Daniel Bryan Biography, Net Worth, Career, Injury, Personal Life, and Other Interesting Facts

February 12, 2021 By Sourav


Bryan Lloyd Danielson
Real Name Bryan Lloyd Danielson
Nick Name Daniel Bryan
Profession WWE Wrestler
Nationality American
Height 5 Feet 10 Inches (1.78 Meters)
Weight 210lbs (95 Kgs)
Birth Date 22-05-1981
Age 40
Gender Male
Birth Place Aberdeen, Washington, United States
Zodiac Sign Gemini
Religion Christian
Address Washington, United States

American wrestler Bryan Lloyd Danielson, famously known by his ring name Daniel Bryan, currently appears in the SmackDown segment of the WWE. Widely dubbed as one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, he has four WWE Championship titles as of 2020. Besides, he also won the United States Champion and the Intercontinental Champion once each. Moreover, he won the WWE Tag Team Champion with his partner Kane and the SmackDown Tag Team Champion with Rowan.

Daniel-Bryan-1
Daniel-Bryan-1

Bryan also extensively appeared in the independent circuit besides appearing in WWE. He is the founding father of ROH (Ring of Honor) and participated in the promotion between 2002 and 2009. While being a part of the ROH, he has achieved the ROH World Championship and Pure Wrestling Championship once each. Besides his appearance in the United States and the United Kingdom, he also appeared in Japanese wrestling tournaments. 

He participated in the Pro Wrestling Noah and became the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship. Bryan then participated in the New Japan Pro-Wrestling and won the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship. Besides his active wrestling career, he also served as the General Manager of SmackDown from 2016 to 2018. He is also among the very few wrestlers who achieved the 15th Grand Slam Championships in WWE. 

Daniel Bryan Biography and Stats

 

Daniel Bryan Early Career 

After he completed his sophomore year in high school, Bryan wanted to go to Florida to take admission in Dean Malenko's wrestling school. But in 1999 when he actually completed his high school, the wrestling school was completely closed. He then started his wrestling training under veteran wrestler Rudy Gonzalez. Shortly after, he moved to Texas to train under one of the most popular areal wrestlers in WWE, Shawn Michaels. 

Bryan completed his wrestling training at the Texas Wrestling Academy in San Antonio. And shortly after, he made his debut in professional wrestling in December 1999. He and his fellow trainee from the Texas Wrestling Academy, Lance Cade, then went for a tour to Japan and participated in several tag team matches together. He then tested his first success in March 2000 after winning the TWA Tag Team Championship.

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Daniel-Bryan-2

Daniel Bryan WWF Career 

Bryan signed a development deal with WWF (World Wrestling Federation) after touring all over the United States to participate in the independent circuit. He then assigned to MCW (Memphis Championship Wrestling) and started training under veteran wrestler William Regal. And since that, he gained mass exposure and started to create buzz on media. Bryan always named William Regal as a key player for building his career. 

After a brief period of time training under Regal, he started taking part in professional wrestling with his ring name ‘American Dragon’. Shortly after his debut in MCW, he won the MCW Light Heavyweight Championship. He then also achieved the MCW Tag Team Championship with his partner Spanky. WWF then ended its tie-up with MCW in 2001 and, on that same year, they released Bryan from their contract. 

Daniel Bryan Japan Career 

Following his release from WWF in June 2001, Bryan went to Japan to take his career ahead in wrestling. He started with NJPW (New Japan Pro-Wrestling), a top-tier wrestling promotion in Japan at that time. He used his ring name ‘American Dragon’ in Japan too. Besides, he also started wearing a mask that resembles a dragon. He soon started getting huge popularity in Japan due to his impeccable wrestling skills. 

Bryan started participating in the junior heavyweight division of the New Japan Pro-Wrestling league. He then went on to win both the solo and tag-team championship of the league. Shortly after, he made a bond with ‘Curry Man’ as a tag-team partner. The duo then achieved the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship title on 12th March 2004.

