Why Bryan Danielson Fans Still Argue WWE Ruined His Career

Is Bryan Danielson the greatest wrestler to ever walk this mortal coil? That's obviously up for debate, but the "American Dragon's" 25 year career sure makes a strong case for him. During the first half of his career, Danielson was the face of both the independent wrestling scene and Ring of Honor, winning both the Ring of Honor World and Ring of Honor Pure Championships, all en route to becoming arguably the biggest star in the promotion's history. In the latter half of his career in AEW, Danielson had what some feel is his greatest run, having beloved matches with the likes of Swerve Strickland, Kenny Omega, Eddie Kingston, "Hangman" Adam Page, Jon Moxley, and MJF, headlining multiple PPV's, and even winning the AEW World Championship just as his full-time career was winding down.

And then there's Danielson's decade long stint with WWE, where he wrestled as Daniel Bryan. At first glance, that WWE run would only add to Danielson's Hall of Fame legacy; he became a five time World Champion, headlined several WrestleMania's, including WrestleMania 30 where he became Undisputed WWE Champion in one of WrestleMania's greatest feel good moments, became a recognizable worldwide star, and even found time to overcome health issues that forced him into early retirement and make a comeback to wrestling in 2018. It was also successful on a personal level, as WWE is where Danielson would meet his wife Brie Bella. And yet, despite all the professional and personal success Danielson accumulated in WWE, some people remain very unsatisfied with his run there. In fact, some even argue that Danielson's WWE tenure almost ruined his wrestling career.

Given Danielson's success in WWE, at first glance, it feels comical to argue that it was anything other than, at worst, a very good ten years for him in WWE. So why would anyone think it ruined his WWE career? The only logical argument would be that, despite all of Danielson's good work in WWE, it was largely a result of WWE having to be dragged kicking and screaming to give it to him. One example is WrestleMania 28, when Danielson lost the World Heavyweight Title to Sheamus in mere seconds; it was a move designed to get Sheamus over and make Danielson look ridiculous, only the fans viewed Danielson as a victim of bad booking, leading to a groundswell of support for him. 

This would become the common theme of Danielson's WWE run; the promotion would move him to the side, the fans would react poorly to this, and eventually WWE would have no choice to push him. The build to WrestleMania 30 served as the apex of this, as WWE tried desperately to go with someone other than Danielson, only for the fans to not be denied, and WWE pivoting to give Danielson his WrestleMania moment. Is that enough to say WWE ruined Danielson's career? Admittedly, it's still a bit flimsy, because he still did end up winning World Titles and having massive success. Perhaps the better argument is that, despite all of Danielson's WWE accolades, none of it came easy, and most of it came against WWE's wishes. That is a stark contrast to Danielson's AEW and Ring of Honor runs; in both cases, each company wanted to push Danielson as a top star, always put him in marquee situations, and treated him accordingly.