#90: Bray Wyatt vs. Daniel Bryan, WWE Royal Rumble (1/26/2014).
This was easily the biggest singles match in Bray's career up to this point. Getting to be the antagonist against the hottest wrestler in the company was a huge get for Bray. The rivalry started the night after Hell in a Cell in October 2013, when The Wyatt Family attacked Bryan backstage. These attacks went on for months, until the final Raw of the year, when Bryan gave in to the pain and joined Bray in the family.
Over the coming weeks, Bryan would dress in overalls and adapt a darker side to him, fitting in well with the family. However, following a Steel Cage Match loss to The Usos a few weeks before this, Bryan revealed that it was all a lie: He got Bray locked in the cage alone, and turned on him in a moment that resulted in one of modern wrestling's greatest crowd reactions.
This singles match was signed shortly after, as the final showdown between the Eater of Worlds and the leader of the Yes Movement was set for the 2014 Royal Rumble. You know, that show in 2014 where nothing crazy happened!
Bryan enters first to a gigantic reaction from the fans. How WWE srill wasnât reading into his popularity by this exact point is baffling in hindsight. Thereâs zero doubt that as far as American wrestling goes, no one had more momentum by this point that Daniel Bryan.
The lights go out in the arena, and that can mean one thing: The Wyatts have arrived. Flanked by Harper and Rowan, Bray Wyatt makes his way to the ring. They talk about the moment when Bryan turned on Wyatt, and my god, I still get chills when I watch that back.
Wyatt looks right into Bryanâs eyes, and smiles. Bryan is laser focused on destroying the Eater of Worlds. The bell sounds, and we are under way. They lock up hard, and Wyatt uses his strength to send Bryan into the corner. He sends him off the ropes and tackles him with a shoulder blast. Bryan starts to fight back, and drives his knee right into the midsection of Wyatt. Bryan unloads with knees to the chest, but gets temporarily distracted by Harper, and Wyatt takes advantage of that.
Bryan avoids Wyatt to fly to the outside and take out Harper. Rowan attempts to attack him, but the referee sees it and sends them both to the back! As Wyatt sends them off, Bryan comes off the top rope to hit a crossbody onto Wyatt. Back in the ring, Bryan hits another for a 2 count. Bryan kicks Wyatt in the corner, and goes to the top rope for more high flying offense, but Wyatt chops him so hard he falls right to the outside area.
Wyatt goes to the outside and looks to drive his knees right into Bryanâs body, but the Bearded Warrior moves out of the way, and Wyatt crashes into the steps, tumbling over them. Wyatt gets back in the ring, and Bryan meets him with a chop block to the leg. He kicks away at it, followed by hard kicks to the spine. Bryan brings Wyatt down again with a Dragon Screw Legwhip. Bryan twists Wyattâs legs up, and pulls on his head. He stomps the Eater of Worldsâ skull right into the mat. Wyatt kicks out before the count of 1.
Now in the corner, Bryan ties Wyattâs leg in the ropes and kicks it some more. Then, he runs at it with a dropkick. JBL on commentary is absolutely atrocious for this match, as a side note. âThatâs what the Wyatts do. They invite you in, they beat you up.â No, you bully. Bryan attempts a suplex from the apron into the ring, but Wyatt is using his strength to prevent it. He brings Bryan out onto the apron, and drops him arm first right on the apron. Back in the ring once again, Wyatt looks to stay in the lead with a suplex, sending Bryan flying across the ring.
Wyatt pulls back on Bryanâs neck, cranking and twisting it in all sorts of directions. Bryan is back up, and he unloads with heavy forearms to the face. He runs at Wyatt, who responds by sending him flying out to the ringside area. Wyatt brings Bryan against the steel ring post, and forearms his head right into it. Thatâs gnarly as fuck. Next, Wyatt sends his entire body weight against Bryanâs head! Wyatt reenters the ring to break the refereeâs count, then exits and launches himself onto Bryan with a running senton. Wyatt screams at the fans, asking why they arenât helping Bryan.
Back in the ring, Bryan tries to fight back with kicks, but Wyatt pulls Bryan so hard his head ricochets off the ropes. More clubbing forearms to the chest, and heâs back to the neck crank now. He smiles so deviously through all of this. Wyatt with a Urinage next to stop Bryanâs comeback attempt. With Bryan sitting in the corner, Wyatt leans backwards and does his spider walk towards Bryan. Gross. Wyatt splashes Bryan into the corner next, as the crowd is pretty quiet during this onslaught. Back to the neck crank, as Wyatt has totally slowed this match down. Bryan is up, trying to fight back. Wyatt responds with a power slam. Wyatt goes for a flying elbow, and Bryan moves out of the way. Bryan comes off the ropes with a forearm. Bryan unloads with kicks to the chest, and Wyatt sends him into the corner. He rushes towards him, and Bryan trips him into the turnbuckle, and kicks it into his face. More kicks to the chest and legs, and now Wyatt is placed on the top rope. Bryan hits a hurricanrana to the mat, and Wyatt kicks out.
Bryan gives heavy uppercuts to Wyatt, who fights back and sends him into the corner. Bryan steps off the corner and runs towards Wyatt, and he gets a body splash for his troubles. Wyatt stands Bryan up and goes for a suplex, and Bryan counters out of it and sends Wyatt to the outside. Bryan runs off of the apron and hits a spinning DDT! Bryan hits a running dropkick to Wyatt into the barricade. He sends Wyatt into the ring, and scales the top rope. He dives off and hits a missile dropkick. More roundhouse kicks to the chest, as the crowd is unglued for anything he does. That only gets a 2 count.
Bryan hits several running dropkicks on Wyatt in the corner, and on the final one, Wyatt explodes out of the corner with a clothesline that flips him inside out! Wyatt only gets a 2 count off of that. Wyatt goes for Sister Abigail next, but Bryan catches him in a roll up for a close 2 count. Wyatt goes for it again, and Bryan reverses it into the Yes Lock. He has to break the hold due to Wyatt biting at his arm. Nice. Wyatt places Bryan on the top turnbuckle, and Bryan fights back with headbutts. Wyatt has headbutts of his own, but Bryan knocks him back to the mat. Bryan comes down with a flying headbutt next. He gears up in the corner and goes for the Busaiku Knee, but Wyatt rolls out of the ring. Bryan runs the ropes and goes for a Tope to the outside, but Wyatt catches him in the Sister Abigail, sending his head right into the barricade.
Wyatt picks Bryan up and places him back into the ring. Wyatt hits Sister Abigail again, and thatâs enough for the victory. Wyatt poses in victory, as Harper and Rowan return to celebrate with their leader.
This was considered one of the best matches from 2014 for a reason. It's a white hot opening match, and it's as smooth and well done as any match from that year. These two have incredible chemistry, and I'd go as far to say that Daniel Bryan - or Bryan Danielson - is Bray's greatest in ring rival. Any time they squared off, magic happened. Here, they had their best match together.
Is this Bray's best singles match? It's hard to disagree. Everything here just clicked, and the best qualities of Bray Wyatt as an in ring performer were spotlighted greatly here. Oh, and that Daniel Bryan fellow is one of the greatest to ever do it, so that helps too.