Daniel Bryan Ring of Honor Career 

Widely dubbed as the founding father of the ROH (Ring of Honor), Bryan started his association with the promotion in 2002. He made his debut in ROH in a three-way match called ‘The Era of Honor Begins’ on 22nd February 2002. And in 2004, he won the ‘Survival of the Fittest’ contest of ROH. He then became the ROH World Champion while defeating James Gibson in a match called ‘Glory by Honor IV’ on 15th September 2005. 

After a brief pause, Bryan returned to ROH and competed against Shane Hagadorn in a match called ‘Reborn Again’ on 11th May 2007. The very next day, he partnered with ROH World Champion Takeshi Morishima to compete in the first-ever pay-per-view event of ROH. The duo defeated Nigel McGuinness and Kenta in that match. ROH first find huge financial success from that match. 

The following year, Bryan again went back to Japan as a part of the ROH's deal with Pro Wrestling Noah. He participated in the Tokyo Summit during that tour. During that time, he became the GHC Junior Heavyweight Champion while defeating the reigning champion Yoshinobu Kanemaru. He competed against McGuinness in a match called ‘Glory by Honor VIII: The Final Countdown’ on 26th September 2009.

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Daniel-Bryan-3

Daniel Bryan Career in the Independent circuit 

Besides his association with the WWE and ROH, Bryan extensively competed in the independent circuit. He toured for British wrestling company ASW (All-Star Wrestling) way back in 2003. After joining ASW, he also participated in the WAW (World Association of Wrestling) and FWA (Frontier Wrestling Alliance) for the next six months. He then made his debut in FIP (Full Impact Pro), a sister concern of ROH), in a match called ‘New Dawn Rising’ with his tag team partner Rocky Romero. 

The following year, he achieved the FIP Heavyweight Championship title in 2006. Besides FIP, he also competed in PWG (Pro Wrestling Guerrilla). He made his debut in PWG in a match called ‘An Inch Longer than Average’ against then-heavyweight champion Frankie Kazarian in November 2003. After a brief gap due to his injury, he wished to compete in the Heavyweight Championship of NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) in 2007. 

Besides the United Kingdom and Japan, Bryan toured several other countries at that time. He started competing for the wXw (Westside Xtreme Wrestling), a flagship wrestling promotion in Germany, in 2009. He made his debut on this promotion against wXw World Heavyweight Champion Bad Bones. Shortly after returning to the United States, he joined Philadelphia-based wrestling promotion CHIKARA to take part in the ‘King of Trios’ competition. 

Daniel Bryan WWE Career 

Bryan signed with WWE in August 2009 after spending his time with several independent promotions. He made his debut against Chavo Guerrero in a deathmatch on 4th January 2010. Besides, he also made his debut in FCW against Kaval on 14th January that year. His mentor, William Regal, then gave him the ring name ‘Daniel Bryan’ which he started to use on 11th February 2010. 

The very next month, he made his debut on NXT against World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho on 23rd February 2010. That was also the inaugural episode of NXT. WWE then fired him on 11th June 2010 as they thought Bryan is too violent for their storylines. This incident happened after Bryan attacked ring announcer Justin Roberts during a match. However, WWE later apologized for that matter.

Daniel Bryan Comeback in Independent Circuit 

Bryan made his comeback in the independent wrestling circuit within two weeks of his departure from WWE. He made his second debut in CHIKARA in a match against Eddie Kingston on 26th June 2010. He then also made his debut in wXw in the ‘Ambition 1’ tournament against TJP and Wade Fitzgerald on 3rd July 2010. Bryan then made his debut in IWA (International Wrestling Association) in the ‘IWA Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship’ on 17th July that year. 

He made his debut in the newly-launched EVOLVE on 23rd July. And in the following month, he took part in the NWA Legends Fanfest and challenged Adam Pearce to compete against him in the Adam Pearce on 7th August 2010. He then again joined WWE as the promotion apologized to him for their behavior. However, he continued to compete in the independent circuit and participated in his last independent match against Shelton Benjamin on 1st October that year.

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Daniel-Bryan-4

Daniel Bryan Final Comeback in WWE 

Following his second comeback in WWE, he made his debut in a ‘SummerSlam’ match against ‘The Nexus’ on 15th August 2010. The very next year, he took part in the 2011 supplemental draft and drafted to SmackDown on 26th April 2011. He then formed ‘Team Hell No’ with veteran wrestler Kane and won his first WWE Tag Team Championship in the Royal Rumble on 27th January 2012. 

