Daniel Bryan is one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all time and someone who really has done it all. He's climbed from the bottom of the card right to the main event and is a bonified future Hall Of Famer.
He's held every title imaginable as a Grand Slam Champion, headlined the biggest shows and become a firm fan favorite, while also being able to be a detested heel. However, not every single year of his career has been amazing.
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Bryan has truly had a rocky road in wrestling, and he has had a fair share of ups and downs throughout it. So, within this list, we will look back at his WWE career so far and rank each year from worst to best.
10 2009
This was Daniel Bryan's first year with WWE where he appeared on the game show version of NXT. While he was clearly the most talented member of the show and had a great match with Chris Jericho, he wasn't taken very seriously.
Bryan was just mocked by The Miz and Michael Cole on commentary, making him seem like the most boring person on the roster. He was constantly defeated and then eliminated from the game show, which was a big missed opportunity.
Bryan did debut alongside Nexus, however, he was fired from WWE for being too violent as he choked Justin Roberts with a tie. This obviously impacted on his year as he returned to the indies.
9 2015
This was certainly a tough year for Daniel Bryan, who had battled hard in order to return to the ring after neck surgery. When he finally got back, fans hoped it was for good and he was 100% healthy, but sadly that wasn't the case.
While Bryan did pick up the Intercontinental Championship during this year, he quickly had to vacate it as he disappeared for the majority of the year. Bryan's health was becoming a major issue and this year was the big signaling point for that.
8 2010
Daniel Bryan made his return to WWE in 2010 after being fired from the company. Sheer fan support online seemed to make WWE step up and take notice of his talent as he got a prime spot at SummerSlam that year.
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He returned as a top babyface to compete against the Nexus, joining John Cena's team. From then on he had a brilliant six months with WWE, putting on excellent matches on a regular basis.
Bryan ended up winning the United States Championship and put forth a lengthy run as champion which featured a great feud with The Miz and Sheamus.
7 2016/2017
While this is a large span of time to bulk up into one entry, these were the two years where Daniel Bryan wasn't an in-ring wrestler. In 2016 he officially retired from being a wrestler and he went on to become the SmackDown General Manager.
Of course, this was an emotional point in his career, and it was horrible not being able to see him wrestle. However, Bryan made the most of his time on-screen and really helped enhance others.
His appearances on Talking Smack, for example, were absolutely amazing. Bryan was a huge star by this stage and fans respected him, which meant he could add a lot.
6 2011
After a solid year in WWE, Daniel Bryan really began to build up some momentum as a heel talent. His in-ring work was great, but his promos and character really started to develop this year.
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Clearly, WWE took notice as Bryan was pushed. He won the Money in the Bank briefcase and he was a great holder, constantly teasing things yet never quite committing to doing it.
However, towards the end of the year, he finally cashed in and became World Heavyweight Champion! It was something diehard fans never thought they would see, but Bryan was finally on top.
5 2012
This was a superb year for Daniel Bryan's career as his heel run really took off, becoming one of SmackDown's top talents. Even though this wasn't the year he won the World Heavyweight Championship, this was the year he defended it several times.
Bryan feuded with both Big Show and Mark Henry, proving he was a cunning enough to defend the title against bigger stars. Feuding with Sheamus and his quick WrestleMania loss helped kickstart big changes for him as well.
This year also saw him have an amazing feud with CM Punk and saw Team Hell No begin to form as well, which is one of his greatest achievements.
4 2014
Many people would probably put this as Daniel Bryan's greatest year, simply because this was his big WrestleMania moment. Bryan defeated Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista in one night to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
This was Bryan's greatest ever moment and is something he will never top. The Yes Movement finally getting to headline WrestleMania and finally getting the major moment that he had earned.
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However, this was also the start of Bryan's major injury problems. He spent a huge chunk of 2014 on the shelf due to his neck injury, and that's what stops it from being his greatest year.
3 2018
What an amazing year this was for Daniel Bryan as he surprised everyone by returning to professional wrestling! Everyone had accepted the fact Byran wasn't going to wrestle again, apart from Bryan himself.
His return was a huge moment and a truly emotional one for everyone in the WWE Universe. While at first he was clearly just getting back into things, it didn't take long for Bryan to find his rhythm.
But being the fan-favorite didn't last too long, as Bryan shuck things up and brought in the 'New' Daniel Bryan. A major heel turn which led him to become WWE Champion.
2 2019
Daniel Bryan's most recent full year with WWE was an absolutely incredible one. It was brilliant to see Bryan return to his absolute peak as WWE Champion once again, this time getting a significant run with the title.
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After returning from injury, nobody ever expected Bryan would work as a heel. However, alongside Rowan, he turned heel by becoming the Planets Champion, proving just how entertaining he is.
The year also ended with him returning to being a babyface and starting to feud with The Fiend, bringing out some of his best matches.
1 2013
The Yes Movement is what made Daniel Bryan the megastar that he is known as today, and that all took place in 2013. This was the year when the WWE Universe embraced him as a top star, and he put on some amazing performances to make it happen.
Bryan was the number one star in 2013 and he had an incredible year throughout. Some of his best matches took place in this year such as his bouts with The Shield.
He also got his big moment at SummerSlam, becoming WWE World Heavyweight Champion by defeating John Cena. Even though the moment didn't last, it was a crowning point in his career.
NEXT: 5 Reasons The Running Knee Is Daniel Bryan's Best Finisher (& 5 Why It's The Yes Lock)
