A lot’s changed since we last spoke at length—the WrestleMaina loss, the “Yes!” chants, the Cm Punk rivalry. As someone who’s said that he expects the worst and hopes for the best, are you happy with how the ride is going at this point?
In a perfect world, I would have won the WWE Championship, but that’s not the case. I am thrilled to have been in every pay-per-view this year in some sort of championship match. It has been a good year. When you lose the World Heavyweight Title, and then you keep going for the WWE Title, and you don’t win it, it is kind of frustrating in its own way. But you also get the chance to prove you belong at the top of the card, which I think I have done.

Do you think that, in the first half of 2012, you’ve finally been able to show the WWE Universe what you’re capable of?
Yeah. I mean I haven’t shown everything I can do, but for me, the most important thing has been to prove to everyone that I can carry the personality-side of the business. There was never any question of how good a wrestler I am. The question was whether I could entertain people, and I think I’ve certainly proven I can.

Anything you wish had gone differently?
I would have liked to have gotten a better opportunity at WrestleMania. That is when you want to showcase everything you can do and steal the show. I was trained by Shawn Michaels, who’s known for going out at ‘Mania and stealing the show. I’ve always had the attitude with even the smaller shows I’ve been part of. I want to go out there and contest the best match on the card. But it was interesting, because it was a blessing and a curse. The blessing of it was that it really enraged the hardcore group of fans, who were really pissed off.

To read more from Daniel Bryan, including his rivalry with CM Punk, the stuff that makes Daniel cringe, and the WWE moments that blew his mind, pick-up the October issue today or  SUBSCRIBE HERE and save 70% off newsstand price.