Drew Gulak vs Daniel Bryan – WWE Elimination Chamber (2020)
You could have an entire list of matches involving Daniel Bryan and most people wouldn’t even bat an eye if you said these were the five best matches of any given year. So when Bryan took on Drew Gulak at the WWE’s Elimination Chamber event in early March, fans were excited. Most casual fans knew that Bryan was really good at wrestling. What many didn’t know was that little-used Gulak was maybe just as good.
Having been stuck on 205 Live! and getting lost in the shuffle, Gulak was never heralded as talented as he deserved. At least by the mainstream WWE fans. To many more die-hard, in-the-know types, we knew just how good Gulak was. So when the two men started an angle together, that led to a match at Elimination Chamber, those die-hard fans were salivating.
More specifically, when it was all said and done, even the casual wrestling fans saw how good Gulak was. The two men put on a submission and grappling display not seen in this company in some time. Both men were physical, and fluid, making it one of the more beautiful forms of violence that pro wrestling can create.
In the end, it was Bryan who came out victorious, but Gulak rose his profile to a level not seen before in his career. So there was truly no loser here.