Daniel Bryan vs John Cena for the WWE Championship-2013: My favourite SummerSlam match ever

A still from this great matchThere are many instances as a wrestling fan that I look back upon, and smile to myself. This isn't one of those instances. It's one that I look back upon and remember losing my mind and tearing up with joy, and minutes later, almost tearing up with sorrow. I have my problems with 2013, but when it was at its peak, it was amazing. On the same night, Christian and Alberto Del Rio tore the house down, and Brock Lesnar and CM Punk shook the world. For me, however, the main event will always be the match of the night, no, match of the year. There weren't many big spots, nor were there many signature moves. The thing that made this match special was its purism, it was simply a beautiful wrestling match, and it was also the start of something big. So, this being SummerSlam season, let's take a look at my favourite SummerSlam match of all time.

#1 The build-up

On the Raw following Money In The Bank, General Manager Brad Maddox oddly decided to allow John Cena to choose his own opponent for SummerSlam.Cena, being the babyface that he is, chose the man who was backed by the fans, Daniel Bryan. Little Daniel Bryan, who had been called a goat, a troll, was now in the WWE Championship match at WWE’s second biggest show of the year. It was a story for the ages.

However, as the weeks progressed. Vince McMahon would openly show his dislike towards the match, claiming that Daniel Bryan was not “championship material”. He tried to convince Bryan that the only reason Cena chose him was because he thought Bryan would be an easy opponent. Triple H seemingly backed Bryan, and made himself special guest referee so that he could call the match evenly for Bryan.

Bryan, however, had his own arguments. He claimed that Cena is the best entertainer out there, but he is the best wrestler out there, and he would prove it at SummerSlam.

It was babyface vs babyface, but this instantly clicked!