The Top Twenty Moves of Bryan Danielson

I apologize for the lack of updates this week, but hopefully this monstrous remake can make up for it. Bryan Danielson really needs little introduction to the wrestling world. Training under the watchful eye of Shawn Michaels at the Texas Wrestling Academy. He would get his first taste of wrestling abroad in Japan when he accompanied Michaels to the FMW promotion. Originally wrestling under a mask as the American Dragon, he would eventually shed the mask at the turn of the decade. His matches with the likes of Spanky, Low Ki, and others made wrestling fans take notice, and in 2002, he became a focal point of the newly formed Ring of Honor promotion, though victory wouldn't come until his third match, which he defeated Low Ki in a classic bout. He would lose some of that momentum with a loss to Spanky, but march to the tournament to crown an inaugural ROH Champion. He would fall in the semi-finals to Doug Williams, but rebounded by winning the APW Worldwide Internet Title from Super Dragon. In the fall, Dragon's hard luck continued, losing two finals, one for the ROH Tag Team Titles, and a second for the Number One Contender's Trophy. 2003 saw a change, as he would begin wrestling full time under his real name of Bryan Danielson, keeping the American Dragon as a nickname. He would begin wrestling for Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, even earning a shot at the PWG Title against Frankie Kazarian. He would split his time with both ROH and PWG, wrestling AJ Styles in a rather infamous match, in which AJ's arm would audibly crack during an Arm Ringer. In PWG, Danielson would begin a heated feud with Samoa Joe, then ROH World Heavyweight Champion. Danielson would also begin competing for IWA Mid-South, making it to the finals of the Ted Petty Invitational. The feud with Joe lasted through the year, until Joe defeated Danielson in a number one contender's match. 2005 was a rough year for Danielson at first, in which he would take a break from wrestling after failing to win the ROH World Title. His return would spark a new era, as he defeated James Gibson for the title. The reign would last fifteen months, as Danielson defeated every one in front of him, defeating Naomichi Marufuji, KENTA, Nigel McGuinness, and many others. He would also begin an extended tour with Pro Wrestling NOAH. However, some would argue that this diverted attention cost him the title he worked so hard for. In 2007, he would rebound in a big way, winning the PWG World Heavyweight Title from El Generico. During this reign, he would again beat some of the best wrestlers PWG had to offer. In 2008, he would add the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title to his mantle. 2009 was a surreal year for Danielson. After a series of matches with Tyler Black, Danielson would announce his departure for WWE. However, he would once again win the PWG World Heavyweight Title before going. Danielson would debut in WWE under the new NXT brand. While he took some of WWE's best to the limit, he would go winless before joining the fledgling Nexus, in which he showed aggression the likes of which hadn't been seen in a long time. However, that aggression would see him fired for choking ring announcer Justin Roberts with his tie. Back on the Indy scene, Danielson made appearances in CHIKARA and PWG, as well as DGUSA and Evolve before returning at Summerslam. Upon his return, he set his sights on former NXT pro and US Champion, the Miz. He would defeat the Miz for the belt, eventually losing it to Sheamus. He would rebound by winning the Money in the Bank match, and mere days ago, cashed it in to win the World Heavyweight Title. Bryan Danielson's submissions skills are second to none, and he has many to choose from. He's not afraid to take flight with a Suicide Dive, or a Springboard Plancha. He also has an array of Suplexes, such as the Tiger Neck Chancery. Over time, he submissions have evolved, with the Cattle Mutilation once being his finishing move of choice. He has since added more, such as the Heel Hook, the Triangle Hold, and the incredibly effective(and painful) LeBell Lock.

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[CMY187]

6-time Best Technical Wrestler. 5-time Most Outstanding Wrestler. Match Of The Year 2007. Awesome rivalries with THREE wrestlers; Nigel McGuinness, Austin Aries and KENTA. Was with ROH from its very first show on 23 Feb 2002 to 26 Sep 2009.

The American Dragon, really, truly is the Best Technical Wrestler In The World. I am waiting for him to receive more awards from the Observer Newsletter for 2011.

SD, I'd like to know, which of the three Danielson rivalries in ROH do you like most?

[TheSuicidalDragon]

I'd probably go with the KENTA rivalry. All three were fantastic, but I think the KENTA feud was just a bit better, to me.

[OHVImedia]

Did you steal the LeBell Lock clip from my other account MadMonkeyMayhem? In that case... I'm proud :DD

[TheSuicidalDragon]

I grabbed it from the PWG Seven DVD, actually.

[CVTom]

Awesome vid SuicidalDragon. Danielson is definitely one of my favorite wrestlers. I am glad too see the WWE giving him a push right now. Between him and CM Punk, we finally got some WRESTLERS reppin for the WWE.

[Saxophonater]

No love for the Airplane Spin?

[jmanpittsburgh]

huh, he looks like the next Chris Benoit. You know, without killing his family

[lotsofotherstuff]

I miss Danielson special and the dive into the crowd... :( He hasnt done it once in WWE.

[DylanM2K11]

@TheSuicidalDragon Yeah 12-6 elbows are definetely illegal but it's a dangerous thing to attempt to throw elbows on the ground, aim it wrong and your DQ'ed

[TheSuicidalDragon]

Elbows are technically allowed in MMA in the states as well. It's the 12-6 Elbows that come straight down that are illegal.

[DylanM2K11]

@Kolte318 Not in Japan, you can throw as many elbows as you want in Japanese MMA on the ground

[aquariumgravel]

I am surprised there was not the move by Bryan of the Surfboard Stretch being coupled with the Dragon sleeper on this one....I must admit it is one of the best moves Ive ever seen.

[Kolte318]

I love how his elbow spot is called MMA Elbows even though in a real mma fight it is completely ILLEGAL to elbow an opponent while they're on the ground XD Beast Danielson

[Ksavage2010]

@Saxophonater Theres no neck tie choke of doom either.

[OHVImedia]

@TheSuicidalDragon Shame... :(

[Wurzelknecht]

@GreyM To be fair, SemiBaked has a point. Doesn't matter how many fluke-Titles Danielson wins with Hardcore 24/7 rules...I mean MitB, we will never have match classics like he delivered during his pre-wwe time. I'm happy for him for the money but for fans it's a loss. And the title picture of WWE will probably change back to the old faces soon, since TV-ratings are dropping ever since Punk replaced Cena at the top. Reportedly women and children change the channel when he's on.