Like many wrestling stars, Bryan Danielson's career spans several different promotions and varied gimmicks.
DAZN looks at the career accomplishments of the Washington-born star.
Who is Bryan Danielson?
Born in 1981 into a working-class family in the American state of Washington, Danielson was drawn to professional wrestling as a high schooler.
It was then that he decided to pursue training in the sport, but Danielson waited until finishing high scool before joining a wrestling academy in 1999 and training under, among others, WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. It didn't take long before Danielson was working on the independent circuit, including a tour of Japan before he turned 20.
Danielson signed a WWE (then known as WWF) development deal in 2000, after which he spent 18 months training under William Regal and working in Memphis Championship Wrestling (MCW). While he furthered his skills during this time, WWE elected to release him from his contract, leading to a three-year stint at New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW).
His time at NJPW overlapped with his run at Ring of Honor (ROH), which is where Danielson truly began to make a mark. From his start in the company in 2002, it was apparent that Danielson would be front and centre in the new promotion. And in 2005, Danielson captured the ROH World Championship.
Through the end of his run at ROH in 2009, Danielson was also involved in many other independent promotions. It's during this time that he first came up against fellow future stars like CM Punk and Kenny Omega.
In August 2009, Danielson returned for his second stint in WWE. This was destined to be a brief stop as he was fired less than a year later, but in that time Danielson had established himself as a founding member of popular faction the Nexus and also first used the ring name "Daniel Bryan," under which he would later gain huge fame and success.
Danielson made his way back to the independent circuit following his firing from WWE, but that would only last a couple of months as he was brought back to the world's biggest wrestling promotion in August 2010, and over the next 12 years he would ascend to superstardom within the company.
His first few months into his third WWE stint were highlighted by a United States Championship, which led to a World Heavyweight Championship the following year. The latter meant Danielson was the first former NXT contestant to win a WWE world title.
Danielson would remain at main event status for the next several years, winning several different titles (both singles and tag team). However, in April 2015 Danielson suffered a concussion that sidelined him indefinitely.
It was later revealed that Danielson had actually suffered 10 documented concussions throughout his wrestling career, and that he had experienced seizures as a result. In February 2016, Danielson officially retired from in-ring work due to the severity of his injuries, but he maintained an on-screen presence as SmackDown general manager and other non-wrestling roles.
Then, in March 2018, Danielson was cleared to return to in-ring action by three independant medical experts as well as WWE's in-house doctor. It was at WrestleMania 34, nearly three full years since his previous match, that Danielson competed in the ring again.
As popular as ever, Danielson was quickly thrust back into the world title conversation, winning the WWE Championship from AJ Styles in November 2018.
For the rest of his run in WWE, he would be at or near the top of the card as he took part in feuds with Bray Wyatt, Edge and Roman Reigns as a challenger for the WWE Universal Championship.
In May 2021, Danielson's WWE contract expired, although the company was reportedly interested in a new deal with the "American Dragon". However, Danielson would later that year join All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he was immediately placed into the world title picture. While Danielson became a worldwide star in WWE, it's in AEW where he has put on arguably his most memorable matches, including critically acclaimed bouts against Kenny Omega, MJF, Chris Jericho and Kazuchika Okada.
What championships has Bryan Danielson held in wrestling?
All Pro Wrestling
APW Worldwide Internet Championship (1 time)
All Star Wrestling
World Heavy-Middleweight Championship (1 time)
Connecticut Wrestling Entertainment
CTWE Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
East Coast Wrestling Association
ECWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Low Ki
Extreme Canadian Championship Wrestling
NWA Canadian Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Full Impact Pro
FIP Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
International Wrestling Association
IWA Puerto Rico Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Memphis Championship Wrestling
MCW Southern Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
MCW Southern Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Spanky
NWA Mid-South
NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
New Japan Pro-Wrestling
IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship (1 time)
Pro Wrestling Noah
GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Ring of Honor
ROH Pure Championship (1 time)
ROH World Championship (1 time)
Texas Wrestling Alliance
TWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Spanky
Texas Wrestling Entertainment
TWE Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
Westside Xtreme Wrestling
wXw World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
World Series Wrestling
WSW Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
World Wrestling Entertainment / WWE
WWE Championship (4 times)
World Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
WWE Intercontinental Championship (1 time)
WWE United States Championship (1 time)
WWE Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Kane
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Rowan