{"id":65760,"date":"2020-03-27T20:21:46","date_gmt":"2020-03-28T00:21:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/?p=65760"},"modified":"2020-03-27T20:21:46","modified_gmt":"2020-03-28T00:21:46","slug":"the-daniel-bryan-comeback-story-two-years-later-2-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2020\/03\/27\/the-daniel-bryan-comeback-story-two-years-later-2-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Daniel Bryan Comeback Story: Two Years Later (2\/2)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <strong>Daniel Bryan<\/strong> comeback story is one which will go down as one of the all-time great comebacks.\u00a0 When fans discuss great pro-wrestling comebacks, there is no doubt that Bryan&#8217;s will be discussed among the likes of <strong>Edge<\/strong> and <strong>Shawn Michaels<\/strong>&#8216;.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/2020\/03\/22\/the-daniel-bryan-comeback-story-two-years-later-1-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Part one of the series<\/a> focused on the first half of Bryan&#8217;s return; culminating in the heel turn against <strong>AJ Styles<\/strong> in November 2018.\u00a0 That is where part two shall commence.\u00a0 So grab your quinoa, your bottle of water and homemade sweaters, because things are about to get green.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Introducing the &#8220;New&#8221; Daniel Bryan<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Before winning the <strong>WWE<\/strong> Championship on the November 13th 2018 episode of <strong>SmackDown Live<\/strong>, Bryan was set to feature in the yearly inter-brand <em><strong>Survivor Series<\/strong><\/em> match.\u00a0 Fans had been looking forward to a rematch of the 2017 <em>Survivor Series<\/em> main event, when AJ Styles faced <strong>Brock Lesnar<\/strong> in a champion versus champion match.\u00a0 However, in losing the WWE title just two days before this match was to take place, Bryan claimed that spot.\u00a0 There was much discussion in the few days prior to the match.\u00a0 What was heel Daniel Bryan going to be like? Although Bryan had clearly turned heel, it wasn&#8217;t clear what direction the character was heading.\u00a0 Indeed, fans had become so used to the &#8220;Leader of the Yes! Movement&#8221; persona that fans had forgotten a time Bryan could ever be perceived a heel.\u00a0 This was about to change.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Daniel Bryan vows to be WWE Champion forever: SmackDown LIVE, Jan. 8, 2\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kkKfFBeiask?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Match with Brock Lesnar<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Bryan&#8217;s heel persona didn&#8217;t kick-in immediately.\u00a0 After defeating AJ Styles for the WWE Championship in controversial fashion, Bryan merely smirked maniacally.\u00a0 When <em>SmackDown Exclusive<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/syqTbCdY2XM\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">caught up with him<\/a> after the show went off the air, he did the same.\u00a0 Gone was the cheerful, humorous Bryan who had graced our screens for the last decade.\u00a0 In his place was a man on a mission: the &#8220;New&#8221; Daniel Bryan.\u00a0 This is the version of Bryan who squared off with Brock Lesnar at <em>Survivor Series<\/em> that Sunday.\u00a0 Instead of the previous version of Bryan, who would have attacked Lesnar from the off, we got a Bryan who wanted to be punished.\u00a0 Bryan allowed Brock to pummel him for fifteen straight minutes.\u00a0 Only near the end, would something resembling the Bryan of old fight back.\u00a0 He very nearly pulled off an upset.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Daniel Bryan floors The Beast with a vicious Running Knee: Survivor Series 2018 (WWE Network)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HKkSsXGBIyE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Of course, it was not to be and Brock Lesnar pinned Daniel Bryan.\u00a0 What became clear from this match, however, was that an exciting new dynamic was to be explored with the Daniel Bryan character.\u00a0 Long-term fans were clamoring for a heel <strong>Bryan Danielson<\/strong>-like character to return.\u00a0 Newer fans were calling for something resembling the heel Daniel Bryan of 2012 to return.\u00a0 What we got instead was something of a mix of the two.\u00a0 The preaching, vegan environmentalist of 2012 Bryan mixed with the aggressive, wrestling machine Danielson of the mid-2000s.\u00a0 Two nights removed from <em>Survivor Series<\/em>, on SmackDown Live, the &#8220;New&#8221; Daniel Bryan was christened and we &#8211; the audience &#8211; would be given answers.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Daniel Bryan explains his actions: SmackDown LIVE, Nov. 20, 2018\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zmuVm5cRdUM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Daniel Bryan Versus AJ Styles and New WWE Championship<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>AJ Styles would receive his rematch with Bryan at the yearly <em><strong>Tables, Ladders &amp; Chairs<\/strong><\/em> pay-per-view.