* ActingForTwo: In late 2021, Danielson donned a mask becoming Infinito so he could work with AEW's younger talent and put them over without it hurting his credibility as a main eventer.
* BreakupBreakout: Wrestling/WadeBarrett has done well, but his push was derailed due to injury. As of now, Bryan is the only member of the original Nexus lineup (Bryan, Barrett, Slater, Gabriel, Otunga, Sheffield, Young) to win a world title. Most of the others are floundering around in the midcard or are {{Jobber}}s. Except for Skip in a way who been repackaged as Wrestling/{{Ryback}}.
* {{Corpsing}}: Though he's never broken character, a large majority of his promos have him on the verge of doing so. Speculation has it that his beard was grown to help hide the fact that he's about a half second away from bursting out laughing at any given time. One can only wonder how he and Kane managed to do their promos cleanly though it probably helps that most of their promos end with one or the other or both storming off camera.
** He did this in the indies when trying to do a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSh2s_lmthI promo]] with [[Wrestling/LondonAndKendrick Paul London]].
** The original "Hug It Out" with [[Wrestling/SamiZayn El Generico]] has Bryan completely unable to keep a straight face.
** He had a [[https://twitter.com/wwe/status/801651782938071040 moment]] when Wrestling/DeanAmbrose was dressed as [[Wrestling/JacquesRougeau the Mountie]] when he tells him to give him a message to Wrestling/AJStyles that the Mountie AlwaysGetsHisMan.
* CreatorBreakdown: He suffered from depression due to his forced retirement from the ring, and he allowed ''Total Bellas'' to show it in order to show fans that their idols could struggle with mental health issues as well. Brie Bella also says she felt he suffered from postnatal depression after the birth of their daughter.
%%
%%* Creator's Pest requires the creator specifically saying that they dislike the character in question. In this case, it would require someone at WWE management saying as such.
%%
%% CreatorsPest: Possibly the biggest in all of professional wrestling. WWE never really intended him to be any more than a midcarder, despite his obvious talent and charisma, but the fans just would not let him go. The 2014 Road to Wrestling/WrestleMania in particular ended up being ''completely'' torn up following the debacle at the Wrestling/RoyalRumble when Bryan didn't enter, and with Wrestling/CMPunk walking out of the company following the match and the audience effectively hijacking the shows to demand Bryan, WWE were ''forced'' to reinsert him into the title picture, first facing off against Wrestling/TripleH to earn a spot on the main event, and then ''winning'' said main event when it was obvious that if Wrestling/RandyOrton or Wrestling/{{Batista}} won the crowd would probably riot.
* ExecutiveMeddling:
** His firing following Wrestling/TheNexus invasion. Daniel had at one point choked ring announcer Justin Roberts with his tie. Some of WWE's sponsors threatened to leave because of the incident so Bryan Danielson was let go to placate them, but with a 90 days no compete clause he couldn't go to any other big promotion. He continued to work on the independent scene anyway while the WWE kept an eye on him and rehired him in time for [[Wrestling/SummerSlam [=SummerSlam=]]] where Daniel Bryan became the final member of Cena's team. According to Justin Roberts's autobiography, it was always part of the plan to rehire him once the heat had died down (as Vince reportedly loved the spot of him getting strangled) - and he was only released to appease the sponsors.
** The 18-second loss at Wrestling/WrestleMania XXVIII seems to be a subversion of this. The loss was apparently designed both to break a WWE record on shortest [=WrestleMania=] match and to give his opponent, Sheamus, a big push. However, Bryan's growing popularity and further attempts to solidify him as a heel seems to have led to exponential pushes for both his (ex)-girlfriend, A.J., and for himself. While Sheamus has had a good title run, his prominence and importance to WWE storylines and audience is comparatively small to his [=WrestleMania=] "victims". Sheamus was very well aware of his situation, knowing that he wasn't walking out with any scars.
** When the "YES!" chants started to catch on with the crowd, the WWE attempted to spin it as fans mocking Bryan's tendency to do it, in order to keep him as a heel. Subverted, as even with Bryan doing heelish actions and starting the alternate "NO!" chants in response to the fans, he eventually slipped into a tweener role (closer to a face) once he began teaming with Kane.
** Tony Khan wanted to get Music/{{Europe}}'s "The Final Countdown" to be Bryan's AEW entrance theme like it was in Ring of Honor, but due to Europe slapping a price tag of $50,000 per play on it, Danielson was forced to go a different direction for his theme. Though considering that he finally got to use the song at ''Forbidden Door'' and ''All Out'' in 2023, it's likely that the theme will only be restricted to special events.
** He's admitted in an interview that WWE did this for his own safety regarding his retirement, because he was trying to hide how injured he was and keep wrestling.
