Daniel bryan

**Bryan Lloyd Danielson** (born May 22, 1981)[1] is an American professional wrestler, better known by his current ring name **Daniel Bryan**.[1] He is signed to WWE.

In WWE, Danielson has held the WWE (World Heavyweight) Championship three times and the World Heavyweight Championship once, in addition to being a former United States Champion and a former Tag Team Champion as part of Team Hell No. He was also the 2011 SmackDown Money in the Bank winner, has headlined several major pay-per-view events (including WrestleMania XXX), and was awarded the 2013 Superstar of the Year Slammy Award.

Prior to joining WWE, Danielson wrestled for various companies using both his real name and the ring name (and later nickname) "American Dragon".[1][11] He wrestled for Ring of Honor (ROH) in the mid 2000s, where he was a former ROH World Champion, as well the final Pure Wrestling Champion (unifying the Pure title with the World title). Along with CM Punk, Danielson is one of two men to have won the WWE, World Heavyweight, and ROH World championships.

Danielson has also wrestled extensively in Japan, winning the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship in Pro Wrestling Noah (NOAH) and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (with Curry Man) in New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW). Between WWE, ROH, and Japan, he has held 10 total championships, including five world titles.

He has also won numerous titles on the independent circuit, including two PWG World Championships, the FIP Heavyweight Championship, and the wXw World Heavyweight Championship.

## Background

Danielson was born and raised in Aberdeen, Washington,
 to a father who was a logger and a therapist mother, who divorced when
Danielson was young. Danielson competed in various sports at Aberdeen-Weatherwax High School including football.[12]

## Professional wrestling career

### Early career (1999–2004)

After Danielson graduated high school in 1999, he decided to pursue wrestling professionally and attempted to train at Dean Malenko's wrestling school. When it closed he trained under Shawn Michaels and Rudy Gonzalez at the Texas Wrestling Academy (TWA).[8][13] He debuted in the TWA, and on March 21, 2000, won his first title when he teamed with Spanky to win the TWA Tag Team Championship, defeating Jeromy Sage and Ruben Cruz.[1]

While touring the country he was signed to a developmental deal by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) to work in their developmental system, and was assigned to Memphis Championship Wrestling (MCW). There, Danielson gained exposure, and was trained by WWF competitor William Regal, whom he credited as instrumental in the development of his career.[8] During this time Danielson adopted his moniker "American Dragon".[14]
 WWF severed its ties with MCW in 2001, releasing Danielson from his
contract, but not before he won the MCW Light Heavyweight Championship
and the MCW Tag Team Championship with Spanky.[1] Danielson returned to the company after it was renamed World Wrestling Entertainment to compete on its secondary programming, *Velocity* and *Heat*, initially as enhancement talent before being allowed to compete in longer matches; he once wrestled and lost to future WWE Champion John Cena.[15][16]

Danielson also toured Japan with Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling (FMW) with Lance Cade, a fellow trainee from the TWA, competing in several tag team matches.[3][10] He returned to Japan after his release from the WWF, competing in Japan's premier promotion, New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW), where he used his American Dragon persona, and donned a red, white, and blue mask reminiscent of a dragon.[17] As a part of the junior heavyweight division, Danielson had success in both singles and tag team competition in the company, winning (sans mask) the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship with Curry Man on March 12, 2004.[18]

### Ring of Honor

#### Founding father (2002–2005)

In 2002, Danielson joined the independent promotion Ring of Honor, where he is acknowledged as a "Founding Father" of the company.[19] He competed in the main event of the company's debut show, *The Era of Honor Begins*, in a three-way match against Low Ki and Christopher Daniels.[20] One of his matches, with Austin Aries, lasted eighty minutes.[21] One of the more notable rivalries he had in the early years in the company was with Homicide; the two fought numerous matches with a variety of stipulations, culminating in a steel cage match at *The Final Showdown*, won by Danielson.[22]

Danielson posing in 2004.

Despite winning the company's inaugural Survival of the Fittest tournament
 in 2004, championship gold eluded him. In 2005, Danielson announced in
the company's newsletter, the ROH Newswire, that he had quit ROH after
being frustrated by his inability to defeat Austin Aries for the ROH
World Championship. It was later revealed Danielson had become
frustrated in general with professional wrestling and planned to take
some time off to evaluate his career options.[23]
 Danielson had several dates booked in Europe and Japan, however,
leading fans to believe that the periodical was likely a storyline claim
 for Danielson's absence during this period. In May 2005, rumors started
 that Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
 was interested in signing Danielson, and he also had some more tryout
matches with WWE at that time, but none of these events led to anything
and he remained in ROH.[3]

#### World Champion (2005–2006)

Danielson defeated James Gibson for the ROH World Championship at *Glory by Honor IV* on September 15, 2005.[1][24][25] The rest of the year saw Danielson have successful title defenses even against wrestlers from other companies, such as Pro Wrestling Noah star Naomichi Marufuji, at *Final Battle 2005*.[26]

At the beginning of 2006, Chris Hero, a representative from Combat Zone Wrestling (CZW), invaded ROH and targeted Danielson; the two exchanged words over the Internet before having a match together, with nearly the entire roster of both companies embarking on an interpromotional feud.[27] Danielson became personally invested in this feud, and invaded CZW himself,[28]
 which led to him having physical altercations with a number of CZW
wrestlers. Hero intensified the rivalry, leading to the two wrestling at
 ROH's *Hell Freezes Over* event, where Danielson successfully defended the ROH World Championship.[29]
 He soon filled the vacant slot on ROH's five-man team which
participated in one of CZW's more popular attractions, a steel cage
match called the *Cage of Death*, a ten-man tag team match in which a man from each team starts in the cage, and a random wrestler enters periodically thereafter. During the match he turned on his team by assaulting his rival, Samoa Joe, before leaving the match and effectively abandoning his involvement in the animosity between the two promotions.[30]
 As the interpromotional hostility with CZW heightened, Danielson also
defended against challengers from the rival company, who had signed an
open contract for any CZW wrestler willing to challenge for the ROH
World Title. Former champion Samoa Joe also challenged Danielson, but
their sixty-minute match ended in a draw.[31]

Danielson in the ring in 2006.

Ring of Honor, while having the ROH World Championship, faced the issue of having another title with seemingly equal value, the ROH Pure Championship. Danielson and the ROH Pure Champion Nigel McGuinness
 had a match to unify the titles. They met at April 29 in a match fought
 under pure wrestling rules and McGuinness left Danielson outside the
ring after a chair shot to win by count out; this was enough to win the
Pure title, but not Danielson's World title. They had another
unification match in McGuinness' native England, where ROH declared
there would be a winner, with a title changing hands by count out and
disqualification and a draw forcing a restart.[32] Danielson won the match on August 12 and retired the Pure Title as its last champion.[33][34] During a match with Colt Cabana on August 26, Danielson separated his shoulder,[1] tearing two tendons in it, and he tore another tendon in his chest.[3] Danielson returned at *Glory by Honor V: Night 2*, and was challenged by Kenta, a guest competitor from Pro Wrestling Noah, due to the two company's talent exchange agreement; Danielson again retained his championship. At *Final Battle 2006*,

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Danielson's fifteen-month title reign finally ended after he lost to

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Homicide, and he subsequently took time off from wrestling in order to
heal his shoulder.[1][24]

