Bryan Danielson always used to wear a mask as the American Dragon but the chances of being brought up to the main roster under the hood were slim. So at practice, Dragon ran drills and competed in a short match sans mask. I loved the facial intensity he displayed and so did everyone else. Things were looking up for the American Dragon.
Practices in those days were run by William Regal. Bryan Danielson was trained by Shawn Michaels but his mentor became Regal. When Memphis was dissolved in 2001, Dragon was let go… too small, nothing for him… all the usual nonsense. The first time the WWE fired Bryan Danielson for a crap reason was in 2001. The company kept Mike Sanders but fired Bryan Danielson…
