Daniel Bryan

Hometown: Aberdeen, WA

Daniel Bryan is an American professional wrestler currently signed to KJWWE, where he performs on the Raw brand.

## Debut and championship pursuits (2018)

Daniel Bryan made his KWWE debut at Wrestlemania 1, where he was a part of the seven man elimination match to crown the inaugural WWE Champion. At Wrestlemania, Bryan was the second man eliminated by Shawn Michaels. John Cena went on to win the match and the championship. After Wrestlemania, Bryan began a feud with Michaels. At Extreme Rules (2018), Bryan defeated Michaels in a Last Man Standing match. The two continued their feud, and at Slammiversary (2018), Michaels defeated Bryan. On the May 28 episode of Raw, Bryan was part of a Battle Royal to determine the number one contender to the WWE Universal Championship. Bryan and AJ Styles were the last two men in the match, and both men fell over the top rope and hit the floor at the same time. As a result, the two men were booked in a Number One Contender's match at Money in the Bank (2018). At the event, Bryan and Styles wrestled to a double countout when Styles hit a Phenomenal Forearm on Bryan through the announce table. The two had another number one contender's match on the June 18 episode of Raw, which ended in a double disqualification when WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens attacked both men. As a result, Owens defended his championship against both men at One Night Stand (2018), where he retained after hitting Bryan with a ladder. Due to this finish, it was announced that Owens would again defend his championship against Bryan and Styles at The Great American Bash (2018) in a ladder match. At the event, Owens retained the championship.

## King of the Ring win and WWE Universal Champion (2018-2019)

Bryan would go on to enter the 2018 King of the Ring Tournament, defeating Austin Aries in a qualifying match. At King of the Ring (2018), Bryan defeated Cody Rhodes in the quarterfinals, The Miz in the semifinals, and CM Punk in the finals to win the 2018 King of the Ring Tournament. As a result, Bryan earned the right to challenge for a world championship at Summerslam (2018), and he chose the WWE Universal Championship. On the July 23 episode of Raw, Bryan teamed with Chris Jericho to defeat WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens and Seth Rollins. After the match, Bryan was attacked by Austin Aries. At Bash at the Beach (2018), Bryan defeated Aries. In the 2018 WWE Draft, Bryan was drafted to Raw. At Summerslam (2018), Bryan defeated Owens to win the WWE Universal Championship for the first time. Owens officially invoked his rematch clause for the first Raw exclusive pay-per-view, Cyber Saturday (2018), and three options were announced for the match: Falls Count Anywhere, Extreme Rules, or Submission. Falls Count Anywhere won the fan poll, and at Cyber Saturday (2018), Bryan defeated Owens to retain the championship. Owens would go on to blame his loss on being unprepared for the match, and was granted another championship match. At Halloween Havoc (2018), Bryan defeated Owens in an Iron Man match, 5-4, retaining the championship. Bryan would be attacked by Cody Rhodes, who had been eliminated from his qualifier block in the 2018 Bound for Glory Series. At Night One (2018), Bryan defeated Rhodes to retain the WWE Universal Championship. At Survivor Series (2018), Bryan faced Smackdown's WWE Champion John Cena in a Champion vs Champion match, where he was defeated. Raw would go on to lose the Battle for Brand Supremacy. At Final Battle (2018), Bryan defended the WWE Universal Championship in a Fatal 4-Way match against Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, and Chris Jericho, where Bryan retained, pinning Orton. In the new year, multiple men, including Seth Rollins, CM Punk, Chris Jericho, and Cody Rhodes, all claimed they should be the number one contender to Bryan's championship. As a result, at New Year's Revolution (2019), Bryan defended his championship in a Fatal 5-Way against all four men, where he retained after pinning Rollins after Rhodes hit Rollins with a Cross Rhodes. Rhodes would challenge Bryan to another match, which Bryan accepted. At Royal Rumble (2019), Bryan defeated Rhodes after making him submit to the Yes! Lock. At Halftime Heat (2019), a battle royal took place to where the winner would get a championship match against Bryan in the main event. The battle royal was won by Chris Jericho, who challenged Bryan to a submission match, which Bryan accepted. In the main event, Bryan defeated Jericho after making him submit to the Yes! Lock. After the match, the two shook hands as a sign of respect. On Night One of the 2019 Battle of Los Angeles, Bryan teamed with AJ Styles, Edge, and Christian to defeat The Four Horsemen (Ric Flair, Barry Windham, Arn Anderson, and Tully Blanchard). On Night Two, Seth Rollins won the Battle of Los Angeles Tournament, granting him a WWE Universal Championship match at Wrestlemania 2. At All Star Weekend (2019), Bryan was on the winning side of the 16-Man Spring Fever Elimination Tag Team Match. At Wrestlemania 2, Bryan lost the WWE Universal Championship to Rollins, ending his reign at 225 days. Bryan officially cashed in his rematch clause at Extreme Rules (2019), where Bryan again lost to Rollins, this time in an Extreme Rules match.

