WWE Classic of the Week: Daniel Bryan vs. John Morrison vs. the Miz from HIAC

In 2014, Daniel Bryan rolled into the SuperDome in New Orleans and captured the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the main event of WrestleMania XXX. The win established the bearded competitor as one of the biggest stars in the industry, not to mention its most popular.

But that was not always the case.

Bryan was the indy star who looked out of place in the world of giants. He was small, not particularly charismatic and relied on a reputation he built by working armories and bingo halls across the country to keep him over with the audience.

When he was fired from the company thanks to a choking incident involving Justin Roberts, it looked as though his chances of succeeding in the biggest sports entertainment company in the world had come to a premature and disappointing end.

Then John Cena and legendary performer Pat Patterson went to bat for the young star, getting him his job back and providing him with a second chance to make an impression on fans and management. He took advantage of said opportunity and wasted little time in becoming United States champion.

This is his journey and the story of a hidden gem in Hell in a Cell history.

The Background

During season one of NXT, one of the stories fans had to follow was the relationship between pro The Miz and rookie Daniel Bryan. The idea that the former MTV reality star would have any knowledge to impart on a guy who had been wrestling longer and, more importantly, had earned the reputation of wrestling's best was comical.

What the relationship did was create a dynamic between the two that helped fuel one of the more interesting and intriguing rivalries in the entire company.

Bryan's involvement with The Nexus faction, followed by his subsequent firing after one night on the main roster, led to a gap in the program.

When he returned, the feud between him and The Miz immediately picked back up, leading to a match at WWE Night of Champions in September. Better yet for the Aberdeen, Washington, native was the fact that Miz's United States title would be on the line. Thus, not only could he disgrace the WWE pro, he could also collect his first championship with Vince McMahon's company.

He did, trapping Miz in the LeBell Lock (known today as the Yes Lock) and forced a submission. He won the U.S. title in an outstanding match and established himself as one of the bright young stars of WWE's future.

Throw into the mix John Morrison, who was among the top overall performers in the company and had history with The Miz, and you have a three-way feud over the U.S. title that would result in an outstanding Falls Count Anywhere Submission match at the annual October event.

The Match

The Analysis

The match really established John Morrison as a guy to watch, a Superstar with the ability necessary to succeed at the top of the card but without the political favor necessary to break through the glass ceiling. He was absolutely outstanding here, using various pieces of the set to demonstrate his innovative, parkour-assisted offense.

Bryan benefited tremendously from the stipulation as he was able to showcase his submission skill set against two opponents of differing styles and abilities. It was, after all, meant to be a showcase for the technically gifted competitor to show what he was capable of.

The Miz backed up management's faith in him, giving them a performance they could look back on and know they were making the right decision by having him cash in Money in the Bank and capture the WWE title just a month later.

It was an outstanding match that did a great deal to help the career progression of all three involved.

The Aftermath

The Miz, as mentioned above, would cash in Money in the Bank to capture the WWE Championship one night after the Survivor Series in November. That win would catapult the former star of The Real World into the main event scene in WWE.

Unfortunately, poor booking and a much more interesting rivalry between John Cena and The Rock doomed his title reign from the start, and Miz would never again reach the heights he did prior to WrestleMania XXVII in 2011.

John Morrison would turn his performance at Hell in a Cell into a quality run as a star in WWE's upper midcard. He would not look out of place while competing in Raw main events or the occasional pay-per-view headliner, but he was never really given free reign to run at the top of the card, his pushes always reigned in for one reason or another.

It would be the lack of faith WWE had in him, as well as the frustrations that went along with it, that ultimately led to his decision to leave the company rather than sticking around for his opportunity to present itself.

As for Daniel Bryan, he would endure a disappointing 2011 that would see him lose his passion for the sport, as detailed in WWE Network's 2014 production Journey to WrestleMania 30: Daniel Bryan. He would rebound nicely, however, winning Money in the Bank in July and setting himself up for a monumental second half of the year.

At TLC in December, he captured the World Heavyweight Championship and began a main event run that would see him lose in 18 seconds to Sheamus at WrestleMania, only to find himself back in a title feud with WWE champion CM Punk later in the summer of 2012.

From there, he partnered with Kane in the entertaining Team Hell No tandem, which garnered him Tag Team Championship recognition, then split off to become the most popular star in the entire industry.

And you know how that story culminated.