Welcome to a new series on the website, called Rating The Champ. This will follow my prior World Title Series, where I reviewed each and every WWE Heavyweight Champion in history from Hulk Hogan’s first title win in 1984 all the way to the current days. Money in the Bank cash-ins will not be included for obvious reasons, unless it was a proper match (ie: Rob Van Dam at One Night Stand 2006). Royal Rumble and battle royales won’t be included as well.
In this new series, I will rate all the PPV matches from each and every WWF/E Heavyweight Champion in history. To be fair, since this is the WWF/E title, I’ll only rate their PPV matches in the WWF/E. In this edition, we’ll be looking back at the PPV career of the one and only, former World Heavyweight & WWE Champion, Daniel Bryan.
2010
- W/ Team Cena vs. Team Nexus (SummerSlam) ***1/2
- Vs. The Miz – WWE United States Championship (Night of Champions) ***1/2
- Submissions Count Anywhere: Vs. The Miz vs. John Morrison – WWE United States Championship (Hell in a Cell) ***1/2
- Vs. Dolph Ziggler (Bragging Rights) ****
- Vs. Ted DiBiase – WWE United States Championship (Survivor Series) ***1/4
2011
- SmackDown’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Money in the Bank) ****
- Vs. Wade Barrett (SummerSlam) ***1/4
2012
- Steel Cage: Vs. Big Show vs. Mark Henry – World Heavyweight Championship (Royal Rumble) *1/2
- Elimination Chamber Match – World Heavyweight Championship (Elimination Chamber) ***
- Vs. Sheamus – World Heavyweight Championship (WrestleMania XXVIII) DUD
- 2/3 Falls: Vs. Sheamus – World Heavyweight Championship (Extreme Rules) ****1/4
- Vs. CM Punk – WWE Championship (Over the Limit) ****3/4
- Vs. CM Punk vs. Kane – WWE Championship (No Way Out) ***1/4
- No DQ: Vs. CM Punk – WWE Championship (Money in the Bank) ****1/4
- Vs. Kane (SummerSlam) **
- W/ Kane vs. Kofi Kingston & R-Truth – WWE Tag Team Championship (Night of Champions) **1/2
- W/ Kane vs. Team Rhodes Scholars – WWE Tag Team Championship (Hell in a Cell) **1/2
- W/ Team Foley vs. Team Ziggler (Survivor Series) ***1/4
- TLC: W/ Kane & Ryback vs. The Shield (TLC) ****1/2
2013
- W/ Kane vs. Team Rhodes Scholars – WWE Tag Team Championship (Royal Rumble) **1/2
- Elimination Chamber Match (Elimination Chamber) ****
- W/ Kane vs. Dolph Ziggler & Big E Langston – WWE Tag Team Championship (WrestleMania 29) **3/4
- Tornado: W/ Kane vs. The Shield – WWE Tag Team Championship (Extreme Rules) **3/4
- RAW’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match (Money in the Bank) ****1/2
- Vs. John Cena – WWE Championship (SummerSlam) *****
- Vs. Randy Orton – WWE Championship (Night of Champions) ***1/4
- Vs. Randy Orton – WWE Championship (Battleground) *1/2
- HIAC: Vs. Randy Orton – WWE Championship (Hell in a Cell) ***1/4
- W/ CM Punk vs. The Wyatt Family (Survivor Series) ***1/2
- Handicap: Vs. The Wyatt Family (TLC) ***1/4
2014
- Vs. Bray Wyatt (Royal Rumble) ****
- Elimination Chamber Match – WWE World Heavyweight Championship (Elimination Chamber) ***1/2
- Vs. Triple H (WrestleMania XXX) ****3/4
- Vs. Randy Orton vs. Batista – WWE World Heavyweight Championship (WrestleMania XXX) ****1/4
- Extreme Rules: Vs. Kane – WWE World Heavyweight Championship (Extreme Rules) ***1/2
2015
- Vs. Roman Reigns (Fastlane) ****
- Ladder Match – WWE Intercontinental Championship (WrestleMania 31) ****
2018
- W/ Shane McMahon vs. Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn (WrestleMania 34) **1/2
- Vs. Big Cass (Backlash) **
- Vs. Big Cass (Money in the Bank) **3/4
- W/ Kane vs. The Bludgeon Brothers – WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (Extreme Rules) ***
- Vs. The Miz (SummerSlam) ***1/4
- W/ Brie Bella vs. The Miz & Maryse (Hell in a Cell) **3/4
- Vs. The Miz (Super ShowDown) *
- Vs. Brock Lesnar (Survivor Series) ****1/2
- Vs. AJ Styles – WWE Championship (TLC) ****3/4
2019
- Vs. AJ Styles – WWE Championship (Royal Rumble) ***
- Elimination Chamber Match – WWE Championship (Elimination Chamber) ****1/2
- Vs. Kevin Owens vs. Mustafa Ali – WWE Championship (Fastlane) ****1/4
