First coming to WWE as part of the inaugural season of WWE NXT, Bryan soon made it clear he was destined for great things.
After shaking the drama of The Nexus — which formed out of WWE NXT season one contestants — he refocused his efforts on a solo career, exciting the WWE Universe with his unique in-ring style and bone-snapping artillery.
Eventually, the determined Superstar’s efforts came full circle, when he enjoyed his first taste of title gold in WWE from then-United States Champion The Miz, his former NXT Pro. In summer 2011, Bryan won the Money in the Bank Ladder Match, which soon propelled the skilled grappler to the World Heavyweight Championship. After Bryan cashed in at WWE TLC 2011, the weightier prize around his waist wasn’t the only difference in the typically humble competitor; his newfound arrogance distanced him from the WWE Universe that once pulled for the underdog.
Upon losing the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania XXVIII in only 18 seconds, the former champion dumped longtime girlfriend AJ Lee, while his increasingly erratic behavior forced him into an unlikely pairing with Kane. The odd couple, dubbed Team Hell No by the WWE Universe, won the WWE Tag Team Championship at Night of Champions 2012. The pair slowly got on the same page, but unity was forced upon them when Bryan & Kane incurred the wrath of The Shield. The duo battled The Hounds of Justice over the following months, joining forces with Superstars including Ryback, The Undertaker and Randy Orton.
A constant thorn in the champions' side, The Shield finally ended Team Hell No's eight-month title reign at Extreme Rules 2013. The loss also contributed to the crumbling of their partnership, with Bryan insisting that Kane believed he was the "weak link" in their team. The former World Heavyweight Champion caught fire, going on tirades in and out the ring, and racking up match victories along the way, After a series of classic match-ups, he finally forced Randy Orton to tap out to the "Yes!" Lock in the June 24 edition of Raw, and definitively made the case against anyone referring to him as the "weak link."
Bryan entered Money in the Bank 2013 as WWE's hottest property. Though Orton won the WWE Championship contract, John Cena selected Bryan the next night on Raw to challenge The Champ at SummerSlam. It was at the highpoint of Bryan’s career – defeating Cena for the WWE Championship at The Biggest Party of the Summer – that he also suffered his greatest defeat. Moments into the new champion’s celebration, Randy Orton cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and — with a shocking assist from special guest referee Triple H, who for weeks had supported and believed in Bryan — successfully claimed the WWE Title for himself.
At Night of Champions, Bryan regained the WWE Championship, but Triple H stripped him of the title and Bryan was unable to pick up victories at Battleground or Hell in a Cell. CM Punk and Bryan teamed up to defeat Luke Harper & Erick Rowan of The Wyatt Family at Survivor Series. One week prior to WWE TLC, Bryan cleaned up at the 2013 Slammy Awards, including winning Superstar of the Year. Things took a turn for the worse at TLC, though, when The Wyatts defeated Bryan in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match. On the Jan. 30 edition of Raw, Daniel would have been granted a match against Bray Wyatt if he were first able to defeat Erick Rowan and Luke Harper. He did, but his match against Bray never began. Bryan was attacked by The Wyatts and finally, in a state of desperation, agreed to join Bray's Family.
No matter his rival, any question that asks if Daniel Bryan has what it takes to be a champion in WWE has been answered with a loud, defiant “YES!
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