According to his new storyline, he became the enemy of ‘The Wyatt Family’ and became a foe of CM Punk. They defeated TWF in the Survivor Series on 24th November 2013. He then took a short break as his father died later that year. Shortly after, he made his comeback in SmackDown on 15th January 2015. He won his first Intercontinental Championship on 29th March 2015 at WrestleMania 31. Bryan then announced his retirement on 8th February 2016. 

Daniel Bryan Recent Career 

After spending two years outside the ring, he made his comeback in a WWE match on 20th March 2018. He consulted three external independent doctors along with Joseph Maroon and has complete reviews from them before he again entered the ring. Later that year, he formed a tag team with Bella and appeared in a ‘Hell in a Cell’ match on 16th September 2018. He then defeated AJ Styles and achieved his fourth WWE Championship on 13th November 2018. 

Bryan made his comeback in Raw in a ‘WrestleMania’ rematch against Kingston on 6th May 2019. He then started his new storyline in SmackDown from the very next month. Within that storyline, he faced the Universal Champion Bray Wyatt ‘The Fiend’ on 8th November 2019. And recently on 13th March 2020, Bryan started his new tag team after forming an alliance with Gulak.

Daniel Bryan SmackDown General Manager 

Bryan was appointed as the General Manager of SmackDown on 18th July 2016 following the second brand split of WWE. Besides the SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon, he also played a pivotal role in the WWE draft that year to get the best wrestlers on SmackDown. He also served as the cohost of Renee Young in the ‘Talking Smack’. The following year, Kane attacked him on 30th October 2017. However, he made his return on 14th November that year. 

Daniel Bryan Injury 

Bryan announced his retirement from professional wrestling due to medical reasons for 8th February 2016. In an interview with ESPN, he revealed that he went on to have at least 10 concussions during his wrestling career. However, he also stated that he could have been misdiagnosed. He went to an EEG reflex test that confirmed that he has a chronic lesion in the temporoparietal region of his brain. That lesion is the main reason for his -concussion seizures. 

After going through the medical procedure, he improved quite a lot. He then took a concussion test at UCLA which came positive. However, Joseph Maroon, the head of WWE’s medical team’ refused to give him a fit certificate. It took more time than usual to become completely fit for wrestling. Shortly after, he suffered from an unknown injury in his match against Kofi Kingston in WrestleMania 35. 

Although WWE didn’t state anything officially, Bryan almost vanished from SmackDown following that injury. In the Wrestling Observer Radio show, Dave Meltzer first talked about the injury of Bryan. But, he failed to confirm whether it is due to his concussion or anything else. Besides these injuries, Bryan also has Vitiligo.

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Daniel-Bryan-5
 

Daniel Bryan Theme Music and Finishing Move 

Bryan first used ‘The Final Countdown’ as his entrance son during his ROH days. He received massive appreciation as he sang the song with the audience from the right. But now, he uses a variation of ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ as his entrance music. He started his famous ‘Yes!’ chant right after winning his first World Heavyweight Championship in WWE. That chant became so popular that people started to use it even outside WWE. 

Starting from MLB to the NBA, the ‘Yes!’ chant is all over the place during late 2013. Spartans guard Travis Jackson used that chant as his celebration after his touchdown against their archrival Michigan. During his time in the independent circuit, Bryan used ‘Cattle Mutilation’, a variant of double chicken wing, as his finishing move. But now, he uses ‘Yes! Lock’ and ‘No! Lock’ as his finishing moves in WWE. 

Daniel Bryan Media Works 

Before he joined WWE, he became a part of the ‘Wrestling Road Diaries documentary in 2009. He also recorded a song with Kimya Dawson as a tribute to the wrestling legend Lou ‘Captain’ Albano in 2011. He then worked in the 2013 animation film ‘The Flintstones & WWE: Stone Age SmackDown!’ and gave voice to a character called Daniel Bryrock. The movie had a great response after its release on 10th March 2015. 

