Daniel Bryan vs John Cena
WWE SummerSlam — August 18, 2013 · Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA
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The Story
Daniel Bryan pinned John Cena cleanly to win the WWE Championship — only for the night to be turned on its head. With Triple H as special guest referee, the moment of triumph curdled instantly: Triple H turned, Pedigreed the new champion, and Randy Orton sprinted out to cash in Money in the Bank and steal the title.
The match itself was the story of Cena's career. Often accused of coasting, he delivered one of his best-ever performances here, absorbing Bryan's stiff strikes and kick-outs and selling the challenger as a legitimate world-beater rather than a plucky underdog. By the finish, the LA crowd fully believed Bryan belonged at the top.
Then came the swerve that mattered. Bryan's clean win, ripped away in seconds by the cash-in and the birth of "The Authority," gave WWE its most compelling modern villain machine and its most beloved underdog in one stroke. It was the ignition point of the year-long Yes Movement that would culminate at WrestleMania 30.