Daniel Bryan's 5 Biggest Career-Defining Matches with WWE

The WWE Universe is still reeling from the heartbreaking retirement of Daniel Bryan, the result of concussions and the aftereffects that plagued him.

In the days following his touching goodbye to fans, his greatest matches and moments have been celebrated by those who appreciated everything he gave the industry over the course of his 16-year career.

What you are about to read is no different.

Bryan was a fantastic performer, a rare Superstar capable of combining in-ring prowess with pure entertainment (see Team Hell No). His legacy of classic matches speaks for itself, but few have truly defined him and his character and have told the story of his improbable success.

Sure, there were championship wins and a WrestleMania main event, but there were other bouts throughout his six years with World Wrestling Entertainment that spoke to an audience and encompassed everything fans need to know about the bearded Superstar.

Now, as we continue to wave goodbye to the Aberdeen, Washington, native by celebrating his very best, let's relive five definitive matches from Bryan's critically acclaimed career.

Criteria

Credit: WWE.com

A defining match is essential to the story of a particular character or wrestler. Without it, the story is incomplete or unsatisfying.

All WWE Superstars have a handful of matches that are essential to their makeup. They are the matches that fans who have never watched professional wrestling can watch and gain an understanding of what makes each persona so incredibly special.

Whether they were classic bouts or matches that represented a shift in the direction of one's career, those defining matches have helped shape the legacies of sports entertainment's brightest and most beloved stars.

These are not to be confused with a wrestler's greatest matches, which are typically judged on their overall quality rather than the effect they had on the career of the Superstar in question.

5. Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus (WrestleMania XXVIII)

Credit: WWE.com

The opening match from WrestleMania 28 will forever live in infamy for the way that Daniel Bryan was treated by WWE management and, more importantly, for the reaction his loss to Sheamus in the World Heavyweight Championship match generated from fans.

Sheamus exploded across the ring, blasting an arrogant Bryan with the Brogue Kick and ending his title reign in just 18 seconds.

Fans booed heavily, unsatisfied with the disrespect WWE Creative had just shown Bryan. In fact, the hostile reaction of the audience could be seen and heard throughout the first hour of the show, revisited in matches involving Randy Orton, Big Show and Divas like Kelly Kelly and Eve Torres.

As the genesis of the Yes! Movement, the match with Sheamus proved just how passionate fans were in regard to Bryan and how much they had invested in the ultra-talented wrestler.

Had WWE Creative not made such a tremendously stupid decision, fans may not have had a reason to let their voices be heard. And without that groundswell of support, who knows if Bryan would have achieved the success he did later. 

4. Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz

Credit: WWE.com

The United States Championship match at Night of Champions wrapped up the first major feud Bryan engaged in as part of the WWE roster and netted him his first title.

For months, Bryan listened to The Miz tell him that his indy accomplishments meant nothing, that he had accomplished nothing in WWE and thus was akin to a rookie. The former Real World star was gloriously obnoxious as he infuriated crowds, referring to himself as Bryan's mentor, which was incredibly laughable but also immensely entertaining.

At Night of Champions in September 2010, their rivalry came to a head in a singles bout for Miz's U.S. title. Bryan outwrestled Miz and trapped him in his signature submission bout, then called the LeBell Lock, and scored his first championship victory.

It was a watershed moment for Bryan. Not only did he prove, in a storyline sense, that he belonged by beating his greatest critics, but he also earned the trust of management.

After being fired for his controversial actions during The Nexus' takeover on Raw during the summer, Bryan captured the U.S. title one month into his latest stint with the company and captured one of the more prestigious titles in its jurisdiction.

Diehard wrestling fans aware of the independent scene knew Bryan was credible. His win over Miz proved it to anyone whose interest in wrestling existed solely in the WWE Universe.

3. Daniel Bryan vs. CM Punk (Over the Limit 2012)

Credit: WWE.com

In May of 2012, Bryan was fresh off his first world heavyweight championship reign and set his sights on the WWE Championship, then held by CM Punk.

Their match at the Over the Limit pay-per-view was a dream match for fans of their work, both on the national stage and the independent scene. Widely considered two of the best wrestlers on the planet, they would have the opportunity to prove that wrestling trumped all, especially on a show that figured to be headlined by a cartoonish storyline-driven match between John Cena and John Laurinaitis.

For 24 minutes, the two celebrated in-ring competitors wowed the WWE Universe with a wrestling match devoid of gimmickry and complicated spots. They displayed tremendous athleticism as they battled for the right to call themselves champion.

In the end, a roll-up from Punk helped him retain his title, but it was Bryan who had reason to celebrate. After a little over a year-and-a-half on the WWE roster, he had finally been allowed the opportunity to have that one truly great wrestling match reminiscent of what he was able to accomplish in Ring of Honor and elsewhere earlier in his career.

Despite the AJ Lee storyline that engulfed his character at that point and the Team Hell No fun that would earn him acclaim for his comedic side, Bryan was at his core a professional wrestler, and matches like his classic against Punk were absolutely key to telling the story of his career. 

2. Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena (SummerSlam 2013)

Credit: WWE.com

Bryan was never the biggest Superstar from a size standpoint, and his indy credibility often put his fans at odds with the powers that be inside World Wrestling Entertainment.

Chants of "Yes!" would ring out in arenas he was in, sometimes in support of Bryan, other times in defiance of the same-old, same-old presented by Vince McMahon and WWE Creative on a weekly basis.

Like John Cena, for example.

At the 2013 SummerSlam pay-per-view, the people's champion battled the machine's chosen one for the WWE Championship.

Bryan had held the heavyweight title one time prior to that event, but his reign was a joke, defined by an opportunistic Money in the Bank cash-in and a brief, five-minute showdown with Santino Marella in the closing moments of an Elimination Chamber. This was his chance to prove his doubters wrong, to stick it to management.

And he did just that, defeating Cena cleanly in the center of the ring and capturing the WWE Championship in the biggest win of his career.

Not only did it represent Bryan overcoming the restraints placed on him by a company only then figuring out that the definition of a Superstar was changing before its very eyes, but it was a legitimate five-star match to boot. 

Unfortunately, though, it was not the last time that Bryan would have to combat management, both in front of and behind the cameras. 

1. Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H (WrestleMania XXX)

Credit: WWE.com

Sure, Bryan defeated Batista and Randy Orton in a Triple Threat match to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the official main event of WrestleMania XXX, but the real marquee bout of that year's Showcase of the Immortals was the singles bout between the leader of the Yes! Movement and Triple H that kicked off the show.

It was the physical representation of the battle that Bryan had fought throughout his career.

He was the beloved Superstar, determined to prove himself as someone not only capable of but deserving of the opportunity to be wrestling's biggest star. In Triple H, the on-screen authority figure and one of the most decorated stars of the last 20 years, he faced off with the management that tried to keep him down.

The COO was the final hurdle for Bryan to clear en route to a main event at the biggest show of the year, the top prize in the industry at stake. To do so, he had to overcome injury and the harsh criticisms of a yapping Stephanie McMahon at ringside.

And he did, just as he had countless times before.

The most resilient star in WWE, he battled from underneath and caught Triple H with a running knee to the face for the win.

It was representative of the twists and turns, the never-say-die attitude and the triumph that defined his career.