\u00a0 Bryan would win the match, before securing a hattrick of victories over the &#8220;Phenomenal One&#8221; at the <em><strong>2019 Royal Rumble<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 It was at the <em>Royal Rumble<\/em> pay-per-view where Bryan would link up with his newest ally: <strong>Rowan<\/strong>.\u00a0 Rowan &#8211; formerly <strong>Erick Rowan<\/strong> of <strong>Wyatt Family<\/strong> fame &#8211; would serve as Bryan&#8217;s new heater for the majority of his &#8220;New&#8221; heel persona.\u00a0 This was something new for Rowan, who had been floundering in obscurity since the injury of fellow Bludgeon Brother, <strong>Harper<\/strong>.\u00a0 Two days after the <em>Royal Rumble<\/em>, Bryan &#8211; accompanied by Rowan &#8211; would introduce the new WWE Championship.\u00a0 Made from &#8220;entirely renewable&#8221; materials, the &#8220;New&#8221; Daniel Bryan was clearly taking on an eco-warrior persona.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Daniel Bryan dumps WWE Championship for eco-friendly title: SmackDown LIVE, Jan. 29, 2019\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vPjArk_p-vY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>A little known fact about Daniel Bryan is that &#8211; though a vegan &#8211; he didn&#8217;t become so for ethical reasons.\u00a0 When Bryan became World Heavyweight Champion back in 2011, he was somewhat harassed by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).\u00a0 They believed that since Bryan was a vegan, he should be opposed to holding a clearly leather championship.\u00a0 Maybe that altercation served as inspiration for the &#8220;New&#8221; Daniel Bryan.\u00a0 Regardless, the old Daniel Bryan was gone.\u00a0 The &#8220;Yes! Movement&#8221; was gone.\u00a0 In many ways, Bryan had switched roles.\u00a0 Whereas once he was called a &#8220;B+ Player&#8221; by <strong>Triple H<\/strong> and <strong>The Authority<\/strong>, he was now in that role.\u00a0 He would call another man a &#8220;B+ Player&#8221;.\u00a0 <strong>Kofi Kingston<\/strong>, riding a wave of momentum, was that man.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bryan says Kingston does not have what it takes to be WWE Champion: SmackDown LIVE, Mar. 19, 2019\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6Zv24chy0P8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Battle of the B+ Players<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Both Kofi Kingston and Daniel Bryan are not B+ players.\u00a0 Kofi Kingston is a workaholic who through loyalty and perseverance, has achieved a solid career.\u00a0 Both as a solo performer and as a member of <strong>The New Day<\/strong>, Kofi is a shoe-in for a future <strong>Hall of Fame<\/strong> spot.\u00a0 Daniel Bryan is one of the greatest of all time.\u00a0 Bryan&#8217;s status as one of the greats is what made this feud work.\u00a0 Just like Triple H did years before, Bryan managed to play to the crowd wanting to see the babyface succeed.\u00a0 Kofi was a perennial underachiever.\u00a0 Though he came close during a feud with <strong>Randy Orton<\/strong> in 2009, he had since failed to make it to the peak of the mountain.\u00a0 So when he finally managed to win WWE Championship gold at <em><strong>WrestleMania XXXV<\/strong><\/em>, the moment was a truly feel-good moment.\u00a0 Though Kofi was gaining momentum prior to entering the feud with Bryan, Bryan&#8217;s excellent heel work must be cited as part of the reason for the moment feeling as good as it did.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The New Day react to Kofi Kingston becoming WWE Champion: WWE Exclusive, April 7, 2019\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6XLlLu0psYE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Tag Team With Rowan<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>After failing to win his rematch with Kofi on the May 6th 2019 edition of <strong>RAW<\/strong>, Bryan stepped away from the world title scene.\u00a0 The following night, on SmackDown Live, Bryan and Rowan would pin <strong>The Usos<\/strong> for the SmackDown Tag Team Titles.\u00a0<strong> Heavy Machinery<\/strong> &#8211; consisting of <strong>Otis<\/strong> and <strong>Tucker<\/strong> &#8211; would be the first team to earn a PPV match with Bryan and Rowan.\u00a0 Bryan and Rowan would retain after an entertaining match.\u00a0 However, shortly after at the<em><strong> Extreme Rules<\/strong><\/em> PPV, <strong>Xavier Woods<\/strong> and <strong>Big E<\/strong> &#8211; much like their comrade, Kofi &#8211; would take another title away from the &#8220;New&#8221; Daniel Bryan.\u00a0 The New Day would take away Bryan&#8217;s Championship aspirations, as Bryan and Rowan became embroiled in controversy.\u00a0 Who kept attacking <strong>Roman Reigns<\/strong>?<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan are blindsided by Erick Rowan: SmackDown LIVE, Sept. 3, 2019\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8n9WxclJDoM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>YES: The Return of the &#8220;Old&#8221; Daniel Bryan<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>It turned out to be none other than Bryan&#8217;s now long-time partner, Rowan, who attacked Roman Reigns.\u00a0 With the great reveal came the great betrayal; Rowan, with the returning Harper, beat down Bryan and Reigns.\u00a0 Bryan, who had long been in denial with regards to the &#8220;YES! Movement&#8221; had no choice.\u00a0 The people, who had been so desperate to embrace Bryan once more, had their leader back.