Daniel Bryan: Evaluating His WWE Career Thus Far

Daniel Bryan has had a bumpy WWE career so far.

In less than three years, he has gone from the very bottom of the pecking order to one of the top dogs. Bryan has created some memorable moments over the past few years, and his rise to the top has been very fun to watch. 

Let's take a moment and look over Daniel Bryan's WWE career.

NXT Season One

After spending some time in FCW, Daniel Bryan made his debut on the main roster in NXT Season One.

He would take part in the competition for a spot on Raw or Smackdown, and a title shot at a pay-per-view.

Bryan immediately clashed with his pro, The Miz, and commentator Michael Cole. It was clear the Miz didn't want to be Bryan's pro and Bryan didn't want to be Miz's rookie.

Cole was also very outspoken in his distaste for Bryan.

Even though he was the favorite to win the competition, Bryan was eliminated in the first batch of eliminations. He would continue to appear on NXT, confronting Miz and Cole. 

Nexus, Firing and Return to WWE

In June 2010, all eight NXT rookies appeared on Raw to interrupt a main event match between John Cena and CM Punk. The rookies dismantled anything and everything in their path.

During this debut, Bryan would choke out ring announcer Justin Roberts with a necktie. The backlash from this would force the WWE to release Bryan.

Bryan's non-compete clause was waived, and he returned to the independent scene. He was well-received upon his return. On more than one occasion, the fans would throw ties into the ring.

At SummerSlam 2010, John Cena assembled a team of seven WWE all-stars to take on the Nexus in an elimination tag team match. Bryan made his return as the seventh member of Cena's team.

His return was a cool moment for that year's SummerSlam. It would have been better had the WWE not spoiled it on their own website. 

United States Champion

Miz interfered in the SummerSlam main event and attacked Bryan, causing him to be eliminated. Bryan would then pursue Miz and his United States Championship.

At Night of Champions, Bryan defeated Miz for the title. During his reign, he would have quite a few excellent matches.

One standout example is his triple threat, submissions count anywhere match with Miz and John Morrison at Hell in the Cell.

His reign would come to an end in March when Sheamus defeated him on edition of Raw. Their rematch at WrestleMania would end up being moved down to the pre-show card.

The "American Dragon" was one of the better United States Champions in recent memory. In addition to his great title defenses, his champion versus champion feud with intercontinental champion Dolph Ziggler elevated both titles. 

Mr. Money in the Bank

Bryan would be unable to regain the United States Championship after losing to Seamus.

On July 17, 2011, Bryan entered the Smackdown Money in the Bank ladder match. He would manage to win the match and a guaranteed title match whenever he wants.

Bryan announced that he intended to cash-in his title opportunity for a World Heavyweight Championship math at WrestleMania 28.

As Mr. Money in the Bank, Bryan still struggled a bit in midcard limbo. The only notable feud he had while carrying the briefcase was with Wade Barrett. 

World Heavyweight Champion

In the weeks leading into the December TLC PPV, Bryan attempted to cash-in on World Heavyweight Champion Mark Henry. However, the matches never started, so Bryan never won the title but never used his title shot.

At TLC, Big Show defeated Mark Henry to win the World Heavyweight Championship. His celebration was interrupted by the entrance music of Daniel Bryan.

Bryan cashed-in successfully and became the new World Heavyweight Champion. He underwent a gradual heel turn, becoming more cocky and manipulative of his girlfriend, AJ Lee.

As champion, Bryan defended the title at both the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber. He also would put the title on the line a few times on Smackdown, successfully retaining every time.

Royal Rumble winner Sheamus would end Bryan's reign in 18 seconds at WrestleMania. Distracted by AJ, Bryan took a Brogue Kick right off the bat and was pinned clean.

Pursuit of the WWE Championship

Bryan challenged Sheamus to a rematch at Extreme Rules. Sheamus ended up defeating him in a Best of Three Falls match to retain the title.

The next night on Raw, Bryan won a Beat the Clock challenge to become the new No. 1 contender for CM Punk's WWE Championship.

CM Punk ended up defeating Bryan by pinfall at Over the Limit. Bryan had the Yes! Lock applied, but Punk rolled him over on his shoulders and pinned him.

This controversial finish led to Bryan getting a rematch at No Way Out in a triple threat match also including Kane. Bryan was once again unsuccessful.

The WWE Championship can only elude the American Dragon for so long.

Conclusion

Daniel Bryan has excelled every step of the way. His main event match with Chris Jericho made the first episode of NXT memorable, and he had successful reigns as US and World Heavyweight Champion.

His current pursuit of CM Punk and the WWE Championship has been spectacular thus far. I have no doubt they will continue to put on great matches and that Punk versus Bryan will go down as a classic feud.

The only thing brighter than Bryan's short-term future is his long-term future. He's proved he can be a top guy in the WWE. With so many great wrestlers on the roster, I look forward to all the great encounters that are waiting for the American Dragon.

Michael Prunka is a Bleacher Report Featured Columnist. To stay up to date with his WWE and NHL commentary, you can like his Facebook page and follow him on Twitter.