## Feud with CM Punk and Drew McIntyre (2019-2020)

After Extreme Rules (2019), Bryan qualified for the Raw Money in the Bank Ladder Match by defeating Fandango. At Money in the Bank (2019), Bryan was unsuccessful in winning as CM Punk retrieved the contract. After Money in the Bank (2019), Bryan entered a four-man feud with WWE United States Champion Kevin Owens, Cody Rhodes, and Sami Zayn. At One Night Stand (2019), Bryan challenged for the WWE United States Championship in a Fatal 4-Way match, where he was unsuccessful in winning when Owens pinned Zayn. Bryan would then move into a feud with WWE Television Champion EC3, when Bryan was selected as EC3's challenger on the June 24 episode of Raw. In the match, Bryan defeated EC3 by disqualification after EC3 hit Bryan with the championship belt, meaning Bryan won the match but not the championship. Bryan would lay out an additionally challenge to EC3, which was declined. However, at The Great American Bash (2019), Bryan replaced the WWE Television Championship Challenge selection bowl with a bowl full of paper slips containing only his name, meaning that he was selected to challenge for the championship. Bryan would go on to lose the match to EC3. Bryan would then enter the 2019 King of the Ring Tournament, defeating Drew McIntyre to qualify. At King of the Ring (2019), Bryan lost his quarterfinal match to Seth Rollins. Bryan, along with Chris Jericho, Drew McIntyre, and Seth Rollins, all argued that they should be the number one contender to CM Punk's WWE Universal Championship. All five men would be included in the first ever King of the Mountain match at Summerslam (2019) for the WWE Universal Championship. At the event, Bryan was unsuccessful in winning when Punk retrieved the championship above the ring. However, on the August 26 episode of Raw, Bryan defeated Jericho, McIntyre, and Rollins in a Fatal 4-Way match to become the number one contender to the WWE Universal Championship. At Cyber Saturday (2019), Bryan was defeated by Punk in a 60-Minute Iron Match, 3-2, in a match rated 5.25 stars by Pro Wrestling Newsletter. Bryan and Punk continued to feud, with Punk attacking Bryan during his match with Seth Rollins on the September 16 episode of Raw. Following this defeat, Bryan was mocked by EC3, and the two began a feud. At Halloween Havoc (2019), Bryan was defeated by EC3. Bryan would then go on to enter the 2019 Bound for Glory Series, winning his qualifier block with a 2-1 record. On Night One, Bryan defeated The Miz in his first round match. On Night Two, Bryan defeated John Cena in the quarterfinals, but was defeated by EC3 in the semifinals. Despite coming up short in the Bound for Glory Series, Bryan was announced as Team Raw's captain for the 5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Match at Survivor Series (2019). The team was rounded out with Chris Jericho, Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton, and Seth Rollins. Bryan and McIntyre would go on to be the sole survivors, winning the match and the Battle for Brand Supremacy for Team Raw. On the December 2 episode of Raw, it was announced that at Final Battle (2019), WWE Universal Champion CM Punk would defend his championship against the three other men that had held the championship that year: Bryan, Chris Jericho, and Seth Rollins. At Final Battle (2019), Punk retained the championship after pinning Jericho. During the match, however, Bryan was attacked by Drew McIntyre, who had formed an alliance with Punk. This led to a match between the two at New Year's Revolution (2020), where Bryan defeated McIntyre. Later that month, at Royal Rumble (2020), Bryan entered the titular match at number 37. Bryan eliminated X-Pac before being eliminated by Kevin Owens. At Halftime Heat (2020), Bryan teamed with Randy Orton and Chris Jericho to defeat CM Punk, Drew McIntyre, and EC3 in a six-man tag team match.

## Various feuds (2020)

Bryan would go on to enter the 2020 Battle for Los Angeles, defeating Seth Rollins in his first round match on Night One. However, on Night Two, Bryan lost his quarterfinal match to Bray Wyatt. This started a feud between the two, as Wyatt claimed he could "save" Bryan, who had been on the losing end of numerous high-profile matches. The two were on opposite side of the 16-Man Spring Fever Elimination Tag Team Match at All Star Weekend (2020), where Bryan's team emerged victorious. At Wrestlemania 3, Wyatt defeated Bryan in a singles match. However, Bryan retaliated at Extreme Rules (2020), defeating Wyatt in a submission match. Wyatt would go on to attack Bryan after the match. At Worlds Collide (2020), Bryan and Wyatt were on opposite sides of an eight-man tag team match, where Bryan, Booker T, Diamond Dallas Page, and Rusev defeated Wyatt, Kevin Owens, Seth Rollins, and Sheamus. Bryan took part in the Raw Money in the Bank Ladder Match at Money in the Bank (2020), where he was unsuccessful in winning as EC3 retrieved the contract. Following Money in the Bank (2020), Bryan began a feud with Kevin Owens. Owens defeated Bryan at One Night Stand (2020). Two nights later on Raw, Owens again defeated Bryan, this time to qualify for the Elimination Six-Pack Challenge for the WWE United States Championship at The Great American Bash (2020). After losing to Owens, Bryan was approached by Randy Orton, who suggested the two needed each other after multiple big losses. However, Bryan rejected Orton's offer. One week later, during Bryan's match with Wade Barrett, Orton interfered, giving an RKO to Bryan, allowing Barrett to win the match. Bryan and Orton finally faced off at The Great American Bash (2020), where Bryan defeated Orton. After the match, Orton nailed Bryan with a clothesline and put Bryan through the announce table with an RKO. Orton would go on to challenge Bryan to a No Disqualifications match, which Bryan accepted. At Wrestle Kingdom (2020), Orton defeated Bryan in a no disqualifications match. Orton would continue to beat down Bryan until officials pulled him off. Bryan would end up leaving the arena in an ambulance. On the August 3 episode of Raw, the commentary team announced that Bryan had taken a concussion test in Changwon, and had passed. On the August 10 episode of Raw, Orton defeated Junkyard Dog in a No Disqualifications match. When Orton tried to put Junkyard Dog in an ambulance, Bryan jumped out of the back, hitting Orton with a running knee. The two men were booked into an Ambulance Match at Summerslam (2020), where Bryan defeated Orton.

