Dragon Gate USA: Kamikaze USA Sets Their Sights on WWE Superstar Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan is a marked man these days.

The newly crowned WWE United States Champion has to worry about the Miz and his apprentice, Alex Riley, coming after him each week on Monday Night Raw, but he is also the target of another dangerous group of competitors in Dragon Gate USA.

This weekend, Bryan will be competing in his final shows for the popular independent promotion. He faces some stiff competition in YAMATO and Jon Moxley, members of the Kamikaze USA faction.

After his controversial release from the WWE earlier this year, Bryan began accepting bookings on various independent shows. During his time away from the WWE, the so-called “King of the Independents” competed for several promotions, including CHIKARA, AAW, EVOLVE, and Dragon Gate USA.

Once Bryan made his surprising return to the WWE at Summerslam, joining the team of John Cena, Chris Jericho, Edge, Bret Hart, R-Truth, and John Morrison in their battle against his former Nexus mates, it was assumed by many that his remaining independent bookings would have to be cancelled.

Thankfully, the WWE has allowed him to complete the majority of his remaining dates.

Unfortunately for Bryan, that means he will be stepping foot into a DGUSA ring this weekend against two of the promotion’s most dangerous competitors.

Kamikaze USA has become one of the dominant stables in the American branch of the Dragon Gate promotion. The group is comprised of Shingo, YAMATO, Akira Tozawa, Gran Akuma, and Moxley. They are a treacherous lot of wrestling talent looking to rule the ranks of DGUSA.

Bryan, known in the independents as “American Dragon” Bryan Danielson, first battled Kamikaze USA when he defeated the powerful Shingo in July at the “Enter the Dragon 2010” show. He also aligned himself with the rival World-1 faction by fighting off the Kamikaze USA group alongside BxB Hulk, Naruki Doi, and Masato Yoshino.

Joining up with World-1 set the stage for Bryan to return to DGUSA this weekend to wrap up some unfinished business with YAMATO and Moxley.

YAMATO (stylized in all caps for some strange reason) is perhaps the most dangerous man in DGUSA. He has held almost every major championship in the Japanese promotion and instantly made his mark on the American branch with impressive wins over BxB Hulk and Davey Richards.

Saturday night in Chicago, IL, YAMATO will try to get the best of Bryan in the main event of “Untouchable 2010.”

Much like Bryan, YAMATO is a submission expert who is also known for his strong strikes. He has an MMA background and possesses multiple suplex variations. His CBV (Cross Bone Vanguard) submission can come at any time and could be enough to make the “American Dragon” tap out.

When Bryan first made his return to the WWE, this match with YAMATO appeared to be unlikely and that was essentially the one major disappointment of his re-signing. Now that he has been allowed to compete, this dream match between two evenly matched opponents could become a match-of-the-year candidate when all is said and done.

On Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee, WI, Bryan will step into a DGUSA ring one last time. His opponent is the mouthpiece of Kamikaze USA, Jon Moxley.

Last week, Moxley delivered a promo via YouTube promising to bring down Bryan’s whole world. He claims that Kamikaze USA will make headlines this weekend with their actions toward the WWE’s United States Champion.

To some, Moxley’s threats may seem like nothing more than talk, but over the past year the “Street Dog” has shown that he can back up his words inside the squared circle.

Aside from being a major player in DGUSA, Moxley is the current World Heavyweight Champion in three separate independent promotions. He holds the gold in Combat Zone Wrestling, Full Impact Pro, and Insanity Pro Wrestling.

Moxley is one of the rising stars of the indy circuit and he knows as well as anyone that a victory over the “Best in the World” would cement his status as an impact player.

Unlike YAMATO, who somewhat mirrors Bryan’s in-ring technique, Moxley is almost the antithesis of what the “American Dragon” brings to the fight.

He is a wild card, known for his ultra-violent hardcore matches as well as his technical prowess. Like Bryan, Moxley has utilized the cross-face chicken-wing to win matches and he has a strong knowledge of submission wrestling.

Moxley strives on being unpredictable inside the ring. His diverse style makes him a difficult opponent to scout. Bryan should take note of his is high-impact “Hook and Ladder” finisher, which has been a surefire way to keep opponents down.

These days, there are few pro wrestlers as hot as Daniel Bryan. His victory over the Miz at Night of Champions was the culmination of a dramatic back and forth journey from the independents to the WWE.

Over the past month, he has become a popular staple of Monday Night Raw and naysayer’s be damned, the sky appears to be the limit for what he can achieve in the big leagues.

Before that can happen, Bryan must face one last test in the independents and one thing is for sure, it is going to be a stiff one.