To say that Daniel Bryan is a decorated star would be an understatement. In WWE alone, he has amassed numerous achievements, including the Money in the Bank and five separate world championships; not too shabby for a wrestler many positioned at a certain level. With that said, there has been one accolade that has eluded him: the Royal Rumble. In 2021, it may be the leader of the “Yes Movement’s” time to shine.
On the December 26th episode of Talking Smack, Bryan expressed interest in not only entering but winning the 2021 Royal Rumble match. Bryan had never won the match in question before, even though he participated in multiple Rumbles, both in the United States and abroad. In fact, in his career that spans over twenty years, not once has he won a battle royal. Bryan stated that the 2021 Royal Rumble match may be his final opportunity. By doing so, he could check off a bucket list item before going on to main event another WrestleMania.
Bryan’s history with Royal Rumble matches can best be described as checkered. His first match appearance took place in 2011. During this 40-man event, he entered at number two. CM Punk entered the match first, and given the history that Bryan would share with the Straight Edge Superstar, this couldn’t have been more appropriate. In 2011, however, they were at completely different points in their careers. While Punk would lead The Nexus as their final leader, Bryan was the never-say-die babyface in the middle of his sole United States Championship reign.
Despite being a fairly new WWE Superstar, at this time, Bryan performed well in the 2011 Royal Rumble match. He spent over 20 minutes in the match; the only other person that outlasted him, in terms of time spent in the match, was Punk. Furthermore, Bryan scored two eliminations, first throwing Zack Ryder over the top rope before doing the same to Justin Gabriel, the latter of whom was part of The Corre. Despite Bryan’s best efforts, he found thrown over the top by Punk himself.
Fast forward two years later, and Bryan would enter his second Royal Rumble match in 2013. In 2012, Bryan was the World Heavyweight Champion, meaning that he was absent from that year’s match. However, the mischievous Bryan was successful in the show’s opening match, overcoming Big Show and Mark Henry in a Cage Match. In the year 2013, Bryan entered the Royal Rumble match as, primarily, a tag team wrestler. During this time, he was a WWE Tag Team Titleholder alongside Kane; together, they were the fan-favorite duo known as Team Hell No.
Bryan’s 2013 Royal Rumble night started well enough; alongside Kane, he bested Team Rhodes Scholars, comprised of Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes, in a title match. Later in the night, in the Rumble itself, Bryan entered at number twenty-one. Shortly thereafter, Kane made his way to the ring at number twenty-four. Together, Team Hell No eliminated The Great Khali. However, in a comedic way that only Team Hell No could pull off, Bryan dumped Kane out of the ring. This would work against Bryan later on; he, too, would find himself thrown to the outside.
2014 would prove to be an interesting year for Daniel Bryan. During this time, there were few, if any, stars as popular as him. During that year’s Royal Rumble event, he faced Bray Wyatt, his rival at the time, in a losing effort. Fans expected Bryan to appear in the Rumble at the end of the show; given his groundswell of support, many expected him to win it. However, those very fans were disappointed, to say the least, when it became evident Bryan wouldn’t be involved. Due to various circumstances, including the sudden departure of Punk following the 2014 Royal Rumble event, Bryan would still have his historic WrestleMania moment later that year.
Once again, Daniel Bryan would have to wait until his next Royal Rumble match. In May of 2014, Bryan took time off to undergo neck surgery. After making sporadic appearances for the company in non-competitive roles, he would be back to in-ring competition by early 2015. This couldn’t have come at a better time, either, as that year’s Royal Rumble was just around the corner. Fan support hadn’t waned for the bearded working-class hero, either. They longed for a Bryan victory, but 2015 marked the most checkered Royal Rumble experience for him yet.
Bryan entered the 2015 Royal Rumble at number 10, the support of the crowd in Philadelphia palpable. He started the match strong, even scoring an elimination over Tyson Kidd. However, Bryan would end up being eliminated in what many fans considered to be an underwhelming fashion. While standing on the apron, after a little over ten minutes, Bryan was unceremoniously knocked to the floor by Wyatt. As Bryan lay on the mat in disbelief, the crowd in Philly expressed their displeasure with a chorus of boos. No WWE Superstar in the match could turn the crowd in the show’s favor as chants for their hero were heard throughout the rest of the match.
The 2015 Royal Rumble would be the last that Daniel Bryan competed in, at least in the United States. Only a few short months later, medical issues began to surface. Due to concerns related to concussions and other injuries, Bryan was forced to retire from in-ring competition. He would remain with WWE for the next few years as an on-air personality, including the General Manager of SmackDown. Roughly two years later, following further medical evaluations, Bryan was cleared to return to the ring.
The next, and so far final, Royal Rumble match that Bryan competed in took place in 2018. Instead of on American soil, as was the case with years prior, this match was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This was the first event that WWE held in Saudi Arabia; thus, the company pulled out the stops. The main way that this was done was by holding what the company hyped as the “Greatest Royal Rumble,” consisting of 50 competitors, making it the largest Rumble to date. One competitor that stood out was Bryan himself.
The Greatest Royal Rumble saw Daniel Bryan enter the match at number one, becoming said match’s ironman. One reason for this was the length of time he spent in the match; Bryan broke a record by lasting over an hour and sixteen minutes. He would also go on to help eliminate the likes of Dash Wilder and Mark Henry. Though a weakened Bryan was ultimately eliminated by Big Cass, the former’s performance in this match couldn’t have been ignored. Alas, another Rumble eluded the multi-time WWE world champion.
Going back to the aforementioned episode of Talking Smack, Bryan questioned Paul Heyman regarding WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns. Bryan asked Heyman if he believed that Reigns could stack up to him as a wrestler and fighter. At that moment, Bryan poked the proverbial hornet’s nest. While Bryan had a jocular disposition while doing so, it was clear that Heyman saw little humor in the situation. As the episode progressed, Bryan’s tone became more serious. He had the demeanor of a man driven to seize perhaps his last opportunity.
Winning the 2021 Royal Rumble match would make sense from a storyline standpoint, too. This past autumn, Daniel Bryan raised the ire of Jey Uso and, by extension, Roman Reigns. This led to a vicious beatdown that Uso unloaded on Bryan back in October, incapacitating the former multi-time world champion to the point where he had to be stretchered out of the WWE ThunderDome. Recently, Bryan was able to exact revenge, picking up a singles victory over Uso on SmackDown. However, based on current events on TV, Bryan isn’t done with Reigns and his family.
This potential Royal Rumble win is all the more important given Daniel Bryan’s shifting goals in life. Late last year, BT Sport sat down with Bryan for an interview. Bryan discussed the very likely possibility of cutting back on his workload. “I still love wrestling and I feel like I’ll always wrestle as long as I can physically do it,” said Bryan. Nonetheless, he noted that he has two children at home. He must also consider his wife, Brie Bella, and their family. As time goes on, wrestling on a full-time basis may not be Bryan’s focus. Before he winds down, it isn’t far-fetched to assume that one last run at the top would be in the cards.
As stated earlier, Daniel Bryan is a decorated wrestler. Even outside of WWE, he has accomplished so much in the United States and around the world. Once he made it to the largest wrestling organization in the world, greater accolades followed. Nonetheless, a Royal Rumble victory has always been out of reach. This year, Bryan’s luck may change for the better. Don’t count “The American Dragon” out as the 2021 Royal Rumble event fast approaches.
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