Number 2: Daniel Bryan
What a year 2012 was for Daniel Bryan. After holding the World title from 2011 into Wrestlemania, he lost it in quick fashion in Miami. This was actually for the better because his chants of “Yes!” and “No!” caught like wildfire. There has not been a chant or a crowd reaction like this before since Stone Cold invented the “What?” That alone could push him into the top 10, but it was so much more with him. He became so good at being the bad guy, with AJ by his side. He was the guy that was cool to boo because he was such a prick on television. He became loved in a hate way from the crowd where he had to turn face. He resurrected the tag team divison with Kane, giving meaning to the once extinct division. I absolutely loved seeing Bryan prove me wrong week after week, and his ring work is second to none. Daniel Bryan is one of the best in the world, and 2012 showed you that he could adapt with whatever was given to him. That is hard to do in the WWE, but Bryan did it with ease.
