Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan
From: Aberdeen, Washington
Wt: 190 lbs
WWE Debut: February 23rd, 2010
Signature Moves: LeBell Lock

Trained by Shawn Michaels, 10 years on the independent curcuit, and mentored by then-United States AND Unified WWE Tag Team Champion The Miz. It goes without saying that Daniel Bryan was, by far, the most experienced, and arguably most gifted of all the NXT Rookies. At first, it seemed Bryan could very easily use the wealth of in-ring knowledge to garner a WWE contract, and possibly, a championship. However, despite the fact that he had many great matches against impressive opponents such as the former World Champion Chris Jericho, The Great Khali, and William Regal, he had not won a match. Losing his confidence and his will to compete, WWE Management granted him his elimination from the NXT competition. Perhaps his past success in the "minor leagues" under his revealed birth name Bryan Danielson led him to believe that the WWE would be a cake walk, and he got in over his head? Maybe it was partially because of a lack of support from his WWE Pro, The Miz. Whatever the reason, it simply wasn't the right time for "The American Dragon".

He would soon find his stride, as soon after elimination, he was granted a one-night contract by then Raw GM Bret Hart. On this night, he took on his former mentor The Miz and won. He would continue to make an aggressive impact as a member of The Nexus, a group consisting of the 8 NXT Season One Rookies. The Rookies had one goal: to attain a WWE contract for every member of their faction, and to dominate WWE. Bryan would be kicked out of the group soon after, feeling remorse for the actions of the Nexus.

Time passed, and no word of Bryan was ever heard. That is, until SummerSlam 2010. On that night, Team WWE was searching for a seventh member to face Nexus. The Miz opted to join at the last second, but the team opted against it, as The Miz was simply too late. The seventh member was already decided, and it was Miz' former Rookie Daniel Bryan! The dejected Nexus member got his retribution, eliminating two opponents en route to a Team WWE victory.

Now, Bryan finds himself butting heads with former WWE Pro The Miz, who happens to have the United States Championship. Could we see a title change in the near future?