Two burglars found out they had decided to rob the wrong person when their attempted housebreak was foiled by former WWE world heavyweight champion Daniel Bryan.

Daniel Bryan, real name Bryan Danielson, was walking back home with his wife, Brie Danielson, to their property in Phoenix, Arizona, when they saw two men making their way out of the house holding a bag of loot.

When the two men realised they had been spotted, they dropped the stolen goods and decided to sprint off down the street.

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However, keen to apprehend the two thieves, Bryan gave chase.

The professional athlete soon caught up with one of the thieves, 22 year-old Cesar Sosa, and used all of his wrestling experience by holding Sosa in a “rear naked chokehold” until police arrived.

The other suspect managed to get away.

Speaking at a press conference after the incident, Bryan said that the couple’s first worry was for their two-year-old French bulldog Josie, who they had left in the property.

After making sure that the Josie was ok, Bryan said he was “very angry” when he found out that someone had broken into his property and “out of instinct” gave chase.

Bryan said that after chasing Sosa for 400 feet he was able to catch and take down the “exhausted” burglar.

Holding him until the police came; Bryan said that the burglar gave up very little resistance and repeatedly apologised.

When police arrested Sosa, they found that alongside, he had an outstanding felony warrant for kidnapping against his name.

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Shape Created with Sketch. WWE wrestlers who headed for Hollywood Show all 6 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. WWE wrestlers who headed for Hollywood 1/6 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin One of the biggest names in WWE made his Hollywood debut in ‘Recoil’ in 2011. The action film, which also stars Danny Trejo and Serinda Swan, sees Austin play a vigilante cop trying to exact revenge on a gang who murdered his family. 2/6 Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Arguably the most successful actor to stem from the WWE industry, 'The Rock' has appeared in 27 titles to date. Johnson's latest role sees him feature in 'Fast & Furious 7', set to be released next year. 3/6 Hulk Hogan The 60-year-old is the longest-serving wrestler in WWE, but he also played lead character Randolph Spencer in TV series 'Thunders In Paradise', which aired between 1993 and 1995. He also starred in reality TV show 'Hogan Knows Best', as well as taking on several cameo roles in films such as 'Rocky III', 'Muppets from Space', and as a voiceover in 'Gnomeo and Juliet' in 2011. 4/6 John Cena In run-of-the-mill action thriller 'The Marine', John Cena sets about tracking down a group of thieves who kidnapped his wife. Other small roles have followed, and Cena is set to feature in a new Scooby Doo movie, 'The Curse of the Ghost Bear', sometime this year. 5/6 Randy Orton Relatively new to the acting scene, Orton appeared in his biggest role so far in '12 Rounds 2 Reloaded' in 2013. The 33-year-old plays an emergency medical technician who finds himself caught in a deadly 12-round game of cat and mouse. With his wife's life in danger, he has to find out why he was chosen before she is killed. 6/6 Mike 'The Miz' Mizanin Nearly eight years after making his debut in WWE, the wrestler bagged his first film role in 'The Campaign' in 2012, which starred comedy kings Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, 'The Miz' was then chosen for the lead in 'The Marine 3: Homefront'. 1/6 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin One of the biggest names in WWE made his Hollywood debut in ‘Recoil’ in 2011. The action film, which also stars Danny Trejo and Serinda Swan, sees Austin play a vigilante cop trying to exact revenge on a gang who murdered his family. 2/6 Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Arguably the most successful actor to stem from the WWE industry, 'The Rock' has appeared in 27 titles to date. Johnson's latest role sees him feature in 'Fast & Furious 7', set to be released next year. 3/6 Hulk Hogan The 60-year-old is the longest-serving wrestler in WWE, but he also played lead character Randolph Spencer in TV series 'Thunders In Paradise', which aired between 1993 and 1995. He also starred in reality TV show 'Hogan Knows Best', as well as taking on several cameo roles in films such as 'Rocky III', 'Muppets from Space', and as a voiceover in 'Gnomeo and Juliet' in 2011. 4/6 John Cena In run-of-the-mill action thriller 'The Marine', John Cena sets about tracking down a group of thieves who kidnapped his wife. Other small roles have followed, and Cena is set to feature in a new Scooby Doo movie, 'The Curse of the Ghost Bear', sometime this year. 5/6 Randy Orton Relatively new to the acting scene, Orton appeared in his biggest role so far in '12 Rounds 2 Reloaded' in 2013. The 33-year-old plays an emergency medical technician who finds himself caught in a deadly 12-round game of cat and mouse. With his wife's life in danger, he has to find out why he was chosen before she is killed. 6/6 Mike 'The Miz' Mizanin Nearly eight years after making his debut in WWE, the wrestler bagged his first film role in 'The Campaign' in 2012, which starred comedy kings Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, 'The Miz' was then chosen for the lead in 'The Marine 3: Homefront'.

Reflecting on the incident, Bryan said that he was “borderline ashamed of what he did”, saying that it was “probably not the best thing to do because you don’t know what is going to happen.”

The robbery resulted in Bryan losing a bracelet given to him by his father who passed away earlier this year, but all other things taken from the house were returned to the WWE star and his wife.

Daniel Bryan is a fan favourite in the WWE and is best known for ‘Yes movement’.

Alongside his World Heavyweight Championship success, Bryan can count the Tag Team Championship belt and the United States Championship title as his other achievements in professional wrestling.