#### Various feuds and departure (2007–2009)

On May 11, Danielson return to ROH at *Reborn Again*, and defeated Shane Hagadorn and Adam Pearce in separate matches. On May 12 ROH filmed its first pay-per-view, Respect is Earned, which had Danielson team with ROH World Champion Takeshi Morishima

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against Nigel McGuinness and Kenta. Danielson's team won after

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Danielson made Kenta tap out to his signature submission hold, the Cattle Mutilation. Danielson vied to contend for the ROH World Title by defeating McGuinness at *Domination*, which appeared on the company's next pay per view, Driven.[35] This allowed him, now as a face, to challenge Morishima for the title at *Manhattan Mayhem* in a losing effort;[36] he also suffered a legitimate detached retina.[37] Following surgery he fought Morishima again, in a match at Man Up, but the referee stop the match since Danielson was unable to respond to him.[38] In a rematch at Rising Above Morishima was disqualified.[39] Morishima returned to the company at *Final Battle 2008* in a match billed as a "Fight Without Honor"; both men were allowed weapons, and which Danielson won.[40] Danielson commented in March 2012 on how he felt validated at *Final Battle 2008* because he and Morishima managed to get 2,500 people to see the show in New York City.[41]

The following months Danielson worked with Austin Aries again as friendly rivals, exchanging victories[42] including a match on pay-per-view at Take No Prisoners, which Danielson won. He helped Aries as a partner in order to take on The Age of the Fall;

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the two wrestled all members of the group in a series of different

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stipulation matches, and teaming together frequently to challenge
members Jimmy Jacobs and Tyler Black for the ROH World Tag Team Championship.[43]

As part of ROH's agreement with Pro Wrestling Noah, the company held a show in Japan; at this *Tokyo Summit* Danielson wrestled GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion Yoshinobu Kanemaru and won the championship. Following his victory he announced that Noah would allow him defend the title in Ring of Honor,[44] with his first defense being at *Glory By Honor VII*, defeating Katsuhiko Nakajima.[45] This was his only successful defense, however, as he returned to Japan on October 13 to lose the title to Kenta.[46] Following his loss, Danielson challenged McGuinness for the title at the next ROH pay per view, Rising Above in a losing effort.[*citation needed*] Ring of Honor made its national television début with the program *Ring of Honor Wrestling*, and Danielson made his television debut in the main event of its third episode by defeating Austin Aries.[47]

In the fall of 2009 Danielson signed with World Wrestling
Entertainment, after a farewell tour with ROH, during which he
challenged Aries for the title again and lost.[48] On September 26 at *Glory by Honor VIII: The Final Countdown*, he won his last match in the company against McGuinness, who was also having his final match with the company.[49]

### Independent circuit and other promotions (2003–2009)

Aside from competing primarily in ROH, Danielson has also competed in a multitude of other independent promotions, both in the United States and abroad. In 2003, Danielson also toured the United Kingdom for British promotion, All Star Wrestling. While he was in the UK, Danielson won the World Heavy Middleweight Championship on May 6 in an 8 Man One Night Tournament in Croydon defeating James Mason. He spent the next 6 months in the UK, working for ASW, FWA, WAW and Premier Promotions.[1] He returned several times over the next 5 years, working for various promotions. In February 2005, at *New Dawn Rising*, Danielson made his début in ROH's sister promotion, Full Impact Pro (FIP), teaming up with Rocky Romero in a match against Austin Aries and Homicide.[50] The next night at *Dangerous Intentions* Danielson competed in a losing effort against CM Punk,[51] which led to a brief feud between the two.[52] Danielson's biggest success came in 2006 by winning the FIP World Heavyweight Championship,[53] holding the belt for eleven months before losing it to Roderick Strong.[1] Danielson wrestled his last match for FIP in December 2006 at *Florida Rumble*, in a losing effort to Erick Stevens.[54]

Danielson competed in PWG's annual Battle of Los Angeles tournament in 2008, losing in the semi final to Chris Hero.

Danielson wrestled in the Pro Wrestling Guerrilla (PWG) promotion. He made his début in November 2003 at *An Inch Longer Than Average*, in a losing effort to PWG Champion Frankie Kazarian.[55] He continued to appear in PWG over the next couple of years, winning the PWG World Championship in 2007, and holding it for six months before taking an eleven-month hiatus from the company. He made his return to PWG at the 2008 Battle of Los Angeles tournament. In May 2009, he made another appearance teaming with Paul London, referring to himself as *American Dolphin* in a parodied manner.[56] On September 4, 2009, at *Guerre Sans Frontières*,

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during his last night in PWG, Danielson defeated Chris Hero to win the

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PWG World Championship for the second time and immediately vacated it
afterward.[57]

Following his return from his injury in 2007, the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) published a video of Danielson stating his intent to challenge for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship,
 as the establishment that sanctioned the title at the time, Total
Nonstop Action Wrestling, was relinquishing the title back to the NWA.[58] A tournament, titled Reclaiming the Glory, was held to determine the new champion with Danielson making his way to finals, scheduled to compete face Brent Albright on September 1, but due to the eye injury he sustained at *Manhattan Mayhem*,[59]
 the NWA announced he withdrew from the tournament with and Adam Pearce
replacing him; Danielson was appointed the referee of the match.[3]

In 2009, Danielson's contract with Ring of Honor expired;[60] this opened up Danielson to travel to other companies more freely while competing in his home promotion.

Danielson signed a short-term contract with German wrestling promotion westside Xtreme wrestling. Shortly after his début Danielson won the wXw World Heavyweight Championship against Bad Bones holding it over a month until losing it to Absolute Andy.

After his departure from westside Xtreme wrestling made his début with Philadelphia-based independent promotion, Chikara to compete in their King of Trios tournament, which saw him team with Claudio Castagnoli and Dave Taylor in a contingency called *Team Uppercut*.[61] In the same year, it was announced Danielson would compete in Dragon Gate USA in their second show, which saw him lose to Open the Dream Gate Champion, Naruki Doi.[62]

### World Wrestling Entertainment (2009–2010)

See also: The Nexus

Bryan at a Raw house show in 2010.

Danielson signed with WWE in August 2009.[63] He made his WWE debut on January 4, 2010, in a dark match prior to *Raw*, defeating Chavo Guerrero.[64] He went to Florida to train with Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), the WWE developmental territory, to acclimate himself to his new work environment and work on his "ring rust".[65] He debuted at the FCW television tapings on January 14, and lost to Kaval.[3] At the February 11 tapings, Danielson was renamed Daniel Bryan.[4]
 He later indicated that he was given a list of ten possible names to
use in WWE (including Buddy Peacock and Lloyd Bonaire) and "Daniel
Bryan" was one of them, while his real name was not on that list.[66] His name was given by William Regal.[67]

He made his debut on the inaugural episode of *NXT* on February 23, losing by submission to the World Heavyweight Champion, Chris Jericho. After the match, Bryan was attacked by The Miz (his storyline mentor[68]) for disrespecting him earlier in the show.[69]
 Over the next several weeks, Bryan failed to win a single match, but
despite a record of 0–5, he was ranked first in the inaugural Pros' Poll
 on the March 30 *NXT*.[70][71] After losing five more matches on *NXT*, Bryan got his first victory on the May 10 *Raw* by pinning Santino Marella in an eight-on-four handicap match.[72] The following night on *NXT*, he was eliminated from the show, along with Michael Tarver, as neither man had confidence in themselves to win the competition.[73] Despite his elimination, he appeared on the following episodes of *NXT*, being interviewed by Matt Striker and attacking both Michael Cole and The Miz.[74][75]

