Another double-post for today. I was tempted to review the Kane vs. Bray Wyatt match, but that's not very exciting. Instead, I chose to carry on with Daniel Bryan, enabling this double-post and allowing me more options for tomorrow.
John Cena hand picked Daniel Bryan to be his Summerslam opponent on the episode of Raw the night after Money in the Bank. He came out to the ring and announced to the crowd that he would be facing Bryan out of respect. Bryan wants the championship and to get his win back from Velocity in 2003. (airdate is 8th February, I'd really check out the match once you've read this.) before the match Josh Matthews asks the preshow panel who'll win the WWE Championship match tonight. Shawn Michaels goes with Bryan, Booker T gives a non-answer asking if Cena's still hungry and Vickie Guerrero also picks Bryan. We get a promotional video for this match, with Bryan being chosen and Vince McMahon saying Cena picked him for a night off, essentially.Vince tried to make Bryan corporate by having him shave his head, but Bryan headbutted “Barber” Wade Barrett. Barrett got his revenge in a match the next week, with referee Brad Maddox counting fast. This almost secured him the position of referee for this match, but a Pedigree from Triple H put a damper on those plans. The rest of the time was spent showing how much these guys respect each other and just want a match where the best man wins.
Triple H enters the match first to his “King of Kings” theme. As Daniel Bryan enters to a thunderous “yes” chant I wonder how it would have been if WWE licensed “The Final Countdown” for him during his 2010 return at this event. It also dawns on me that this is the fourth match in a row I've reviewed featuring Daniel Bryan in a row. Jerry “The King” Lawler, Michael Cole and JBL are on commentary for this match. The fans boo before Cena's music even plays, and when it eventually does he comes out to a mixed reaction. The boos get a bit louder as he sprints to the ring before our in-ring introductions, giving the fans another chance to chant “yes” in support of Bryan and for relationships to become tense over differing opinions of the man. Triple H shakes hands with both competitors and the bell rings as JBL reminds us Cena beat him for Cena's first WWE Championship in this arena at Wrestlemania 21.
JOHN CENA © VS. DANIEL BRYAN (WWE CHAMPIONSHIP)
Triple H As Special Guest Referee
WWE Summerslam (18th August 2013)
John Cena's working through this match with a triceps injury, having his left elbow wrapped up. They lock up and Bryan wrenches Cena's injured arm, Cena reverses it taking Bryan down with a headlock. Bryan works to his feet and gets a top wristlock before snapmaring Cena over. They go to lock up, but the fans chant “you can't wrestle” Cena asks for clarification who it's to, motioning in turn to himself and Bryan. In the shock of the century, it's Cena. They link with a Grecco-Roman knuckle lock and Cena forces Bryan to the mat, holding his shoulders down. Bryan lifts each shoulder individually before bridging out. Cena can't force Bryan's shoulders to the mat with his body weight, and Bryan uses it to get to his feet and monkey flips Cena over. Bryan tries to grab the Yes Lock early on the left elbow of Cena, but Cena escapes under the bottom rope and he whispers something to the ringside doctor.
A “Daniel Bryan” chant starts as Cena works a headlock. He drops to one knee before taking Bryan down. Bryan works back to his feet, shoving Cena off the ropes. Cena catches a leapfrog and slams Bryan to the mat. Cena rolls over for a jackknife cover, Bryan raises each shoulder, but Cena's trying to use his size advantage on Bryan, Triple H counts 2 before Bryan shows great strength in bridging out of it and gets a nearfall from the backslide. Daniel Bryan takes Cena down with a dragon screw and locks his legs for the surfboard. Cena is able to avoid Bryan getting control of his arms though and powers out of the hold. Daniel Bryan charges at Cena, who lifts him for the Attitude Adjustment. Bryan kicks away and is able to slip himself onto the apron, but Cena knocks him to the floor, hitting the announce table on the way down. John Cena looks on at Bryan as if he shot his whole family or something as we get a replay.
John Cena goes out to the floor, and D-Bry's irish whip repellency is shown off again, as he sends Cena into the ring steps. The fans are going crazy and Cole says it's been this way all night. I'm calling bullshit. Bryan brings Cena to the top of the ring steps. Cena blocks a suplex, hitting one of his own to the hard floor. The crowd chants “you still suck” at Cena as he throws Bryan in the ring for a nearfall. Cena goes back to his wheelhouse, hitting Daniel Bryan with strikes as Cole says Triple H is giving these men some leeway with the rules in this match so we get a winner, the way everyone wants it. I mean I guess, but if that's the case why bother with the rules? Bryan's irish whip shields are sufficiently down now as he's sent into the turnbuckles. Cena stands over Bryan, waiting for the moment to land a boot, sending him into the corner. John Cena plants Bryan with a sitout powerbomb but it still only gets him a 2 count. John Cena keeps Bryan on the mat with a chinlock.
Bryan gets to his feet, the commentary's talking about Bryan's high-flying but he's not too bad of a technical either don't forget. He elbows at Cena before hitting him with forearms and backing him into the corner for “Yes” kicks. Triple H has a word with Bryan, and Cena explodes out of the corner with a shoulder tackle. Cena tries to send Bryan across the ring but he flips up and over Cena, ducking a clothesline and launching himself into Cena with one of his own. Cena is on his knees, so Bryan kicks him in the chest, with the fans chanting along “Yes” to each kick. Bryan gets a slight lead-in on the kick but Cena ducks it, knocking D-Bry down with shoulder tackles and a Protobomb. Cena takes his time before telling Bryan he can't see him. Apparently, Bryan can though as he kicks Cena in the head. Bryan tries for the LaBelle lock, but Cena rolls through looking for the STF, Bryan rolls through and kicks Cena off. Daniel Bryan misses a clothesline and Cena hits another Protobomb.