## WWE Universal Championship pursuits (2020-2021)

Following this victory over Orton, Bryan made his intention to re-capture the WWE Universal Championship. Bryan was interrupted by Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens, both of whom also wanted the WWE Universal Championship. As a result, the three men were booked into a number one contender's triple threat match at Cyber Saturday (2020), where Owens won, pinning Bryan. Owens faced champion Drew McIntyre on the following episode of Raw, where McIntyre retained his title via disqualification after Owens hit McIntyre with the championship belt. After doing this, Owens assaulted McIntyre with multiple powerbombs, setting up his partner, EC3, to cash in his Money in the Bank contract. However, before EC3 could cash in, Bryan attacked both men. This led to a massive brawl between Bryan, Owens, McIntyre, EC3, Seth Rollins, Chris Jericho, and MVP. As a result, it was announced that McIntyre would defend his championship inside the Elimination Chamber at Super Showdown (2020) in Germany. Bryan, Rollins, Jericho, and MVP were announced for the match, and the final spot was determined by a singles match between Kevin Owens and EC3, which Owens won after EC3 took an intentional countout. At the event, Bryan eliminated MVP by forcing him to submit to the Yes! Lock, before being eliminated by  a powerbomb from Owens. Following Super Showdown (2020), Bryan began a feud with MVP. The two faced off at Halloween Havoc (2020), where Bryan defeated MVP. Bryan would go on to enter the 2020 Bound for Glory Series. On Night One, Bryan was defeated in his first round match by Austin Aries. Bryan would bounce back from this loss by defeating MVP to qualify for Team Raw for the Interbrand 5-on-5-on-5 Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match. At Survivor Series (2020), Bryan recorded no eliminations and was eliminated from the match by NXT's Tommaso Ciampa. Team Raw would go on to lose the match to Team NXT. On the next episode of Raw, the five members of Team Raw were given a new opportunity to become the number one contender to EC3's WWE Universal Championship. Bryan would go on to win, after making Randy Orton submit to the Yes! Lock and becoming the number one contender. At Final Battle (2020), Bryan teamed with former WWE Universal Champions Chris Jericho and Seth Rollins to defeat former WWE Champions John Cena, AJ Styles, and Shawn Michaels when Bryan made Michaels submit to the Yes! Lock. Bryan finally received his championship match against EC3 at New Year's Revolution (2021), where he was defeated. On the following episode of Raw, Bryan cut a promo, saying that he was now directionless. This prompted a response from Bray Wyatt, who offered Bryan a spot in his "family". However, Bryan declined. Later that night, when Bryan faced off with Kevin Owens, Wyatt attacked Bryan. The two men fought at Royal Rumble (2021), with Wyatt winning. At Halftime Heat (2021), both Bryan and Wyatt were involved in a 30-man battle royal where the winner received a WWE Universal Championship match later that night. The two men eliminated each other. Bryan and Wyatt faced off again on the February 15 episode of Raw, where Bryan defeated Wyatt. Bryan again defeated Wyatt on Night One in the first round of the 2021 Battle of Los Angeles, ending their feud. On Night Two, Bryan was defeated by Damien Sandow in the quarterfinals, eliminating him from the tournament.

## Moveset

Finishers

* Heel hook
* Knee Plus (Running single leg high knee)
* Yes! Lock (Omoplata crossface)

Signatures

* Cattle Mutilation (Bridging double chickenwing)
* Corner backflip followed by a clothesline takedown
* Diving headbutt
* Dragon screw
* European uppercut
* High knee from apron to the outside of the ring
* Multiple kick variations
	+ Corner drop
	+ Front missile drop
	+ Roundhouse
	+ Yes! Kicks (Repeated shoot to kneeling opponent's chest followed by a roundhouse to the opponent's head, with theatrics)
* Multiple suplex variations
	+ Belly to back, sometimes from the top rope
	+ Belly to belly
	+ Double underhook
	+ Full nelson
	+ German
	+ Half and half
	+ Northern lights
	+ Snap
	+ Tiger
* Suicide dive
* Surfboard

## Championships and Accomplishments

* King of the Ring (2018)
* Wrestlemania Main Event (1 time, 2018)
* WWE Universal Championship (1 time)