Randy Orton's cash-in (spawned by the birth of the interminable Authority) aside, this was Bryan's finest moment as a WWE wrestler. Cena worked through a horrific elbow injury, matching Bryan spot for spot and catching him on everything, telling the story of a prone champion using his survival instincts to stave off the hungry challenger. Bryan's victory after a charging knee would have been more enjoyable had fans not anticipated the screwjob with Triple H (as guest referee) standing right there. Otherwise, it's one of the better physical stories you'll find in latter-day WWE, where the moves dictate the saga, not the other way around. And to think, WWE was going to transition Bryan out of the main event in favor of Big Show, and later Batista.
Justin has been a wrestling fan since 1989, and has been writing about it since 2009. Since 2014, Justin has been a features writer and interviewer for Fighting Spirit Magazine. Justin also writes for History of Wrestling, and is a contributing author to James Dixon's Titan series.
