A hallmark of any Special Referee is that they will claim in the lead up to any big match that they're pretty much guaranteed to call the action right down the middle. Of course, events rarely pan out this way, which meant many were surprised when Daniel Bryan defeated John Cena cleanly at Summerslam 2013 to win the WWE Title. As the official, Triple H did indeed call the match fairly, and didn't really get involved until it was over. Only then did he hammer Bryan with the Pedigree, allowing Randy Orton to stroll out and cash in his Money In The Bank privileges. It was on this night that The Authority was formed, beginning a story which has played out ever since, with wrestling fans decrying the way WWE treat Daniel Bryan. This was a classic case of bait and switch - for just a few moments, fans were allowed to believe their hero would leave triumphant, before the heels cut him down viciously, ruining the party. Even though this was the event which kick-started Bryan's road to WrestleMania XXX, and subsequent WWE Title win, there were a lot of grappling fans legitimately angry at how Orton was booked to cash in.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
