All 20 WWE Superstars from the Championship Ascension Ceremony: Where are they now?
One of the most eventful WWE RAW segments of the last decade took place on December 9, 2013 when John Cena and Randy Orton exchanged words ahead of their unification match at the TLC pay-per-view.
Before WWE introduced the Universal Championship, only one male World Championship existed from December 2013 to August 2016. Prior to that, Cena held the World Heavyweight Championship and Orton held the WWE Championship, and the two men agreed to unify their titles in a blockbuster TLC match.
Six days before the event, Authority members Triple H and Stephanie McMahon organized a Championship Ascension Ceremony on RAW, which consisted of Cena and Orton cutting promos in front of former WWE World Champions in the middle of the ring.
The segment was hijacked on numerous occasions by the WWE Universe, who wanted Daniel Bryan to have the spotlight instead, but Cena eventually got things back on track by repeatedly mentioning Bryan in his promo.
In what turned out to be the most chaotic RAW finish of 2013, CM Punk got involved in altercations with Orton, Triple H and Shawn Michaels, and Triple H ended up hitting Orton with a pedigree after he inadvertently knocked Stephanie to the mat.
Now, seven years on, a lot has changed in WWE and in the careers of every Superstar who appeared in the ring that night.
In this article, let’s reflect on that famous segment by taking a look back at all 20 WWE Superstars from the Championship Ascension Ceremony to find out where they are now.
#20 Daniel Bryan
The biggest star of the Championship Ascension Ceremony, Daniel Bryan went on to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from the winner of the TLC match – Randy Orton – at WrestleMania XXX. After being forced to retire in 2016, Bryan returned in 2018 and he is now a member of the SmackDown roster.
#19 The Miz
The Miz has appeared consistently on WWE television over the last seven years. Whether he is working in a tag team or knocking on the door of the main-event scene, the current SmackDown Superstar is always involved in a storyline.
#18 Rey Mysterio
Having fallen down the WWE card around the time of the Championship Ascension Ceremony, Rey Mysterio departed WWE in 2015 and he did not return until 2018. Along with his son, Dominick Mysterio, Rey has featured regularly on RAW in recent months.
#17 Mark Henry (WWE Hall of Famer)
After retiring from WWE in-ring competition in 2017, Mark Henry was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018. The World’s Strongest Man still works as a backstage mentor for WWE Superstars, while he also gives his take on the latest wrestling news on Busted Open Radio.