The ‘American Dragon’ Daniel Bryan returned at WWE TLC 2019
We last saw Daniel Bryan on the Nov. 29 episode of WWE SmackDown, when The Fiend dragged him under the ring and ripped his hair out. And Bryan returned with a new (old) version of himself at TLC 2019 to confront Bray Wyatt.
The Miz vs. Bray Wyatt was a surreal match at WWE TLC 2019. Wyatt started playing to the crowd with his “Firefly Funhouse” entrance music and then began the match getting absolutely zero offense in. But he started switching between personalities shortly afterwards, either attacking The Miz or passively allowing the A-Lister to hurt him while laughing.
In the end, Wyatt picked up a victory over The Miz with Sister Abigail. He then started screaming “Let Me In” with The Fiend on the tron, procured a large mallet, and went to strike an unconscious Miz with the mallet before screaming “He’s here” when realizing The Fiend was around.
But was he talking about The Fiend or Daniel Bryan? Because it was Bryan who emerged, wearing a throwback maroon hoodie. He hit his vintage running knee on Wyatt before beating the hell out of his Universal Championship rival. As Bryan went to use the mallet on Wyatt, though, the screen went dark and Wyatt disappeared.
YES! YES! YES!@WWEDanielBryan has fended off @WWEBrayWyatt...for now. #WWETLC pic.twitter.com/7iTdubJ37N
— WWE (@WWE) December 16, 2019
⬇️ GIF REACTIONS BELOW ⬇️@WWEDanielBryan is BACK! #WWETLC pic.twitter.com/45WxgJHOo9
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) December 16, 2019
SOMEONE IS HERE ALRIGHT. #WWETLC pic.twitter.com/Z1IyEEAm7j
— WWE (@WWE) December 16, 2019
It was AWESOME to see the “Old” Daniel Bryan back. After The Fiend “tore off his hair” a few weeks ago on SmackDown, Bryan showed up as the shaved “American Dragon”, going back to a version of himself we saw earlier in the decade.
As the American Dragon, Bryan was an absolute wrestling machine and a babyface the crowd couldn’t get enough of. When the fans realized he was in the Target Center on Sunday, they went wild, delivering fierce “Yes!” chants as they cheered for Bryan to avenge The Miz.
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Wyatt vs. Bryan happened at Survivor Series, but their next match will be that much better now that Bryan is back as the American Dragon. The Fiend truly does alter wrestlers. The Miz showed the dark side of himself on Sunday as Wyatt laughed at his pain, while Bryan has reverted to his previous self after facing The Fiend.
This feud for the Universal Championship should culminate in an epic match at the Royal Rumble Pay Per View, and the build to it with the American Dragon version of Bryan will be amazing.