- Vs. Kofi Kingston – WWE Championship (WrestleMania 35) ****1/2
- W/ Rowan vs. Heavy Machinery – WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (Stomping Grounds) ***1/2
- W/ Rowan vs. The New Day vs. Heavy Machinery – WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (Extreme Rules) ***3/4
- W/ Roman Reigns vs. Harper & Rowan (Hell in a Cell) ****
- Vs. The Fiend – WWE Universal Championship (Survivor Series) ****
2020
- Strap: Vs. The Fiend – WWE Universal Championship (Royal Rumble) ****1/4
- Vs. Drew Gulak (Elimination Chamber) ***3/4
- Vs. Sami Zayn – WWE Intercontinental Championship (WrestleMania 36) ***3/4
TOP FIVE
5. Brock Lesnar (Survivor Series 2018)
For years and years and years, this was a match many wrestling fans wanted to see. Brock Lesnar is a former amateur wrestling champion, and he simply loves working with the best technical wrestlers, which means a match with Bryan had everything to be amazing.
In a match that was originally supposed to take place at SummerSlam 2014, the recently-turned-heel Bryan did everything he could to piss off Lesnar and the audience.
With the help of his amazing selling and a real-life injury that retired him, Bryan was able to generate sympathy again while being destroyed… only for him to then cheat much like he did against AJ Styles to win the belt days earlier, in what was an awesome false finish that had everyone on their feet.
That wasn’t enough, though, as Lesnar won with the F5 and left, selling Bryan’s offense and character the entire time. What a spectacular pro wrestling match.
4. CM Punk (Over the Limit 2012)
Daniel had recently lost his World Title to Sheamus at WrestleMania, as well as a rematch at Extreme Rules. Meanwhile, CM Punk was the WWE Champion and had recently defeated Chris Jericho. Bryan won a ‘Beat the Clock’ challenge on RAW to get this shot, and the stage was set.
The two brought everything into this match, with Punk uncharacteristically working over Bryan’s knee and even hitting a curbstomp. They had an absolute classic up until the finish, where Punk reversed Bryan’s Yes Lock and turned it against him to pin his shoulders down on the mat and retain. Another example of a beautiful pro wrestling bout.
3. AJ Styles (TLC 2018)
Bryan put his belt on the line against former champ AJ Styles at December’s TLC, having won the gold from AJ in November.
Bryan tried to take Styles off his game much like he did against Lesnar the prior month, which caused Styles to snap and absolutely destroy Bryan’s leg the entire bout. Bryan meanwhile focused on Styles’ ribs, only to then use the ref to steal it with a small package of all things!
The finish was “disappointing”, which is exactly what that Daniel Bryan character was trying to accomplish, much like the ‘American Dragon’ Bryan Danielson used to do in Ring of Honor and Full Impact Pro more than a decade earlier.
2. Triple H (WrestleMania XXX)
After months and months of making Bryan’s life a living hell, people were more than ready to see the Triple H persona get his ass whipped by the babyface Bryan.
They had an awesome story to work with, the match featured some fantastic wrestling reversal sequences and finally ended with Bryan blocking the Pedigree and putting Triple H away. Bryan still was attacked afterwards, to continue the story heading into that night’s main-event.
1. John Cena (SummerSlam 2013)
The build to this bout was incredible, which saw Cena and Bryan involved in some terrific promos on RAW.
The match saw an injured Cena, with a giant ball on his elbow, no less, put on an absolute clinic alongside Daniel Bryan. Cena proved why he is one of the most consistent workers in history, with Bryan logically going after Cena’s arm while Cena kept using his strength to stay in it.
Bryan ultimately connected with the Running Knee to capture his first WWE Championship, only for Randy Orton and Triple H then to turn heel, take the gold and form The Authority.
Overall average rating
3.61/5
Don’t miss the next piece here on Rating The Champ, where we’ll be looking back at the career of former WWE Champion, AJ Styles.