On the edition of May 31, 2010 of *Raw,* Bryan was granted a match against the Miz by guest host Ashton Kutcher; Bryan defeated him and threw him into Cole at ringside after the match.[76] On June 11, 2010, WWE announced that Danielson was fired from WWE,[77] because Bryan had been too violent, pretending to strangle a ring announcer with his own neck tie.[78] Danielson noted that WWE apologized to him for his release, claiming that they "had sponsors they had to deal with".[8] His release was put in a storyline, where the rest of the *NXT* rookies kicked him out of the group for showing remorse for his actions and declared that Bryan will never return to the WWE again.[79]

### Return to the independent circuit (2010)

After being released, Danielson received several offers to sign with other wrestling companies, being contacted by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, albeit indirectly, and some Japanese promotions.[8] Two weeks after his departure from WWE, Danielson made his return to the independent circuit on June 26, 2010, defeating Eddie Kingston at the Chikara event *We Must Eat Michigan's Brain* in Taylor, Michigan.[80] Rather than receiving streamers, the fans instead threw neck ties in light of the Justin Roberts incident in WWE.[81] The following day at Chikara's *Faded Scars and Lines* Danielson defeated Young Lions Cup holder Tim Donst in a non–title match.[82] On July 3 Danielson returned to westside Xtreme wrestling, defeating Wade Fitzgerald and TJP in the round robin stage of the Ambition 1 tournament.[83]
 The following day he defeated Tommy End, TJP in a rematch and finally
Johnny Moss in the finals of the tournament to win Ambition 1.[84] On July 17, Danielson débuted in the International Wrestling Association (IWA), being booked to defeat Q.T. Marshall for the IWA Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship.[85] On July 23 Danielson débuted in the fledgling Evolve promotion, which was originally conceived to be built around Danielson as their top star before he signed to WWE.[86] In the main event, he defeated Bobby Fish,[87] while Danielson continued on undefeated the following day by returning to Dragon Gate USA, and submitted Shingo in the dark match main event *Return of the Dragon*.[88] After the match Danielson joined BxB Hulk, Masato Yoshino, Naruki Doi and PAC as the fifth member of the stable World–1.[88] On July 30 Danielson returned to Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, competing in a match where he defeated Roderick Strong.[89]
 On August 7 Danielson unsuccessfully challenged Adam Pearce for the NWA
 World Heavyweight Championship at the NWA Legends Fanfest.[90]

Despite returning to WWE on August 15, Danielson honored most of his
independent bookings, making his first appearance on August 20 and
defeating Jon Moxley at Heartland Wrestling Association's *Road to Destiny*.[91] The following day he was defeated by Drake Younger at Insanity Pro Wrestling's *Ninth Anniversary Reign of the Insane*.[92] The day after that Danielson defeated J Freddie at a Squared Circle Wrestling event.[93] On September 10 he returned to the IWA, using the name Daniel Bryan, and lost the IWA Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship to Dennis Rivera.[94] The following day Danielson returned to Evolve, defeating Munenori Sawa in the main event.[95] Later that same night Danielson wrestled for New York Wrestling Connection in a tag team match, where he and Tony Nese defeated Dimitrios Papadon and Alex Reynolds.[96] On September 25 Danielson returned to Dragon Gate USA and defeated YAMATO in the main event of the evening.[97] The following day Danielson defeated Jon Moxley.[98] On October 1, Danielson wrestled the last of his independent matches by defeating Shelton Benjamin at a Northeast Wrestling event.[99]

### Return to WWE

#### United States Champion (2010–2011)

Bryan (right) wrestling his former NXT mentor, The Miz.

On August 15, 2010, Danielson returned to WWE as Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam, where he was revealed as the surprise seventh member of Team WWE for the seven-on-seven elimination tag team match against The Nexus, the other *NXT*
 season one competitors. At the event, Bryan was one of the two final
members of Team WWE, and managed to eliminate two members of the Nexus,
but was eliminated by Wade Barrett after his former pro The Miz, whose place he took in Team WWE, attacked him. Despite this, Team WWE won the match.[100][101]
 The following night, he was revealed as part of the Raw roster. He
feuded with the Miz, with both interfering in each other's matches, and
The Miz being aided by Alex Riley, his rookie from the second season of *NXT*.[102] At Night of Champions, Bryan defeated The Miz to win the WWE United States Championship, his first championship in WWE.[103][104]

He then successfully defended the championship two weeks later by defeating The Miz and John Morrison in a triple threat submissions count anywhere match at Hell in a Cell. Bryan went on to challenge then Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler to a Champion vs. Champion match at Bragging Rights as a special attraction Smackdown vs. Raw match, defeating Ziggler in a highly acclaimed match. Bryan went on to successfully defend his United States title against Ted DiBiase at Survivor Series.[105][106] On the November 30 *NXT*, it was announced that Bryan was returning to the show as the Pro to *NXT* Rookie Derrick Bateman on season four.[107][108] In late 2010, The Bella Twins

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began competing for Bryan's affection, leading to them supporting him

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at ringside and competing in mixed tag team matches together. On the
January 24, 2011 *Raw*, it was revealed that Bryan had been secretly dating Gail Kim, who began accompanying him to ringside.[109][110] On the March 14 *Raw*, Bryan lost the United States Championship to Sheamus.[111] Bryan was originally scheduled to have his rematch against Sheamus for the United States Championship on the main card at WrestleMania XXVII,

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but the match was rescheduled as a dark lumberjack match that ended in a
no contest when the lumberjacks fought among themselves to trigger the

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start of a battle royal.[112] Bryan lost his title rematch the next night on *Raw*, after which he was saved from Sheamus by the débuting Sin Cara.[113]

#### Money in the Bank; World Heavyweight Champion (2011–2012)

On April 26, Bryan was drafted to the SmackDown brand as part of the 2011 Supplemental Draft.[114] Bryan débuted for the SmackDown brand on the May 6 episode, when he lost to Sheamus.[115] Cody Rhodes

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then started a feud with Bryan by attacking him after losing their

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match and placing a paper bag on his head. Bryan then aligned with Sin
Cara to feud with Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase.[116][117] On June 28, Bryan returned to *NXT* to manage Derrick Bateman once again.[118]

Bryan as World Heavyweight Champion alongside former on-screen girlfriend AJ Lee.

