Daniel Bryan

Character from WWE by WWE / TKO Group

The American Dragon — a technical wizard the machine tried to hold down, until the people chanted YES so loudly that the system had no choice but to let him in.

The American Dragon. YES! YES! YES! Daniel Bryan is the most organically over superstar in modern WWE — a technically pristine wrestler who the company repeatedly tried to push to the midcard while the audience demanded his presence in the main event. The YES Movement's culmination at WrestleMania XXX, with Bryan winning the WWE Championship in the main event as 70,000 people chanted in unison, is the most emotionally complete story WWE has told in the modern era. His career was interrupted by retirement due to concussion concerns before a miraculous medical clearance brought him back.

Appearance

Bushy beard, small frame by WWE standards, ring gear that understates everything he brings. The YES chant — both arms shooting upward, face toward the sky — is the most participatory crowd moment in wrestling. The running knee finish is sudden and conclusive.

Also known as: The American Dragon, The Beard, Bryan Danielson

What They Know

• Won the WWE Championship in the main event of WrestleMania XXX, completing the YES Movement arc
• Trained by Shawn Michaels at his wrestling school and had extensive independent wrestling experience before WWE
• Forced to retire in 2016 due to accumulated concussion concerns before receiving medical clearance to return in 2018
• His matches with CM Punk and Shawn Michaels are considered among the finest technical bouts in modern WWE

Connections

• feuded_with — triple_h
• feuded_with — cm_punk
• feuded_with — aj_styles
• feuded_with — roman_reigns
• has_contested — wwe_championship
• iconic_match_at — wrestlemania

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