“As you were gentlemen”... Cena continues his moves of doom hitting the Five Knuckle Shuffle this time. Daniel Bryan almost lands on his feet from the Attitude Adjustment and meets a charging Cena with a boot to the face. Bryan climbs to the top rope and hits a missile dropkick on Cena for a nearfall. We see Cena's left eye swelling up as the fans chant more for Bryan. Daniel Bryan aims more kicks at Cena's injured arm and brings him to his feet with it, only to snap it over his shoulder. More kicks to Cena's shoulder, but this time he avoids the arm breaker, drop toehold brings Bryan down, but he mule kicks at Cena, Bryan rolls through the STF, locking in one of his own (YesTF?) which Cole calls the Yes Lock in his excitement. Cena struggles to the ropes, but Bryan drags him back, Cena tries to escape Bryan, but Bryan brings him to one foot, trapping the other between them and hits a german suplex on Cena for a nearfall. Bryan still has his hands clasped, hitting a second german for another nearfall. Cena breaks Bryan's grip lifting him for the Attitude Adjustment, but Bryan escapes and gets a Yes Lock on Cena's bad arm!
John Cena works his way out of the hold, but Bryan keeps getting back a grip. Cena rolls through, but as they get to their feet Bryan still has hold of Cena. Bryan applies a guillotine to Cena, making Cena carry both mens' body weight. John Cena drops to the canvas, but he makes sure to show Triple H signs of life to save his title. Cena gets to his feet and rams Bryan into the corner, but Bryan's still holding on. Cena flips Bryan over so he lands in the corner and drops to the mat. John Cena has to get his breath back on the mat for a while and Triple H checks on them both. Daniel Bryan runs right into an Attitude Adjustment! 1, 2, NO! Daniel Bryan kicks out at 2 and the Staples Centre goes insane, as does Cole on commentary. Cena climbs to the top rope, but Bryan's there with a forearm. Cena shoves Bryan back down to the mat so he tries again. Cena again piefaces Bryan back into the ring so Bryan runs at him a third time hitting a dropkick! Bryan brings Cena down to the mat with a superplex, keeping himself locked up in the ropes. Bryan brings himself back up to the top rope and hits Cena with the flying headbutt for another nearfall!
John Cena has to roll out of the ring so he can remember where he is, and he's able to telegraph a tope attempt through the ropes, checking Bryan with a shoulder tackle. John Cena goes high-risk, hoping for a better result than last time, and he gets one knocking Bryan down with his diving legdrop. He dives on Bryan for a cover but still only gets 2. Cena's wondering what he has to do and he perches Bryan on the top rope, Bryan elbows out of a super Attitude Adjustment but Cena blocks the hurricanrana, he drops down to the mat with Bryan hanging upside down and locks in another STF. Bryan tries to make it to the ropes, then tries to roll through but Cena keeps it locked in. Bryan starts fading but counters into a Yes Lock! Cena slowly makes it to the bottom rope, and Bryan waits until 3 to break. Triple H tries to call over the doctor but Cena calls him off, as the Yes Lock was on Cena's injured arm for a while. John Cena gets to his feet in the corner. Bryan hits him with a running dropkick in the corner from across the ring and hits a second one. John Cena explodes out of the corner on the third attempt, knocking Daniel Bryan's head off with a LARIATTOOOOOO!
Triple H counts both men down as the crowd chants “this is awesome” before they get to their feet for an exhausted “yes/no” chant slugfest. They run into each other with forearms in the center of the ring and they both go down again. Bryan crawls over to Cena and they have to use each other to get to their feet. Cena slaps Bryan, and Bryan responds each time, before laying into Cena with slaps and throwing some leg kicks in for good measure. Cena kicks Bryan back, an irish whip by Cena rejuvenates Bryan and he goes up and over again, Cena almost caught him with an Attitude Adjustment, but Bryan countered with a DDT. Daniel Bryan climbs to the top rope but Cena catches a flying headbutt, lifting Bryan to his shoulders for an Attitude Adjustment, again Bryan avoids it rolling Cena up for a nearfall. Daniel Bryan kicks Cena in the back of the head and hits the running knee! Bryan covers John Cena and wins his first WWE Championship!
WINNER: DANIEL BRYAN
This match was exactly as it should have been. John Cena gave Bryan a lot here and made him look really good. Cena showed he can actually work on the mat with a guy like Bryan (although I could probably work on the mat to some extent with a wrestler of Bryan's caliber) and he showed he wasn't underestimating Bryan by going for the win after each big move. Daniel Bryan got an honor in breaking up Cena's BIG FIVE and got all of his stuff in before getting a clean win. Triple H was barely noticeable and called it down the middle as he said he would. – WORKRATE: 3.75/5 PERSONAL ENJOYMENT 4/5 Overall: 7.75/10
Daniel Bryan celebrates in the ring and I see Piers Morgan of all people, an English journalist living in LA (you can keep him... please.) in the crowd, passively clapping along. I shall see you shortly.
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