WWE legend Daniel Bryan has revealed his five-month reign as ‘The Planet’s Champion’ was his favourite world championship run in the promotion.

Bryan is one of the most beloved superstars of his generation and emotionally returned from retirement in April 2018 following a two-year absence.

But the following November saw him turn heel and win the WWE Championship while dubbing himself an eco-friendly champion.

Speaking to SPORTbible on a conference call, Bryan explained that reign was one with a perfect beginning, middle and end.

“Being ‘The Planet’s Champion’ was by far my favourite. It’s interesting because in WWE, my championship runs haven’t always gone very well! I won the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 30 and then had to vacate with a neck injury.

“I won the World Heavyweight Championship in 2011 and lost it in eight seconds at WrestleMania 28. Those didn’t feel as special as when I was ‘The Planet’s Champion’ and a bad guy. I love the way it started.

“Anybody who competes hates losing the championship, but if you’re going to lose it, lose it in a great match at WrestleMania against someone who steps up which is what happened when I lost it to Kofi Kingston.

“I had a lot of fun with that run and I loved my hemp championship belt [laughs].”

The end of 2019 would see Bryan turn face once again and reclaim his spot as ‘Leader Of The Yes! Movement’.

Could we ever see a heel Daniel Bryan again? When asked he replied: “I don’t know, you know. Good and bad is a perception of other people, right? I will just continue to be me and you never know.

“From one day to the next, and this is one of the things I always find interesting, people evolve in ways you don’t expect. I’d like to say everyone thinks I’m a good guy and they’d want to cheer for me, but sometimes my beliefs are just unpopular. Especially in the United States! [laughs.]

“Maybe worldwide I can be a good guy and everyone says ‘Yay he stands up for the environment,’ but you never know.”

Bryan is looking to add to his five world title reigns by winning the Royal Rumble this Sunday and moving on to the WrestleMania 37 main event.

Winning the Rumble is one thing missing from the 39-year-old’s CV and it’s something he’s looking to change.

“I’ve accomplished a lot in the WWE and I’ve accomplished a lot in my career in general,” he continued. 

“That’s one of the things that I’ve never really been able to do, that’s one milestone I haven’t been able to accomplish.

“To me, I’m always interested in trying to accomplish new things and new goals and that sort of thing. To me, winning the Royal Rumble would just be the cherry on top of my career.”

Getting a second bite at the cherry in regards to his career is something Bryan is clearly appreciative of.

A 21-year veteran, Bryan made his name as an ‘indie darling’ before becoming one of WWE’s most influential stars.

His passion for wrestling is unrivalled and the Washington-native has a clear philosophy about the business.

“One of the things I really try to prioritise is giving back to wrestling and giving back to WWE because it’s given me so much. When you look at the things I’ve been able to do, places I’ve been able to go and see, a lot of that is because of wrestling and WWE.

“I have this concept, that a lot of people have. Whatever you do, when you leave, you try to leave it better than it was when you got there. 

“Whether or not, I might not be a full-time wrestler in WWE for much longer.

“If that’s the case, I want to leave it better than found it. I want to leave wrestling as a whole better than I found it. So that’s kind of my focus right now.

“How do I, if I’m stepping away as a full-time wrestler, leave it better than I found it?”