* FollowTheLeader: Averted; Wrestling/MichaelCole called him out into believing he'd cash in Money in the Bank just like almost[[note]] except Kennedy and Wrestling/RobVanDam[[/note]] every winner before him. He replied that he's going to be cashing it at Wrestling/WrestleMania 28. Cole was right, but only after being the punching bag in the Wrestling/MarkHenry and [[Wrestling/BigShow Big Show]] feud.
* HostilityOnTheSet: It's been hinted that he had some with Wrestling/AJLee after her 'Pipe Bombshell' promo - particularly where she went off script and mocked the Bella Twins for their "daddy issues" (right after an episode of ''Series/TotalDivas'' touching on having an abusive addict for a father aired), as well as her repeated SlutShaming of Brie in promos. Notably the two unfollowed each other on Twitter in 2013, around the time AJ was unfollowing several other members of the roster.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot:
** The network wasn't happy with the 2011 storyline where the Bella Twins bet to be his "first", feeling it was headed in a non-PG direction. Thus they revealed Wrestling/GailKim as his secret girlfriend.
** His sudden injury in 2014 also helped write someone else's storyline: Brie Bella opting to quit rather than have him stripped of the title, entering into a high profile match with Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon and then Nikki Bella turning heel on her.
* RealSongThemeTune:
** Used "The Final Countdown" by Music/{{Europe}} on the indies.
** Used "Music/RideOfTheValkyries" in WWE, first in its original form and later as a rock version. In AEW, he uses an original song which prominently samples "Valkyries" [[AudienceParticipationSong and which happens to be perfectly timed for "YES!" chants]].
* RomanceOnTheSet: He dated Brie Bella for two years, they got engaged in September 2013, and got married on April 11th, 2014.
* ScheduleSlip: Justified. His Youtube channel and website have not been updated very much, but Bryan was too busy being in the main event. By the time he retired, he honestly forgot about it.
* ScrewedByTheLawyers:
** According to Dave Meltzer, AEW made an attempt to licence "The Final Countdown" as his AEW entrance music as a throwback to Bryan's use of it on the indies, but doing so was cost prohibitive. He got an original song which heavily samples "Ride of the Valkyries", his WWE entrance theme, instead. He would eventually get to use the song for his entrance at ''Forbidden Door 2023'' and ''All Out 2023.''
** The "YES!" chant is also in an ambiguous legal limbo that Bryan Danielson himself isn't sure on. The chant itself probably isn't copywrited by WWE (and even if it was, good luck getting the crowd not to chant it), but several related ideas such as The YES! Movement are. AEW themselves have played it both ways: subtly encouraging the chants while never outright saying out-loud that they sanction them.
* StarMakingRole:
** All Pro Wrestling's ''King Of Indies'', which changed both the way Danielson and the US indies were viewed, that being from hardly at all to things people were looking to exploit but hey, baby steps.
** The autumn of 2013, coinciding with ''Series/TotalDivas'' being on the air, and him splitting from Team Hell No, marked the beginning of his meteoric push to the top - culminating in him main eventing ''Wrestling/WrestleMania 30''.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** Both Danielson and longtime ROH nemesis Wrestling/NigelMcGuinness were believed to have both signed with WWE, leaving many to wonder how well the two would do in the company. Then it was discovered that Nigel, in fact, ''hadn't'' signed with WWE, but instead had signed with ''TNA'' (eventually debuting there as Desmond Wolfe).
*** Nigel/Desmond has disappeared from TNA television entire due to health issues, the same health issues that cause WWE management to pass on him in the first place. Now imagine Nigel on the WWE road schedule and it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out what would have been. He did eventually signed with the company, but as a commentator.
** How the Nexus angle would have been handled if Danielson had been able to stay around. Out of all of the rookies, he had the biggest issues with WWE management. Combine this with the fact that can cut some pretty good heel promos, and the fact that he's one of the best pure wrestlers in the world today, and the entire angle could have gone very, ''very'' differently.
** Bryan claimed that he would cash in the MITB contract at ''[=WrestleMania=] 28'', but the plans changed to ''TLC 2011'' due to Wrestling/MarkHenry's injuries. It could be debated how popular Bryan would be with the fans or even if he would have a successful cash-in had the original plan gone through.
** Gail Kim was the third choice of being his secret girlfriend, when the Bellas were fighting over him. The first two? Wrestling/SaraDelRey and [[Wrestling/KiaStevens Kharma!]] They went with Gail cause she was already on the roster. Gail in fact was ready to quit WWE that night, but stayed on for a few more months because of this.