On July 17 at Money in the Bank, Bryan won the SmackDown Money in the Bank ladder match which earned him a World Heavyweight Championship match at any point within the following year.[119] On the July 22 *SmackDown*, Bryan declared he would cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase at WrestleMania XXVIII.[120] After several months of losing matches, Bryan began a feud with World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry on the November 4 *SmackDown*, after Henry challenged Bryan to a non-title match to prove that Bryan could not become champion. During the match, Big Show

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knocked out Henry, making him win by disqualification. Big Show, as a

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friend of Bryan, then urged a groggy Bryan to cash in his championship
match, but Henry recovered and attacked both Bryan and Big Show before
the match could start.[121] After losing a rematch, Bryan suffered attacks from Henry the following two weeks.[122][123]
 On November 25, Henry was knocked out again by Big Show, at which point
 Bryan cashed in his briefcase for a title match and quickly pinned
Henry. However, SmackDown authority figure Theodore Long
 revealed that Henry was not medically cleared to compete and voided the
 match, so Henry remained champion and the briefcase was returned to
Bryan.[124]
 Bryan later admitted he betrayed his principles by not waiting for
WrestleMania, but explained he felt strongly about exacting revenge on
Henry and realised he may not make it to WrestleMania due to Henry's
continued attacks.[125][126] Regardless of his briefcase, Bryan won a four-way match on the same episode of *SmackDown* to become the contender for Henry's championship.[127] On the live November 29 *SmackDown*, Henry managed to pin Bryan to retain his title in a steel cage match.[128] Also in November, Bryan started being involved in a romantic storyline with AJ.[129][130]

Bryan cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on December 18 at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs
 against Big Show, who had just defeated Henry and subsequently received
 a DDT onto a steel chair, which allowed Bryan to secure a pinfall
victory and become the World Heavyweight Champion.[131][132]
 In the following weeks, tension was teased between Bryan and Big Show,
with Big Show unhappy about Bryan taking the world championship from
him, and Bryan being displeased about Big Show's lack of appreciation
for Bryan's help in matches against Henry.[133] As World Heavyweight Champion, Bryan began a slow heel turn as he gradually showed signs of overconfidence and arrogance,[134]
 with Bryan beginning to partake in excessive victory celebrations, even
 when he won his matches by disqualification or count-out.[135] Also, despite AJ's declaration of love for Bryan,[136] Bryan avoided saying that he loved her in return.[137]

The kiss with AJ that cost Bryan his World Heavyweight Championship to Sheamus at WrestleMania XXVIII in 18 seconds.

In January 2012, Bryan successfully defended his title three times;
the first occasion against Big Show when Bryan goaded Mark Henry into
attacking him and causing a disqualification; the second occasion a No
Disqualification rematch with Show which ended abruptly after Show
accidentally ran into AJ, hospitalising her within the storyline for
which Bryan blamed him; the third occasion against Henry in a Lumberjack
 match when Bryan provoked the lumberjacks to interfere and cause a no
contest.[138][139][140] This culminated in a Triple Threat Steel Cage match to exclude outside interference; at the 2012 Royal Rumble event, Bryan escaped the cage after freeing himself from Big Show's grasp to retain his championship.[141]

At Elimination Chamber, Bryan defeated Big Show, Cody Rhodes, The Great Khali,
 Santino Marella, and Wade Barrett in an Elimination Chamber match to
retain the World Heavyweight Championship. After the match, Sheamus
attacked Bryan and chose him as his WrestleMania opponent for the World
Heavyweight Championship.[142] In March, Bryan began to mistreat AJ, publicly demanding her to shut up and claiming that she always got in his way.[143] Despite these actions, AJ continued to stand by Bryan.[144] Bryan's reign as world champion ended when Sheamus defeated him in eighteen seconds at WrestleMania XXVIII due to Bryan being distracted with receiving a good luck kiss from AJ.[145] On the next *SmackDown*, Bryan blamed AJ for his world title loss and ended their relationship.[146] Despite AJ's attempts to mend their relationship, Bryan cruelly rebuffed her multiple times, leaving AJ an emotional wreck.[147] At Extreme Rules, Bryan failed to regain the World Heavyweight Championship from Sheamus in a 2-out-of-3 falls match, losing two falls to one.[148]

#### Team Hell No (2012–2013)

Main article: Team Hell No

Once friends while both were world champions, and having known each
other for ten years since their independent scene days, Bryan eventually
 feuded with CM Punk for the WWE Championship in 2012 after Bryan lost the World Heavyweight Championship.

The following night on *Raw*, Bryan became the number one contender to CM Punk's WWE Championship when he won a Beat the Clock challenge by defeating Jerry "The King" Lawler in under three minutes.[149] Bryan received his title shot at Over the Limit and suffered a controversial loss; when Bryan rolled back onto his shoulders as he applied the *"Yes!" Lock*, Punk tapped out immediately after the referee counted a pinfall win for Punk.[150] Shortly before Over the Limit, Bryan interfered in a match between Punk and Kane to frame Punk attacking Kane with a steel chair, leading to a three-way feud.[151][152][153] During this time, a jilted AJ turned her affections to both Punk and Kane.[154] On the June 1 *SmackDown*, Bryan's interference caused WWE Championship match between Punk and Kane to end in a double disqualification,[155] resulting in a triple threat match being set up at No Way Out, where Punk managed to retain the title after AJ distracted Kane.[156] On the June 25 *Raw*, Bryan defeated Punk and Kane in a non-title three-way elimination match to earn another shot at the WWE Championship.[157] At Money in the Bank, Bryan failed to capture the WWE Championship again from Punk in a No Disqualification match with AJ as special guest referee.[158] The following night on *Raw*, AJ accepted Bryan's marriage proposal,[159] On *Raw 1000*, Bryan's wedding ended in failure when AJ left Bryan at the altar and instead accepted Mr. McMahon's offer of the position of permanent Raw General Manager. Bryan's night turned from bad to worse as he was later attacked by The Rock and insulted by celebrity Charlie Sheen.[160]

Kane offers to "hug it out" with Bryan.

AJ's rejection of Bryan turned him into an angry and bitter individual and resulted in Bryan lashing out at audiences.[161] AJ continued to exact her revenge on Bryan by denying him a WWE Championship shot and instead forcing him to face Kane at SummerSlam,[162] where Bryan emerged victorious.[163] As a result of Bryan and Kane's issues, AJ enrolled them in anger management classes hosted by Dr. Shelby,[164] and they were later forced to "hug it out".[165]
 At the arrangement of Dr. Shelby and AJ, the two adversaries formed a
team whose constant bickering and infighting even during matches
inadvertently resulted in them defeating The Prime Time Players (Titus O'Neil and Darren Young) to become the number one contenders to the WWE Tag Team Championship on the September 10 *Raw*[166] and then defeating champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth to win the Tag Team Championship at Night of Champions.[167] Bryan and Kane made their first successful title defense the following night on *Raw*, defeating the former champions in a rematch.[168] The following week on *Raw*, "Team Hell No" was chosen as the official team name via a Twitter poll while Team Rhodes Scholars (Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow) started a feud with Bryan and Kane, turning Bryan face once again.[169] On October 28 at Hell in a Cell, Team Hell No lost to the Rhodes Scholars via disqualification, but retained their title.[170] This was followed by a rematch on the November 14 *Main Event*, where Team Hell No defeated the Rhodes Scholars to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship.[171] On the November 26 *Raw*, after Kane lost to WWE Champion CM Punk in a non-title match, he was assaulted by The Shield (Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns). Bryan and Ryback, who both attempted to save Kane, suffered a similar fate.[172]
 This attack had the effect of uniting Bryan and Kane, and after The
Shield and Team Hell No, along with Ryback, attacked each other on the
December 3 *Raw*, all six men were decreed to face each other in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs,[173][174] where The Shield was victorious after pinning Bryan.[175]
 Team Hell No went on to defend the Tag Team titles through the end of
the year, retaining against Team Rhodes Scholars on the following *Main Event*,[176] and against 3MB (Drew McIntyre and Heath Slater) on the December 31 *Raw*.[177] Bryan ended 2012 having wrestled the second most TV/PPV matches that year with 90.[178]

