WWE Summerslam rivalries: Daniel Bryan and John Cena


WWE Summerslam rivalries: Daniel Bryan and John Cena

Cena and Bryan with Triple H

WWE Summerslam is infamous for being the PPV where the top WWE Superstars suffer shocking losses. But at the same time, it is also the same event where new stars are born. Amidst all this, the WWE Universe get to witness some of the most iconic rivalries of the year.

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One such memorable match occurred in 2013, at WWE Summerslam’s 26th edition, when the top star of the company John Cena collided with the then-rising star, Daniel Bryan. Before this feud kicked off, there was no real clarity on which direction Bryan’s character was going.

On one hand, an ongoing gag was WWE’s CEO and Chairman, Vince McMahon, constantly trying to get Daniel Bryan to shave his beard. On the other hand, Bryan was also being pitted against his former best-friend Kane. But things took a welcome turn when during an episode of Raw, the Raw General Manager Brad Maddox announced that WWE Champion John Cena will get to choose his opponent for Summerslam.

Cena took an informal poll from the audience and decided to face Daniel Bryan, which received one of the loudest “YES” chants from the crowd. But seemingly, Maddox had something against Bryan. In another episode of Raw, he was the special guest referee for Bryan’s match and was evidently working against him. Maddox even offered to be the referee for the Summerslam match, but thankfully that role was given to The Game – Triple H.

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WWE Summerslam 2013 – Randy Orton cashed in his contract against WWE Champion Daniel Bryan

wwe money in the bank
Triple H helped Orton in successfully cashing in his MITB contract

Right from the entrances, it was evident that something exciting was about to unfold. Daniel Bryan entered with “The Beard is Here” T-shirt, and Cena walked in with his iconic “The Champ is Here” shirt.

Soon the 30-minute long bout kicked off and it was evident that both the Superstars were putting in everything that they had. With Triple H added to the mix as the Special Guest referee, the drama and excitement only increased. Bryan finally hit a Running Knee to win his first-ever WWE Championship.

Cena congratulated and shook hands with Bryan and Triple H, before leaving the ring. But this wasn’t the end. The Viper, Randy Orton, who was then holding the Money in the Bank briefcase, walked in. If all of this wasn’t exciting enough – Triple H turned Heel and hit a Pedigree onto Bryan.

This was all that Orton needed. He cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Bryan and pinned him. WWE Summerslam 2013 ended with Randy Orton becoming the WWE Champion.

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Also Read: Sheamus and Damian Priest to battle at Summerslam for the United States Championship