Daniel Bryan is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. He is technically sound, being able to put on fantastic wrestling matches with anyone, but he is also fantastic on the microphone and at building a character.
Being able to work as a heel or a babyface, Bryan is easy to place into any storyline where needed, which is why he has been such a key talent for WWE. While he had to earn his way to the top, he has certainly worthy of his spot in the main event scene.
Despite Bryan being seen as one of WWE's greatest talents, he has actually only had nine championship reigns in the company. And within this list, we are going to rank them from worst to best.
9 RKO Victim
It is almost impossible to count this WWE Championship reign, because Daniel Bryan was the champion for less than five minutes. Being the victim of a Money in the Bank cash-in, he didn't even get his own title plates.
The way he won the title was incredible, which is why this is one of his most memorable moments. Defeating John Cena in an epic SummerSlam main event, Bryan would be screwed by Triple H, who was the guest referee.
With Randy Orton sliding into the ring to finish the job, the title reign was over before it even began, and it has to be ranked as Bryan's worst run.
8 One Day Reign
Daniel Bryan managed to finally gain the WWE Championship again later in the year, beating Randy Orton at Night Of Champions in 2013. While this reign was slightly longer than the previous example, it wasn't by much.
Bryan left Night Of Champions with the title, but the next night on Monday Night Raw it was taken away from him. With The Authority screwing Bryan again, they claimed it was a fast count from the official.
While the way he won the title wasn't anywhere near as impressive as his SummerSlam win, the fact he held it longer makes the title reign better.
7 Intercontinental Champion
WWE's plan at WrestleMania 31 was clear. They wanted to push the mid-card titles, and the aim was to give big names the titles to make that happen, with John Cena winning the United States Title, and Daniel Bryan the Intercontinental.
After an excellent ladder match, Bryan was back. Free from injury and seemingly ready to be a top star in WWE again, the idea of him having a long run with the Intercontinental Championship was a smart one.
Sadly, Bryan's health would dictate that this was a short run. Only lasting just over 40 days, Bryan had to vacate the title and therefore, the idea fell by the wayside and this became a forgettable run.
6 The Planets Tag Team Champions
Daniel Bryan and Rowan in a successful tag team is not something that anybody was expecting in 2019, but WWE gave it to us, and thankfully it worked. Their partnership wasn't something anyone expected to see, but it was a good partnership.
With Bryan helping to elevate Rowan's star power, the duo was quickly established as a top team as they claimed the Tag Team Titles. With Rowan being the power and Bryan being the speed, they quickly became impressive.
Fans might have been skeptical about Rowan being pushed so heavily, but they had a gimmick that worked and put on entertaining matches. You can't ask for more than that.
5 United States Champion
Daniel Bryan has only ever had one run with the United States Championship, but it was a great one. At the time of quick championship reigns that saw the title be passed around, Bryan came in with a lengthy run as champion.
Even though he hadn't broken out to the point where he is now, he was still a well-known talent in WWE. Fresh off his run with NXT (the game show) and being re-hired by the company, WWE wasted no time in pushing him.
This was Bryan's real "stepping stone" title that allowed him to prove just how talented he was. Putting on excellent matches week after week, he helped make the title relevant again.
4 Achieving A Dream
Daniel Bryan's rise to the top of WWE was unlike anything else. It was so natural and was demanded by the fans and WWE did a fantastic job of making it seem like it was never going to happen.
WrestleMania 30 was one of the greatest moments in WWE history, as Bryan finally toppled the Authority, not just once but twice. He created "YestleMania" as Michael Cole dubbed it, as tears streamed down fans' faces.
However, it was a sad moment, as just weeks later, Bryan was forced to relinquish the title due to injury. What could have been an amazing reign was sadly cut short, and we will never know what could have been.
3 Team Hell No
Much like Daniel Bryan's pairing with Rowan, his partnership with Kane wasn't something fans saw coming either. Starting as rivals, WWE oddly shifted them together, seemingly because they had no other plans.
Even when they were first put together, Kane and Bryan hated each other, but that is why fans loved them. Their backstage segments with anger management and their eventual in-ring hug made them the most popular team in the company.
They stumbled into the titles, which led to both men claiming they were the Tag Team Champions, but then they started to work together. The duo had a very lengthy and dominant run with the titles from that point onward and cemented themselves into the record books.
2 World Heavyweight Champion
The big gold title was a legendary one and Daniel Bryan had an amazing run with it. Despite how everyone remembers his spell with the WWE Championships, it was actually this that he won first.
Cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase, Bryan won the World Heavyweight Title and he was a fantastic champion. Feuding with Big Show, Mark Henry, and Sheamus, he proved to everyone he was good enough to main event.
This title was often used to see whether a wrestler was ready to be a WWE Champion, and he certainly did just that. Helping to make the title just as important as anything else in the company, this was a brilliant run.
1 Eco Champion
Out of all of Daniel Bryan's title reigns in WWE, there is no doubt that his most recent spell with the WWE Championship was his best. Turning heel (despite his gimmick being to save the planet), Bryan went on an amazing run in the main event.
Nobody saw the heel turn coming until he randomly low-blowed AJ Styles to win the title, but it was the best thing for him. Bryan changed the title to be eco-friendly and with Rowan as his heavy, Bryan seemed unstoppable.
He had a brilliant feud with AJ Styles, but it was his run against Kofi Kingston that really elevated him as a champion. Even though he would lose the title to him, it created a historic moment and that was all down to how good Bryan was as a champion.