everything involving AJ Lee which put her over too, culminating in WM28 which was supposed to be a burial and actually ending up being one of the first times the crowd actively said fuck you to the WWE and 'this is the guy we want on tv'.

One of the most entertaining tag teams of all time with Hell No, which was also just lumped together for no reason but became one of the highlights of 2012/13.

Everything from Summerslam 2013 with the 5 star match with Cena (I remember the actual shock at the first time I witnessed the flying knees finisher and how brutal it looked) onwards. Bryan and the fans managed to take real life decisions and attitudes about Bryan not being good enough and turned it into arguably the best road to WM storyline for a main event we've ever seen.

The losses to Orton by the authority, the stealing of the limelight at the in-ring segment with Cena and Orton about the title unification where no-one cared and everyone wanted Bryan. The entire feud with the Wyatt family incl. tag teaming with CM Punk at survivor series, handicap match with him vs the whole family at TLC, Wyatt's best match at Rumble, being left out of the rumble and the audience disgust at it happening, the eventual turn on the Wyatt Family after what was supposed to be the build to a mid-card rematch at WM30 between the two but instead was abandoned because the audience was so against it and possibly THE 'YES!' moment of being at the top of the cage with everyone joining in.

The end of Elimination Chamber when he lost the title match yet again and everyone was in despair and at their wits end. Then the turning point of the Yes movement segment on RAW when WWE finally decided to give Bryan not just the match with HHH at Wrestlemania, but the stipulation which would lead to him being inserted into the main event.

And then finally winning against Evolution in 1 night. the A-typical WWE guys in Orton, Batista and HHH were beaten by the underdog. He achieved the fairy-tale and the best thing of all is that it was real. The guy who was never supposed to be at the top, won the main event of wrestlemania. The guy had nothing left to accomplish.

Of course after that, he then returned a year later after being injured, had a MOTY candidate with Roman Reigns, putting the guy over like a true professional and then won the IC title in a great ladder match certifing him as a Grand slam champ, going the extra mile.

Bryan, you achieved everything man.

Thank you.
 
#2 ·
In no order, mind you

1) When he won Money in the Bank in 2011
2) When he had that kickass match against Sheamus at Extreme Rules 2012
3) His whole run with Kane as Team Hell No!
4) His "Weakest Link" storyline, overall
5) Bryan/Cena promo from MizTV
6) Beating John Cena clean at Summerslam 2013 to win the WWE Championship
7) The whole Wrestlemania XXX build up culminating with him winning it all at the PPV
8) His celebration at the Raw post WM XXX.
9) His promo teasing retirement and saying he was coming back at Royal Rumble 2015
10) Every single time he was on the show after his injury in 2015.

God, I'm gonna miss him.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Daniel Bryan vs. Roman Reigns was my favorite feud of last year.




 
  • Like
Reactions: NakNak
#9 ·
His heel run with aj as the asshole boyfriend is still my favorite version of bryan. I love aj but him shitting on her constantly was classic as well as the vegan stuff and leaving the arena in a prius.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dre
#13 ·
Unfortunately, I can't speak much to Bryan's accomplishments outside WWE as that's when I started watching him. I did see an amazing match between him and Cesaro in ROH on youtube though, and I've seen some of the funny and cool catchphrases he had in ROH.

In no particular order:

Team Hell No - All the hilarious videos they did

Team Hell No & Ryback vs The Shield - Great PPV match, maybe the first time we realized just how fucking good The Shield could be in 6 man tags.

When Bryan's started single handedly fighting The Shield in his not the weakest link storyline. People were marking out watching him single handedly take down the group that had been terrorizing WWE. For a few weeks, he was dominating them in tag team matches and I feel like it was around that time he started getting really over

Bryan leading a Yes chant and then basically executing John Cena at Summerslam - That was a decisive win over the top guy in the company

The Raw before Orton and Cena's unification match being hijacked by the fans

The Raw where Bryan turned on Wyatt which created a huge pop in what Jim Ross describe as an Austin-esque moment

Both Royal Rumble 2014 and 2015 - Why? Because the reactions of the crowd says a lot about what a star Bryan was. Sure I hated how those rumbles screwed him over and I still do, but I loved how the crowds completely backed Bryan and showed support for him.

Heel Bryan and AJ Lee - Those were two of the best stars in recent WWE history put together. He played a good heel. And I think Bryan played a part in AJ getting so over. Remember she was doing yes chants for a while. It almost became as much her thing as his.

Mania 30 for obvious reasons

Bryan tapping out Orton with a kendo stick

When he made fun of Steph's workout DVD

When he gave Wyatt his first good match in WWE

I could mention any one of the ridiculous pops he was getting in 2013-2014 as a favorite moment. God, nobody got a crowd fired up the way he did. It was the most exciting WWE had been in a long time

Bryan's entire WWE career could make for a fun Max Landis video, but one with a rather sad ending unless he ended it with the Mania 30 win.

 
#16 ·
Bryan's entire run from the build up to SummerSlam 2013 until WrestleMania XXX was fantastic. Daniel Bryan actually had me excited about watching RAW every week during that time. He delivered every single time.

I also really enjoyed the crowd response he was getting. Having an invested live audience makes it even more enjoyable to watch at home. The pop when he turned against Bray was fantastic, as mentioned above, Austin-esque.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NakNak
#26 ·
I went to my first ever Ring of Honor show when I heard he was signed by WWE. I drove to New York City from Albany and made sure I was there to see his last match. I had known who he was before that and really liked him and I wanted to see him in that setting at least once. I got to take part in the final Final Countdown in NYC and it was great.

Then his first run didn't really go so well and I remember being pissed when he was released. Like really really pissed off. I stopped watching the WWE when it happened for a few months and that's generally not something that I would ever do. But when he got released I got to see him wrestle in person again twice. One time in a brutally hot tiny arena in front of maybe 200 people and then again in the old ECW Arena where he made that place feel like it's supposed to feel.

Then he gets signed again and his some ups and downs. I remember being a thousand miles from home and being excited to see him make his Mania debut and then he got thrown onto the pre-show in a 3 minute match that turned into a battle royal. The next year I was again over a thousand miles from home and I watched him get embarrassed again in the 18 second match. The next close to home he got to have a match on the main card and he got to win and it lasted for more than a minute. That was fun and everything but the next night I had to watch him lose to Big E in under 3 minutes. Then the entire next year had all sorts of stuff happening and we all know what happened there. The next thing I know I'm in New Orleans and the same guy that I saw wrestle in front of 200 people after WWE treated him like a loser and then fired him is in place to beat Triple H, Orton, and Batista all in the same night and he fucking did it.

Within a manner of only a few years I saw the same guy wrestle in front of 200 people main event Wrestlemania and win the title. That was an amazing feeling and something I don't think I'm every going to experience again.
 
#35 · (Edited)
My favorite moment of Daniel Bryan was when Kane tomstoned him three times, it was the return of Kane with the mask and WWE made big deal of it, I remember they were selling it as "the demon was unleashed" and it was awesome, Kane looked stronger than ever and he was booked stronger than ever, it was the reborn of the big red machine, it was an attitude era moment. I completely marked out when Kane tomstoned Bryan 3 times, it was absolutely awesome.





 
  • Like
Reactions: Xiao
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top