On January 27 at the 2013 Royal Rumble, Team Hell No retained the WWE Tag Team Championship against Team Rhodes Scholars.[179] During the Royal Rumble Match, Bryan eliminated Kane and was in turn thrown out of the ring by Antonio Cesaro; Kane caught Bryan before he touched the floor and despite Bryan's begging, dropped him to complete Bryan's elimination.[180] On the February 4 *Raw*, Bryan was inserted into the World Heavyweight Championship number one contender Elimination Chamber match when he defeated Rey Mysterio, after which, the returning Mark Henry attacked both men.[181] On February 17 at Elimination Chamber, Bryan was the first man eliminated from the match, courtesy of Henry.[182] On April 7 at WrestleMania 29, Team Hell No defeated Dolph Ziggler and Big E Langston for another successful title defense.[183] Team Hell No rekindled their rivalry with The Shield the following night on *Raw*, after saving The Undertaker from an ambush by them.[184] On the April 22 *Raw*, Team Hell No and The Undertaker were defeated by the Shield in a six-man tag team match.[185]
 The Shield went on to take out Undertaker and rack up wins over Bryan
and Kane in both singles and tag matches that also included WWE Champion
 John Cena.[186][187][188][189] On May 19 at Extreme Rules,

```
Bryan and Kane lost the WWE Tag Team Championship to Shield members

```

Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, ending their reign at 245 days.[190]

#### "Yes!" Movement; WWE Champion (2013–2014)

Bryan in July 2013.

As Bryan being pinned led to the loss of the tag titles, Bryan became
 obsessed about proving that he was not the weak link of Team Hell No.
As a result, Bryan became even more aggressive, but his overzealous
behavior led to Team Hell No losing their rematch against Reigns and
Rollins on the May 27 *Raw*.[191][192]
 When Kane tried to reassure Bryan, Bryan replied with harsh rebukes
that alienated Kane from him. As a result, Bryan was paired with Randy Orton despite their poor relationship to face a common enemy in the Shield.[193][194]
 During this storyline, Bryan was praised as the best performer in WWE
and having an unmatched connection with crowds by critics, peers and
veterans of the professional wrestling industry.[195][196][197][198] On the June 14 *SmackDown*,

```
Bryan ended the Shield's unpinned and unsubmitted streak in televised

```

six-man tag matches by forcing Rollins to submit in a match with Kane
and Orton as his tag partners.[199][200] Two days later at Payback, Bryan and Orton's poor teamwork resulted in an unsuccessful challenge for Reigns and Rollins' Tag Team Championship.[201] The following night on *Raw*,

```
while the status of Team Hell No was left up in the air after both

```

members considered individual pursuits, Bryan and Orton faced off in a
no disqualification match that Orton won via referee stoppage after
Bryan suffered a legit nerve injury,[202] which was a stinger resulting in Bryan being unable to feel both his arms for the rest of the match.[203] Four days later on *SmackDown*, Bryan defeated Orton, but to Bryan's dismay, it was via count-out.[204] On the next *Raw*, Bryan decisively defeated Orton via submission in a street fight,[205] and later continued his hot streak by picking up wins over Sheamus and Christian.[206][207] On July 14 at Money in the Bank, Bryan competed in the WWE Championship Money in the Bank ladder match; during the match, Bryan was attacked by Curtis Axel, a non-participant, which ultimately prevented Bryan from winning the match that was won by Orton.[208]

The following night on *Raw*, WWE Champion John Cena picked Bryan to be his opponent for the WWE title match at SummerSlam.[209] This led to Bryan being embroiled in the McMahon family's internal feud, with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon against Bryan due to Bryan's image not fitting the mold of McMahon's typical "WWE Superstar", while WWE COO Triple H was in support of Bryan.[210] On the July 22 *Raw*, Bryan ran a gauntlet match to prove his worth as number one contender, defeating Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro in succession, while his third opponent Ryback was disqualified after powerbombing Bryan through a table.[211] The following week on *Raw*, Bryan was forced to face Kane and emerged victorious, but Kane attacked Bryan after the match.[212]
 On August 18 at SummerSlam, Bryan defeated Cena to win his first WWE
Championship. However, after the match, special referee Triple H
attacked Bryan, leading to Randy Orton cashing in his Money in the Bank
contract to win the title from Bryan.[213]

Bryan allied himself with CM Punk (left) to face The Wyatt Family.

The next night on *Raw*, Triple H and the McMahons endorsed Orton as "the face of the WWE", forming the Authority

```
faction, claiming that the company was looking for Orton as champion

```

instead of Bryan. Bryan also assumed the top babyface role in WWE with
Cena being out injured. With Triple H threatening to fire anyone who
disobeyed him, Bryan was left alone to take on and suffer attacks from
Orton and the Shield.[214][215] On September 15 at Night of Champions, Bryan defeated Orton to regain the WWE Championship,[216] but was stripped of the title the following night on *Raw* by Triple H after referee Scott Armstrong

```
admitted he had made a fast-count the previous night resulting in

```

Bryan's win, while Bryan denied that Armstrong was working for him. This

```
resulting in his second WWE Championship reign coming to an end,

```

meaning Bryan hasn't held the WWE Championship for one full day over his

```
two reigns as the WWE Champion.[217] Bryan and Orton faced off again for the vacant title on October 6 at WWE Battleground, but the match ended in a no contest after Big Show interfered and knocked out both men.[218] Bryan once again challenged Orton for the vacant championship at Hell in a Cell, but was unsuccessful after the special guest referee Shawn Michaels superkicked Bryan for attacking Michaels' best friend Triple H.[219]

```

The following night on *Raw*, Bryan confronted Michaels, who
offered a handshake, but Bryan put Michaels in the "Yes!" Lock. Later in

```
the night, Bryan was attacked by The Wyatt Family.[220] As a result, Bryan allied himself with CM Punk, and the duo defeated Luke Harper and Erick Rowan of the Wyatt Family at Survivor Series,[221] but the entire Wyatt Family defeated Bryan in a handicap match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs,[222] with Wyatt attempting to recruit Bryan in the previous weeks.[223] On the final *Raw*

```

 of 2013, Bryan defeated Harper and then Rowan in a gauntlet match so
that he could face Wyatt, whereupon Harper and Rowan interfered for a
disqualification and beat him down. Bryan then acknowledged that no
matter how many times the fans chanted "Yes!" or supported him, it
wasn't enough for "the machine", so he gave up and decided to join the
Wyatt Family.[224] On the January 13 *Raw*,

```
after the Wyatt Family punished him for their lack of success since he

```

joined, Bryan attacked all the other members of the Wyatt Family to
break free from the group.[225]
 At the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, despite Bryan losing to Wyatt in a
singles match and later not participating in the Royal Rumble match, the
 audience continued to chant for Bryan during the Rumble match and the
WWE World Heavyweight Championship match.[226][227] On the January 27 *Raw*,

```
Bryan qualified for the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE World

```

Heavyweight Championship at the eponymous pay-per-view by teaming up
with John Cena and Sheamus to defeat the Shield via disqualification.
Meanwhile, he also continued his feud with the Authority,[228] as Kane attacked him on multiple occasions, attempting to injure Bryan before his Elimination Chamber match.[229][230]
 At the Elimination Chamber event, Bryan survived until he was one of
the final two participants in the Elimination Chamber match, but
defending champion Randy Orton retained after Kane interfered against
Bryan.[231] On the March 10 *Raw*,

```
Bryan and multiple fans occupied the ring and refused to leave,