** As incredible as Daniel Bryan being double booked on ''Wrestlemania 30'' and coming out on top with the WWE World Title is, it is easy to forget that at the start of 2014, his WM moment did not involve either component. If there is truth to the dirtsheet rumors (and the situation as alluded by Wrestling/CMPunk), he was supposed to stay with the Wyatt Family to ''[=WrestleMania=]'' and may have been set to face Sheamus again for a third time. Presumably, this would have been a catalyst to John Cena feuding with Bray Wyatt and to restart Sheamus's momentum after being out with an injury for months (and assuming past history, it might have ended in a Bryan loss again). However, fan support for Bryan escalating to new levels, Batista's terrible reception after his RR and EC performances, and CM Punk's abrupt departure from the company led to perhaps the most logical and seamlessly fitting audible ever getting called.
** Believe it or not, Bryan could have been in ''Wrestling/{{WCW}}''. In early 2000, Shawn Michaels pressured WWE to sign 4 of his best students (Danielson, Brian Kendrick, Lance Cade and Shooter Schultz) to developmental contracts, and threatened to take them to WCW if they weren't (a fact Michaels never mentioned in his own book). They were signed the next day, but imagine Kendrick and Danielson in WCW's already solid cruiserweight division...
** Apparently the two WWE ring names he had chosen for himself before WWE (or, more specifically, Wrestling/WilliamRegal) gave him Daniel Bryan were "Lloyd Bonaire" (which, as mentioned before, sounds a bit like the "Lloyd ''Boner''" he teased using in several other promotions) and Buddy Pea''cock.'' [[HehHehYouSaidX Which really does make you wonder a bit about the guy's sense of humor.]]
** The comprehensive beating Wrestling/JohnCena took at [=SummerSlam=] 2014 from Wrestling/BrockLesnar, in one of the most one-sided WWE title matches in history? That was meant for Daniel Bryan, but Bryan vacating the WWE World Heavyweight Championship due to neck surgery led to WWE putting Cena in the spot instead.
%% ** He once commented that he'd like to do a program with Wrestling/ShinsukeNakamura. A pity The American Dragon vs The King of Strong Style won't happen due to unfortunate circumstances. Made even worse by Nakamura stating getting to wrestle Bryan had been a major reason he wanted to come to WWE in the first place, so it was as much a dream match for him as it was for Bryan.
%% ** Nakamura's not the only well-renowned wrestler for whom wrestling Bryan would've been a dream match. Wrestling/KurtAngle, who just left TNA in early 2016, has said on numerous occasions he'd like to wrestle Bryan as well.
%% *** Matches with both Nakamura and Angle ''could'' still happen since Bryan's WWE in-ring career has restarted, so we live in hope...
** After losing the WWE Championship to Wrestling/KofiKingston at [=WrestleMania=] 35, Bryan was supposed to continue feuding with Kingston in a lead-up to a rematch at that year's Money in the Bank PPV. Bryan was injured in the 'Mania match, however, and WWE ended up putting a heel Wrestling/KevinOwens in Bryan's place.
** Rumors swirled around that one of the key factors that played a role in Bryan's free agent status in 2021 was that he had wanted to work dates with promotions outside of WWE, more specifically New Japan Pro Wrestling. If said rumors are to be believed, there were talks for collaborations between the two companies in the final days of Bryan's contract as a way to keep him in, but for unknown reasons (likely due to NJPW's partnership with AEW, WWE's biggest competitor in North America), nothing materialized.
** In AEW, his campaign in the World Title Eliminator Tournament was due to have him go up against Wrestling/JonMoxley in the finals at ''Full Gear 2021'', with the reports being that he was due to lose. However, Moxley dropped out of the tournament in order to attend an alcoholic treatment program, leaving [[Wrestling/RusevAndLana Miro]] to take his place in the bracket. This led to a major change in booking direction for Danielson; he won at ''Full Gear'' and inherited the storyline intended for Moxley, in which he would go on a heelish tear through the Dark Order before challenging Wrestling/AdamPage. What Danielson would've done in the original storyline, including how he would've responded to his first loss and whether he would've turned heel as quickly, remains a mystery.
** In 2022, Danielson was supposed to face Wrestling/ZackSabreJr at Forbidden Door, but he got injured. This resulted in Wrestling/ClaudioCastagnoli debuting in AEW and taking his place, while joining the Wrestling/BlackpoolCombatClub and also taking his place in the second Blood and Guts match.
** Danielson broke his arm during his match with Wrestling/KazuchikaOkada at the following year's Forbidden Door. Had that not happened, he was planned to face Wrestling/TomohiroIshii on the Dynamite after the event (Jon Moxley would take his place, resulting in a rematch from the 29th G1 Climax) and take part in the third Blood and Guts match (making it the ''second'' time he has to miss out on it).
* WordOfGod: Danielson's book, published in 2015, is basically this to his entire career, revealing tidbits such as:
** The American Dragon name came from Wrestling/ShawnMichaels
** Brayn's MITB win being scheduled for Wade Barrett, only for it to be changed the day of the show
** Ditto Bryan's World Title win, which was supposed to be a longer reign for Wrestling/BigShow.
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