Daniel Bryan's Greatest Moments In Wrestling

Wrestling fans all over the world are still filled with disbelief and sadness over Daniel Bryan's retirement. Despite having to retire a good 15 years too early in his career due to a series of concussions, Bryan has achieved it all when it comes to professional wrestling. After he was trained by William Regal, Bryan Danielson (his real name) debuted in the WWE-owned developmental territory, Memphis Championship Wrestling, as the American Dragon. Since then, Bryan has wrestled in New Japan Pro Wrestling, Ring of Honor, Pro Wrestling Gorilla, All Star Wrestling, Chikara, Dragon Gate, CZW and, of course, the WWE. He was able to wrestle on a technical level on par with Dean Malenko, but was able to rally entire crowds behind him as if he were "Stone Cold" Steve Austin as he lived a Shawn Michaels-esque underdog story. Daniel Bryan is an all-time great when it comes to pro wrestling and a future hall of famer, so let's look at some of the American Dragon's greatest moments in the ring.

After ECW was bought out by WWE, the wrestling company RF Video sought to continue hosting events in the Philadelphia area to capitalize on the market Extreme Championship Wrestling once held in the area. On Februrary 23, 2002, Ring of Honor hosted its first wrestling event, which featured the late, great Eddie Guerrero fighting Super Crazy for the IWA Intercontinental Championship. Headlining the event was a triple threat match featuring Low Ki, Christopher Daniels, and the American Dragon. These men became the founding fathers of Ring of Honor, and would all go on to have excellent careers branching far beyond the company. As for Ring of Honor, it would go on to become to the top independent wrestling company in the country and is currently in a partnership with New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Towards the end of his WWE career, Danielson, now known by the ring name Daniel Bryan, closed things out on a high note by winning the WWE Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 31. After an intense ladder match against the likes of Dolph Ziggler and Dean Ambrose, Daniel Bryan stood in his captivating "Yes!" pose atop the ladder with the IC belt in his hand. Bryan would go on to add a much-needed sense of prestige and importance to the title that had been absent over the years. Now that he's hanging up his boots, we may never get another iconic moment like this ever again.

After spending a few years abroad, Daniel Bryan returned to the WWE in 2010 with a gimmick of "Everyone Taps," showcasing his skills when it comes to technical and submission-style wrestling. After winning the Money in the Bank ladder match in 2011, Bryan earned a World Heavyweight Championship match he could start at any time. Feuding with WWE titans like Mark Henry and the Big Show, Bryan was clearly outmatched from a physical standpoint for the belt. It wasn't until the Big Show defeated Mark Henry at the 2011 TLC pay-per-view event when Bryan arrived to cash-in his chance for the title. Bryan surprisingly pinned the ginormous Big Show in order to win the World Heavyweight Championship, shocking the world with an underdog-like rise to the top. Unfortunately, Bryan would lose the title a few months later to Sheamus in an 18-second-long match at WrestleMania 28, and be shuffled back down into the WWE mid-card for far too many years.