\u00a0 With resounding &#8220;YES!&#8221; chants echoing through the arena, Bryan declared the &#8220;New&#8221; Daniel Bryan to be dead.\u00a0 At <em><strong>Hell in a Cell<\/strong><\/em>, with the help of one-night partner, Roman Reigns, Bryan would defeat the Bludgeon Brothers.\u00a0 Next up was Bryan&#8217;s toughest challenge yet: &#8220;<strong>The Fiend<\/strong>&#8221; <strong>Bray Wyatt<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u201cThe Fiend\u201d Bray Wyatt takes a piece of Daniel Bryan: SmackDown, Nov. 29, 2019\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/dxEQF51kwOI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>Bryan Versus The Fiend<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Almost as much as Triple H, Bray Wyatt played a part in elevating Bryan to <em>WrestleMania<\/em> super-stardom in 2014.\u00a0 The short feud with Wyatt &#8211; culminating in one of the all-time great visuals, with Bryan sitting at the top of the steel cage, chanting &#8220;YES!&#8221; in unison with a near-20,000 fans &#8211; truly assisted Bryan in his quest for gold at <em><strong>WrestleMania XXX<\/strong><\/em>.\u00a0 That feud would serve as the backdrop to the new feud.\u00a0 The story being that Wyatt &#8211; channeling the power of The Fiend &#8211; was seeking revenge.\u00a0 At the <em><strong>2019 Survivor Series<\/strong><\/em>, Wyatt would achieve that &#8211; defeating Bryan.\u00a0 The following SmackDown, after Bryan declaring the &#8220;YES!&#8221; Movement back in full-swing, Fiend would attack Bryan.\u00a0 He would drag Bryan underneath the ring by his hair, which would be thrown back up through the hole.\u00a0 Not long after, he would sign their <em><strong>Royal Rumble<\/strong><\/em> contract in blood.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"\u201cThe Fiend\u201d Bray Wyatt signs Royal Rumble contract in blood: SmackDown, Jan. 24, 2020\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6jerSEptgVw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>At the <em><strong>2020 Royal Rumble<\/strong><\/em>, Bryan &#8211; sporting a more clean shaven look &#8211; would again fall victim to The Fiend.\u00a0 This would knock Bryan out of the title picture, possibly for the last time.\u00a0 Though Bryan has since feuded with and linked up with <strong>Drew Gulak<\/strong>, it is not known how long Bryan has left &#8211; at least as a part-time.\u00a0 Appearing on the <strong>Bellas Podcast<\/strong> &#8211; co-hosted by wife, <strong>Brie Bella<\/strong> &#8211; Bryan revealed he will be retiring from full-time competition &#8220;sooner rather than later&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Daniel Bryan&#039;s championship victories: WWE Milestones\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WDdk1jnEOuI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>And Now the End is Near?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>If the end is truly near for Bryan&#8217;s full-time career, what a career he has had.\u00a0 His impact has been felt on the industry.\u00a0 Alongside the <strong>CM Punk<\/strong>, Bryan has made it possible for smaller guys to have successful careers within the WWE.\u00a0 No longer is it impossible for &#8220;indie darlings&#8221; to succeed.\u00a0 That will be his legacy: he has helped an entire generation of wrestlers to achieve their dreams.\u00a0 Additionally, he has had an incredibly successful career himself.\u00a0 Five-time World Champion within the WWE; a former <strong>Ring of Honor<\/strong> World Champion; <strong>PWI<\/strong>&#8216;s Wrestler of the Year for 2013 and <em>dozens<\/em> more accolades to his name, across almost as many promotions.\u00a0 Daniel Bryan is truly a pro-wrestling legend; a certified future Hall of Famer.\u00a0 This two-year return has been excellent.\u00a0 If this is the end, then thank you, Daniel Bryan.<\/p>\n<p>Stay tuned to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/a>\u00a0for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world. WWE fan? Check out the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/watch.wwe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WWE Network<\/a>\u00a0to fulfill all of your WWE needs!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Daniel Bryan comeback story is one which will go down as one of the all-time great comebacks.\u00a0 When fans discuss great pro-wrestling comebacks, there is no doubt that Bryan&#8217;s will be discussed among the likes of Edge and Shawn Michaels&#8216;.\u00a0 Part one of the series focused on the first half of Bryan&#8217;s return; culminating [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2482,"featured_media":65249,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4,3],"tags":[145,224,1636,57,56,429,51,77,4484,148,5594,75,430],"class_list":["post-65760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-aj-styles","tag-bray-wyatt","tag-brie-bella","tag-brock-lesnar","tag-daniel-bryan","tag-drew-gulak","tag-raw","tag-roman-reigns","tag-rowan","tag-smackdown-live","tag-the-fiend","tag-triple-h","tag-wwe-championship"],"modified_by":"Niklas George","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2482"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65760\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65249"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}