Daniel Bryan’s Stomps Actually Left Boot Marks on Brock Lesnar’s Face at WWE Survivor Series

The Survivor Series main event saw Daniel Bryan eat a steady diet of punishment from Brock Lesnar. But when it came time for the WWE Champion to dish out his own offense, Bryan made it count.

After a low blow gave him an advantage, Bryan unleashed a desperate assault on Lesnar. A running knee grounded The Beast, then Bryan grabbed Lesnar’s arms and stomped the Universal Champion’s face. Bryan’s stomps looked stiff live and within moments, the imprint of his boot was literally tattooed to Lesnar’s face.

Bryan hit an identical boot flurry on AJ Styles last week on SmackDown live. That moment appeared to cement Bryan’s heel turn, but juxtaposed to Lesnar at Survivor Series, Bryan played the role of a smart aleck underdog. Many fans were confused to have Bryan enter such a big match with Lesnar as a heel, but it didn’t really matter. Bryan vs. Lesnar was Survivor Series’ best match.

While Bryan made his boots counts, it was Lesnar who dominated 90% of the match. He toyed with Bryan’s carcass with a series of suplexes, but after the referee was knocked out, Bryan finally had an opportunity. Now that he’s no longer to pure hero, a low blow looks to be part of his repertoire, so Byan didn’t hesitate to use that tactic to get a temporary upper hand on Lesnar.

Despite the low blow and slew of running knees, Lesnar was about to power through Bryans’ attack and deliver an F-5 that ended the match.

Technically, Bryan and Lesnar’s Survivor Series match did not have stakes. But that didn’t keep the match from feeling special. No matter how much WWE fans bemoan Lesnar, he has proven to be quite the asset for Vince McMahon. All of his fights feel big, and even though no titles were on the line, Lesnar vs. Bryan carried a sense of urgency that made us all want to see more.

In just a week, Bryan has gone from a guy losing momentum to one of the most compelling acts in WWE. Who knows where WWE will take his new characters, but Bryan is infused with an energy that wasn’t there seven days ago.

For Lesnar, it looks like Braun Strowman will be next, likely at the Royal Rumble.