```

resulting in an irate Triple H agreeing to Bryan's demand for a match at

```
WrestleMania XXX, with the stipulation that the winner would be inserted into the WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at the event.[232]

```

 Bryan later stated that the original plan for WrestleMania was for him
to wrestle Sheamus but WWE changed their plans after the overwhelming
crowd reactions.[233]

Bryan closed WrestleMania XXX by celebrating his win of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

At WrestleMania XXX, Bryan defeated Triple H and was inserted into
the title match, but Triple H attacked Bryan after their match. Despite a
 storyline injury and interference from the Authority and a crooked referee,
 Bryan prevailed over Batista and champion Randy Orton in the
WrestleMania main event to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.[234] *Professional Wrestling Torch* editor Wade Keller

```
analysed that Bryan's WrestleMania journey was due to several factors:

```

the fans' rejection of Batista and continual support of Bryan over the
previous six months (even when he joined the Wyatt Family), as well as
CM Punk legitimately walking out on WWE after the Royal Rumble.[235] Chris Jericho later said that Bryan's original WrestleMania XXX opponent was supposed to be Sheamus.[236][237] The next night on the post-WrestleMania *Raw*,

```
Triple H used his authority to grant himself a title match against

```

Bryan, who was then attacked by Orton, Batista, and Kane just before his

```
title match. The match ended in a no contest and Bryan's retention when
The Shield interfered to chase away Bryan's adversaries.[238]

```

 Stephanie McMahon enticed Kane to return to his masked self; Kane
complied and was granted a future title match against Bryan, and
proceeded to carry out a brutal attack against Bryan which led to a
scripted injury to give Bryan time off to mourn his recently deceased
father.[239] At Extreme Rules, Bryan defeated Kane in an Extreme Rules match to retain his title.[240]

"I don't know how my life got to be like this. I honestly don't get
it. I'm just a normal dude. I was never a special athlete. I wasn't
great at any sports or anything like that. And now an arena full of
people were chanting, 'You deserve it'. And I don't know what I've done
to deserve it. It's awesome to be a part of something like that".

Bryan reacts to the events of the *Raw* after WrestleMania XXX[203]

At some point in time, Bryan lost all strength in his right arm.[203] This caused Bryan to announce on the May 12 episode of *Raw*
 that he would have to undergo neck surgery. That same night, he was
attacked by Kane and stretchered away. On May 15, Bryan underwent
successful neck surgery, with a cervical foraminotomy to decompress the nerve root having been performed.[241]
 When Bryan refused to relinquish his title on May 26, Stephanie McMahon
 threatened to fire Bryan's wife Brie Bella if Bryan did not give up his
 championship at Payback.[242] The ultimatum resulted in Brie Bella 'quitting' WWE so that Bryan did not have to give up his championship at Payback.[243]

When it was revealed that Bryan would not be able to compete at Money in the Bank and defend his title, the Authority stripped him of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship on the June 9 episode of *Raw*.[244] Due to his injury, Bryan was largely off WWE television during this period.[245][246]

#### Return from injury (2014–present)

Months after the neck surgery, Bryan's strength still had not returned to his arm.[203][247]
 Several doctors felt a second surgery was needed, but others told Bryan
 he would not be able to return to wrestling. Bryan contemplated a
further elbow surgery, but instead went to Denver to undergo the *Muscle Activation Techniques* program, which successfully returned the strength to his right arm. To prepare for his in-ring return, he trained in kickboxing and jujitsu.[203]

Bryan returned to WWE television on the November 24 episode of *Raw*, taunting the recently deposed Authority. As the guest General Manager for that episode of *Raw* and the next episode of *SmackDown*
 for November 28, Bryan arranged for the punishments of those allied
with the Authority. Apart from announcing a Chairs match between Kane
and Ryback for TLC, Bryan also responded with "Yes!" to a question on whether he would return soon.[248][249]

"Bryan came in like a homecoming hero and was gone, just a few
minutes later, like a freshman nerd. [...] Beyond that, the lion's share
 of the WWE audience wants him to be a top guy – and are willing to pay
for that".

Mike Johnson of PWInsider.com on Bryan's showing in the 2015 Royal Rumble match[250]

On the December 29, 2014, episode of *Raw*, Bryan declared that he would be able to continue wrestling and would be participating in the 2015 Royal Rumble match.[251] In an interview, Bryan said he told management that he wished to be the "face of SmackDown" to increase the show's viewership.[252] Bryan returned to the ring on the January 15, 2015, episode of *SmackDown*,

```
with his opponent Kane being disqualified due to the Authority's

```

interference; later in the episode, Bryan won the six-man tag main
event.[253] On the next week's *SmackDown*,

```
despite more interference by the Authority, Bryan defeated Kane in a no
disqualification main event to keep his Royal Rumble match spot.[254]

```

Bryan entered the 2015 Royal Rumble match at number 10, managing one elimination,[255]
 before being eliminated by Bray Wyatt in the first-half of the match.
This caused the Philadelphia crowd to repeatedly chant for him during
the second-half of the match, while booing other wrestlers entering the
match, including eventual winner and fellow "good guy" Roman Reigns.[256][257][258]

On the January 29 episode of *SmackDown*, Bryan ended his feud with Kane by defeating him in a casket match.[259] On the February 2 episode of *Raw*, Bryan defeated Seth Rollins, earning the right to face Roman Reigns at Fastlane; the winner of the Fastlane match would challenge Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31

```
for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. At Fastlane, Bryan lost to

```

Reigns, failing to make his entry to WrestleMania main event.[260]

## Wrestling persona

Bryan wearing his signature "Yes!" T-shirt while addressing the audience.

Bryan wearing a robe at WrestleMania XXVIII.

Danielson has spent the majority of his career without an overt character in favor of becoming popular
 with the fans through his monikers, signature mannerisms, and wrestling
 ability. His attire has varied, as well, with the majority of his
tenure wearing a pair of short trunks,[261] but also ventured into wearing a mask for a time in Japan as an extension of his "American Dragon" persona.[17]

A notable part of Danielson's persona are his mannerisms and the
reaction he inspires from the crowd during the course of his matches
that include:

* During his time in Ring of Honor, Danielson made his way to the ring to his entrance song, "The Final Countdown"; once in the ring, he stood on the top turnbuckle and sang the refrain along with the fans in attendance.[262]
* After winning the ROH World Championship, Danielson displayed traits of a heel-like persona, starting to behave more aggressively and threatening to the fans, as well as taking more liberties with the rules.

```
Despite his rulebreaking character, he still retained a certain level

```

of popularity with the fans, as well as his upholding of the company's *Code of Honor*, ROH's storyline rules of wrestler conduct, allowing him to perform as a more neutral character.[263]

* As a heel, applying a submission hold

```
while the opponent gets a part of their body in the ring ropes, leading
to the referee counting to five (not releasing the hold by the count of
five would result in a disqualification);
as the referee would be about to disqualify Danielson, the latter would
release the hold, instructing the referee: "I have till five!"[264]

```

* During his initial reign as ROH World Champion, telling the ring

announcer to add an extra note about him appertaining to the current
circumstances around his match; this was generally insulting the crowd
or his opponent.[265]

* At the beginning of Danielson's ROH matches the crowd chanted, "You're gonna get your fucking head kicked in!" at Danielson's opponent.[266]
* After winning WWE's World Heavyweight Championship, Bryan began shouting "Yes!" repeatedly on his way to the ring and after defeating an opponent. Danielson credits mixed martial arts fighter Diego Sanchez with the inspiration.[267][268] This chant grew in popularity, and has been even heard outside WWE events, at Major League Baseball, National Hockey League and National Basketball Association games,[268][269][270] and even at music concerts, in particular at Andrew W.K. concerts in both Glasgow and Manchester, UK.[271] After turning heel at the start of 2012, Bryan slowly turned against the fans and after WrestleMania 28

```
he began chanting "No!" instead of "Yes!" Bryan claimed that the fans

```

were mocking him by chanting "Yes!" so he chanted "No!" back at them.
This then further encouraged the crowd to chant "Yes!" at him to annoy
him as he was a villain. Shortly after turning face,

```
Bryan began saying "Yes!" again, but would still shout "No!" when in a

```

negative situation or showing disdain towards a critique, which also
involves crowd participation.

