Daniel Bryan and CM Punk are two of the most popular wrestlers of their generation, and they also happen to be two of the most talented. Throughout their careers they have put together some amazing matches, and that includes working against each other. While the idea of seeing them compete in WWE was once ridiculous. they made it happen in a great way.
Their rivalry was amongst some of the best work that either man did with the company, which is no surprise considering their ability. However, even though this was a major storyline at the time, there are still elements about it that people have forgotten.
10 It Began By Beating Jerry Lawler
When people think back to the rivalry between the two men, they remember the brilliant matches that they put on. What they often forget is the fact that the entire thing began with Daniel Bryan wrestling against Jerry 'The King' Lawler.
To crown a new number one conteder for CM Punk's WWE Championship, a beat the clock tournament was arrange. Bryan won that, and the man he defeated was the legendary wrestler turned commentator, which is a match that few can recall.
9 Bryan Had Just Feuded Over The World Heavyweight Title
Another aspect about the storyline people forget is the fact that Daniel Bryan had just come from a run with the World Heavyweight Championship. He lost the title at WrestleMania 28 to Sheamus and after failing to recapture it, he moved on immediately to the WWE Championship.
This is one of the reasons the story was so hot at the time, because Bryan had just been positioned as the main star in the entire company. He was then being put with the other top name and it brought a ton of star power to the angle.
8 Controversial Finish
Their first PPV match took place at Over The Limit, and while it was a brilliant encounter it did have a controversial finish. In a bid to make sure both men looked strong, the finish was set so that it seemed like they each won the match.
Daniel Bryan had the Yes Lock set when Punk rolled him back to a pinfall victory. However, while he won by the traditional pinall, at the same time he was tapping out from the submission, which did lead to some controversy.
7 Mixed Tag Team Match
While fans likely remember how heavily AJ Lee was involved in this storyline, what a lot of people forget was that it did lead to a mixed tag team match taking place on Monday Night Raw. Punk teamed up with his real-life girlfriend while Daniel Bryan was actually partnered by Eve Torres.
This was a match thrown in to keep the storyline going and give it a new twist, but it also allowed AJ to get into the action. Eve just so happened to be a top heel at the time and therefore she was able to slot in as Bryan's partner.
6 AJ Lee Became Raw GM
Speaking of AJ Lee, a lot of fans tend to forget that she actually became the Raw General Manager during this rivalry. This was a period of time when she was being pushed very heavily by WWE and clearly the company valued her character work and promo ability.
Because of that, AJ was named the General Manager by Vince McMahon himself. This allowed her to get more involved in the storyline as she had actual power, which led to people getting tough punishments whenever AJ wasn't on their side.
5 Kane's WWE Title Shot
The second of the three PPV matches that CM Punk and Daniel Bryan had during this period actually involved the Big Red Machine, Kane. Bryan had got involved in a match between the two men and that led to him being added to the No Way Out show to make it a triple threat.
Out of the three WWE Championship matches, this is the one that most fans tend to forget, mainly because it wasn't as strong. However, AJ Lee was involved again here because she cost Kane the match by distracting him.
4 The Rock Attacking Daniel Bryan
Another element of this storyline that people forget was how The Rock got involved. When Daniel Bryan and AJ Lee's wedding segment went off like a classic wrestling wedding, it resulted in the People's Champion appearing to rub salt in the wounds.
He attacked Bryan after running his mouth against him in what was a hilarious segment. However, it has been forgotten because The Rock ended up doing so many other things around this period of time with the company.
3 Charlie Sheen Takes A Dig
The Rock wasn't the only person to mock Daniel Bryan that night as celebrity, Charlie Sheen also got involved in the action. He joined that episode of Raw via Skype and he was quick to make Bryan his target during the interview segment.
This was supposed to setup a bigger angle that never ended up happening and because of that this entire situation has ended being forgotten about by fans, with Sheen being a celebrity that didn't make much impact overall.
2 Creating Team Hell No
Team Hell No will go down in history as one of the best tag teams of all time. It was a huge part of both Kane and Daniel Bryan's careers and that was down to the rivalry between CM Punk and Bryan. Kane got involved at points, but AJ Lee pushed them into a path of working together.
She booked them to compete against each other at SummerSlam and she also sent them to anger management, which became a huge part of the show. Therefore, without this great singles feud, we may not have had this great tag team.
1 Team Hell No Reigned Supreme
CM Punk was victorious in all three PPV matches between the two men, it ended up being Daniel Bryan who had the last laugh in this rivalry. The final match of the storyline took place on Raw when Punk partnered Dolph Ziggler to face Team Hell No.
With AJ Lee as special guest referee, everything was set to finish off the storyline. But it was Team Hell No who won this one, and it was them who ended the rivalry with the victory, which many forget since Punk was so dominant.