Independent Wrestling Career
Bryan Danielson was born on May 22, 1981, in Aberdeen, Washington. He’s been a wrestling fan ever since his early childhood and began training at the Texas Wrestling Academy once he graduated high school. Danielson soon began to make a name for himself across the independent circuit and became a mainstay of Ring of Honor. He also made several appearances overseas in countries like Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan.
Though Danielson crossed paths with WWE multiple times in his early career, it wasn’t until 2010 that he began to find traction within the company.
Daniel Bryan Is Born
At SummerSlam on August 15, 2010, Danielson joined Team WWE to take on The Nexus under the name Daniel Bryan. He was revealed as the newest member of the Raw roster the following night.
Daniel Bryan wowed fans with his technical abilities and quickly rose through the ranks of the company. On September 19, 2010, Bryan defeated The Miz for the United States Championship. He then continued to climb to the top of the mountain in WWE and won the World Heavyweight Championship at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs on December 18, 2011.
Bryan also spent time in a tag team alongside WWE legend Kane. The two of them went by Team Hell No and quickly became fan favorites thanks to their chemistry and comedic bickering.
The Yes Movement
After Kane and Bryan parted ways, Bryan went on to become one of the most popular babyfaces that WWE has ever seen. He entered a feud with Vince McMahon and The Authority wherein Bryan was positioned as the ultimate underdog. This feud gave rise to “The Yes Movement,” a rallying of fan support around Daniel Bryan that carried him all the way to WrestleMania XXX.
At WrestleMania XXX, Bryan first fought in the opening match against Triple H. The winner of that bout would then be inserted into the main event for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. In one of wrestling’s ultimate fairytale endings, Bryan defeated Triple H and went on to defeat Batista and Randy Orton to become World Heavyweight Champion.
Retirement And Return
Unfortunately, neck issues began to plague Bryan’s wrestling career. These injuries, combined with a concussion he sustained during a match, forced Bryan to step away from the ring. On February 8, 2016, Bryan officially retired. He would continue to make appearances for WWE, even serving as Smackdown General Manager from July 2016 to April 2018.
At Wrestlemania 34, Bryan and Shane McMahon defeated Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in a tag team match. Bryan was now medically cleared to return to the ring, and consequently resigned as General Manager.
On November 13, 2018, Daniel Bryan turned heel after defeating AJ Styles for the WWE Championship. In this new role, Bryan helped prop up another mega-popular babyface, Kofi Kingston, who would defeat him for the title at Wrestlemania 35.
Bryan continued to compete for WWE until 2021 but never held another title in the company.
All Elite Wrestling
On September 5, 2021, Bryan Danielson made his AEW debut at All Out. He was immediately treated as a top star and feuded with the current AEW World Champion, Hangman Page.
At Revolution on March 6, 2022, Bryan Danielson formed an alliance with his former rival, Jon Moxley, and William Regal. This alliance would develop into the Blackpool Combat Club, a faction that values pure violence and technical wrestling above all else. Claudio Castagnoli and Wheeler Yuta later joined the faction.