* Bryan's "Yes!" chant again entered popular culture in late 2013 and early 2014. During Michigan State's regular-season victory over arch-rival Michigan, Spartans guard Travis Jackson celebrated a touchdown with a "Yes!" chant.[272] On January 7, the university honored the football team, fresh off victory in the Rose Bowl, during halftime of the men's basketball home game against Ohio State. Jackson again led Bryan's chant, this time with the entire home crowd, especially the student section, joining in. The event quickly went viral and drew extensive coverage on ESPN's *SportsCenter*. One contributor to Yahoo! Sports speculated that this event and the associated media coverage led WWE to turn Bryan away from The Wyatt Family.[273] In the wake of Bryan's championship victory at WrestleMania XXX, the Pittsburgh Pirates began using the "Yes!" chant as a rallying cry, gradually replacing the Zoltan gesture the Pirates had been using the previous two years. It is said that Pirates first baseman Gaby Sánchez, a huge wrestling fan, was behind the team using the "Yes!" chants.[274] In May, members of the San Francisco Giants started using the chant and hand gesture to celebrate home runs.[275] Fans of the New York Islanders now use the "Yes" chant after every Islanders goal scored during home games.[276]
* On several occasions, such as during the 2013 Slammy Awards, fans

have successfully hijacked segments in which Bryan was either not
involved in, or involved only secondarily, with his "Yes!" chant. In the

```
case of the Slammy Awards, the fan's continuing "Yes!" chants forced

```

John Cena to go off-script and acknowledge Bryan (especially since the
show was held in Seattle), since that segment was supposed to be about
Cena's and Randy Orton's impending title unification match.[273]

* Danielson, who at one time was a vegan in his day-to-day life, previously incorporated his vegan lifestyle into his heel persona to elicit heat from the crowd.[277][278]

## Other media

Danielson was prominently featured in the *Wrestling Road Diaries* documentary, which was filmed in 2009 before he signed with WWE.[279] Danielson is a fan of indie rock music and recorded a single with Kimya Dawson that was a tribute to wrestling legend "Captain" Lou Albano.[268]

Danielson's relationship with his wife WWE Diva Brie Bella is regularly featured in the WWE reality series *Total Divas* on the E! Network.[280]

## Personal life

Danielson is mostly English, with some Scots-Irish and Dutch ancestry.[*citation needed*] Danielson has cited a number of wrestlers as influences to his style: Toshiaki Kawada, Mitsuharu Misawa, and William Regal.[281] He has also made mention of modeling his wrestling off of the work of Dean Malenko and Chris Benoit in his early career, then using Brazilian Jiu Jitsu as a platform to develop his own style.[282] In 2009, Danielson relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he has begun training in mixed martial arts at Randy Couture's Xtreme Couture gym.[8][60] He was also roommates with Xtreme Couture's head grappling trainer, Neil Melanson.[8]

During his time as ROH World Champion, ROH appointed Danielson the head trainer of the ROH Wrestling Academy, replacing Austin Aries.[283] He relinquished the position to Delirious in 2007.[284]

Danielson became a vegan in 2009, after getting elevated liver enzymes and several staph infections.[285][286] In 2012, Danielson was awarded a Libby Award from PETA for being the "Most Animal-Friendly Athlete".[287] In honor of Danielson, Mayor Micah Cawley of Yakima, Washington declared January 13 as “Daniel Bryan Day."[288]
 In September 2012, Danielson revealed that he was no longer a vegan due
 to his inability to find vegan food while travelling on the road for
WWE.[289]
 He later elaborated that he had developed a soy intolerance and could
not find enough non-soy-based vegan food, but he still keeps a mostly
vegetarian diet on the road. On Twitter, Bryan stated he has vitiligo.[290]

Danielson described himself in ranking in the bottom 1 percentile for
 ambition in a personality test WWE gave him. In response, he said, "I
have no ambition for what society says is important as far as things
like money, and all that kind of stuff. What I am ambitious about is I
want to be the best wrestler that I can possibly be".[291]

On April 11, 2014, Danielson married WWE Diva Brie Bella, with whom he had been in a relationship for nearly three years.[278][292][293]

On April 21, 2014, WWE announced the death of Danielson's father. Danielson insisted on performing that night on *Raw* as scheduled but left for home immediately after his segment.[294]

In July 2014, Danielson's home in Phoenix, Arizona was broken into by two burglars. Danielson came home at that time; he managed to chase down and subdue one of the burglars with a rear naked choke until police arrived.[295]
 Based on information gleaned from the caught burglar, police
apprehended three other people about two weeks later who were involved
in burglaries throughout Arcadia and Phoenix.[296]

During a 2014 interview, Danielson stated that he cannot swim or go
deep into water due to a ruptured ear drum he suffered in an unspecified
 2007 Ring of Honor match against Kenta. Danielson has never had the
ruptured ear drum fixed, and he claims he still has problems hearing in
his left ear.[297]

He is a supporter of English Premier League team Everton F.C..[298] He is also an avid fan of the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco Giants.

## In wrestling

Bryan applying the *Yes! Lock* on Ted DiBiase.

Danielson applying the *Cattle Mutilation* on Chris Hero.

Bryan executes shoot kicks to Triple H's chest.

Bryan performing a surfboard on Dean Ambrose.

Bryan performing a superplex on CM Punk.

* **Finishing moves**
	+ **As Daniel Bryan**
		- Guillotine choke[299][300][301] – 2011; used rarely as a signature move thereafter
		- *LeBell Lock*[302] / *"Yes!" Lock*[7] / *"No!" Lock*[303] (Omoplata crossface)[304][305][306] – 2010–present; adopted from Gene LeBell[302]
		- Running single leg high knee[307][308] – 2013–present; adopted from KENTA[309]
	+ **As Bryan Danielson/American Dragon**
		- Bridging dragon suplex[3]
		- *Cattle Mutilation*[3][310] / *Arms Across America*[311] (Bridging double chickenwing)[312]
		- Crossface chickenwing, sometimes with bodyscissors[313]
		- Crucifix position followed by multiple elbow strikes to the side of the opponent's head[34][312]
		- Double wristlock to a grounded opponent followed by multiple stomps to the opponent's chest, face, and head[314]
		- *LeBell Lock* (Omoplata crossface)[305] – 2010
		- *Regal-Plex* (Bridging leg hook belly-to-back suplex) – adopted from William Regal[310]
		- Triangle choke,[312] sometimes followed by multiple elbow strikes to the opponent's head[313]