Bryan then co-authored his autobiography called ‘Yes: My Improbable Journey to the Main Event of WrestleMania’ with Craig Tello on 21st July 2015. That book too had a good reception. He then also worked as the judge of the sixth season of ‘Tough Enough’. A reality series called ‘Total Divas’ in E! Network featured his relationship story with one of the hottest WWE divas, Brie Bella. 

Daniel Bryan Childhood and Family 

Born on 22nd May 1981, Bryan is the only son of his father, Donald Orrin Danielson, and his mother, Donald Orrin Danielson. However, his parents were separated when he was too young. His father was a lumberjack and practicing therapist. He grew up in the Aberdeen area of Washington. Besides wrestling, he also participated in American Football during his high school days. Bryan shifted to Las Vegas in 2009. 

Daniel Bryan Wife and Kids 

After having a relationship for around three years, Bryan married his fellow WWE wrestler Brie Bella on 11th April 2014. After he took retirement from professional wrestling, Bella also announced her retirement on 6th April 2016. She later announced that she took the decision to start a family. This duo now has a daughter named Birdie Joe Danielson. She was born on 9th May 2017. 

Daniel Bryan Vegetarianism and PETA 

Bryan suffered from several staph infections due to his elevated level of liver enzymes. And due to that, he turned to veganism in 2009. PETA then awarded him the ‘Most Animal-Friendly Athlete’ during the Libby Award in 2012. However, he converted from veganism later that year as he failed to find vegan food while traveling for wrestling promotions. He and her wife, Bella, again turned completely vegetarians in 2018. 

Daniel Bryan Net Worth 

According to the recent reports of 2020, the net worth of Daniel Bryan is estimated to be around $8 million. Despite his net worth, he always maintained a down-to-earth status which the world has seen in the show called ‘Total Divas’. Bryan now withdraws around $350k annual salary for his association with WWE. 

So, here are all the details about the popular WWE wrestler, Daniel Bryan. We hope you liked this biographical article. And, don’t forget to send us your opinion about this article in the comment box below.

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Daniel-Bryan-6
 

FAQ regarding WWE Daniel Bryan

Q. Who is Daniel Bryan?

Daniel Bryan is an American Wrestler who is currently competing in the SmackDown segment of WWE. However, he also previously participated in several independent wrestling promotions. He is also often dubbed as the founding father of ROH (Ring of Honor).

Q. What happened to Daniel Bryan?

After enjoying almost 17 years in professional wrestling, Daniel Bryan announced his retirement from WWE in 2016 following his injury. He then served as the General Manager of SmackDown for two years before announcing his comeback in 2018 in professional wrestling.

Q. Where is Daniel Bryan?

Daniel Brian now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, to participate in WWE. He now wrestles in the SmackDown segment of WWE for which he also served as the General Manager for two years. He now occasionally wrestles in the main segment of WWE.

Q. Why did Daniel Bryan retire?

Following his injury in Wrestle Mania 35, he announced his retirement from professional wrestling. In an interview with ESPN, he revealed that he has suffered a concussion at least 10 times during his wrestling career. Besides, he was also diagnosed with having a chronic lesion in the temporoparietal region of his brain.

Q. Who is Daniel Bryan married to?

Bryan dated his fellow WWE wrestler Brie Bella from 2011. The couple then got married on 11th April 2014 after having a relationship for three years. They now have a baby daughter named Birdie Joe Danielson who was born on 9th May 2017.

Q. How much is Daniel Bryan worth?

The current net worth of Daniel Bryan is estimated to be around $6 million according to the recent financial reports of 2020. He now draws around $350k annual salary from WWE. Besides, he also has several endorsements and associations with reputed brands.

Q. How old is Daniel Bryan?

Daniel Bryan is 40 years old. He was born on 22nd May 1981. He grew up in the Aberdeen area of Washington, the United States with his father, Donald Orrin Danielson, and his mother, Donald Orrin Danielson. However, his parents were separated when she was young.

Q. How tall is Daniel Bryan?

Daniel Bryan is 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 meters). It is quite shorter than the average height of famous WWE wrestlers. But, he makes up for his height with his impeccable skills and unbelievable agility even at the age of 40.

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