* **Signature moves**
	+ Ankle lock[315]
	+ Arm trap seated abdominal stretch[312][313]
	+ Backflip off the top rope over a standing opponent[316] followed by a crooked arm lariat[317][318][319]
	+ Cobra clutch to a facedown opponent[3]
	+ Corner elbow smash[320]
	+ Discus elbow smash[3]
	+ Diving headbutt[3] (Independent circuit) / *Flying Goat*[321] (WWE)
	+ Dragon screw[322]
	+ Dragon sleeper[323]
	+ Drop toe-hold into the turnbuckles,[324] sometimes followed by kicking the second rope into the opponent's throat[325][326]
	+ European uppercut[327][328]
	+ Guillotine choke[299][300][301]
	+ Heel hook[69]
	+ High knee from the apron to the outside of the ring[302][329]
	+ Indian deathlock[3]
	+ Jumping knee drop[326]
	+ Multiple kick variations
		- Corner drop[327]
		- Front missile drop[327]
		- Repeated shoot to a kneeling opponent's chest followed by a roundhouse to the opponent's head, with theatrics[329][330]
		- Roundhouse[331]
		- Running big boot[3]
	+ Multiple suplex variations[312]
		- Belly-to-back,[3] sometimes from the top rope[3][310]
		- Belly-to-belly[313]
		- Butterfly floated over into a cross armbreaker[328]
		- Cravate[332]
		- German[313]
		- Northern Lights[3]
		- Snap underhook[3][313]
		- Super[313]
		- Tiger[313]
	+ Rolling fireman's carry slam[3]
	+ Running leg lariat[327]
	+ Single leg Boston crab[323]
	+ Sleeper hold[315][329]
	+ Small package[333]
	+ Suicide dive[317][334] (Independent circuit) / *Air Goat*[335] (WWE)
	+ Surfboard,[313][327] sometimes while applying a dragon sleeper[336]

* **Managers**
	+ Dave Prazak[337]
	+ The Miz[338]
	+ Brie Bella[339]
	+ Gail Kim[110]
	+ AJ Lee[340]
	+ Bray Wyatt[341]

* **Nicknames**
	+ "The American Dolphin"[56]
	+ "The American Dragon"[3]
	+ **"The Beard"**[342]
	+ "The Best Wrestler in the World"[3][343]
	+ "The Dagger"[3]
	+ "The Dazzler"[3][344]
	+ **"G.O.A.T." (Greatest Of All Time)**[345]
	+ **"King of Beards"**[344]
	+ "The Master of the Small Package"[3]
	+ "Mr. Money in the Bank"[120]
	+ "Mr. Small Package"[346]
	+ **"The Submission Specialist"**[347]
	+ "The World's Toughest Vegan"[348]
	+ **"The "Yes!"**[349] / "No!" **Man"**[350]

* **Entrance themes**
	+ "Self Esteem" by The Offspring[351] (Independent circuit)
	+ "Obsession" by Animotion[337] (Independent circuit)
	+ "The Final Countdown" by Europe[262] (Independent circuit)
	+ "Ride of the Valkyries" by Richard Wagner[352] (WWE; September 20, 2010 – July 29, 2011)
	+ "Big Epic Thing" by Jim Johnston[353] (WWE; August 5, 2011 – November 4, 2011)
	+ **"Flight of the Valkyries"** by Jim Johnston[354] (WWE; November 11, 2011 – present)

### Wrestlers trained

* Alex Payne[340]
* Andrew Patterson[340]
* Bobby Quance[340]
* Cheerleader Melissa[340]
* Coone[340]
* Dan Marshall[340]
* Farmer Joe[340]
* Kafu[340]
* Killer J Mathias[340]
* Reno[340]
* Rhett Titus[340]
* Robbie Ryder[340]
* Ryan Drago[340]
* Sara Del Rey[340]
* Zodiac[340]

## Championships and accomplishments

Bryan is a four-time World Champion in WWE - holding the World Heavyweight Championship (left) once, and the WWE Championship three times...

...a former ROH World Champion...

...a former United States Champion...

...and a former WWE Tag Team Champion.

* **All Pro Wrestling**
	+ APW Worldwide Internet Championship (1 time)[355]
	+ King of the Indies (2001)[312][356]

* **All Star Wrestling**
	+ ASW World Heavy Middleweight Championship (1 time)[1]

* **East Coast Wrestling Association**
	+ ECWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Low Ki[357]

* **Evolve**
	+ Match of the Year (2010) vs. Munenori Sawa on September 11[358]

* **Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling**
	+ NWA Canadian Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[359]

* **Full Impact Pro**
	+ FIP Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[312]

* **International Wrestling Association**
	+ IWA Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[85]

* **Memphis Championship Wrestling**
	+ MCW Southern Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[1]
	+ MCW Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Spanky[1]

* **NWA Mid-South**
	+ NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[360]

* **New Japan Pro Wrestling**
	+ IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (1 time)[312] – with Curry Man[1]
	+ Best of the American Super Juniors (2004)[361]

* **Pro Wrestling Guerrilla**
	+ PWG World Championship (2 times)[312][362]

* **Pro Wrestling Illustrated**
	+ Feud of the Year (2013)[363] vs. The Authority
	+ Match of the Year (2013)[364] vs. John Cena at SummerSlam
	+ Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (2014)[365]
	+ Most Popular Wrestler of the Year (2013)[366]
	+ Wrestler of the Year (2013)[367]
	+ Ranked him No. **1** of the top 500 wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2014[368]

* **Pro Wrestling Noah**
	+ GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[310][312]

* **Ring of Honor**
	+ ROH Pure Championship (1 time)[33]
	+ ROH World Championship (1 time)[24]
	+ Survival of the Fittest (2004)[1][312]

* **Texas Wrestling Alliance**
	+ TWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Spanky[1]

* **westside Xtreme wrestling**
	+ wXw World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[369]
	+ Ambition 1 (2010)[84]

* **World Series Wrestling**
	+ WSW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[370]

* **World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE**
	+ World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[371]
	+ WWE Championship/WWE World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)[372][373][374]
	+ WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kane[375]
	+ WWE United States Championship (1 time)[103]
	+ Money in the Bank (SmackDown 2011)[376]
	+ Slammy Awards (12 times)
		- Cole in Your Stocking (2010) – Attacking Michael Cole on *NXT*[377]
		- Shocker of the Year (2010) – The debut of The Nexus[377]
		- Tweet of the Year (2012) – "Goat

```
face is a horrible insult. My face is practically perfect in every way.
In fact, from now on I demand to be called Beautiful Bryan."

```

* + - Facial Hair of the Year (2012)
		- Upset of the Year (2012) – Defeating Mark Henry and Big Show at Royal Rumble
		- Two-time Couple of the Year (2013, 2014) – with Brie Bella
		- Catchphrase of the Year (2013) – YES! YES! YES!
		- Beard of the Year (2013)
		- Superstar of the Year (2013)
		- Fan Participation of the Year (2013) – YES! YES! YES!
		- Rivalry of the Year (2014) – vs. The Authority

* **Wrestling Observer Newsletter**
	+ Best Technical Wrestler (2005–2013)
	+ Match of the Year (2007) vs. Takeshi Morishima at ROH *Manhattan Mayhem II* on August 25
	+ Most Outstanding Wrestler (2006–2010)