10 Worst Simultaneous WWE Heavyweight Champions
2. Randy Orton (WWE) & John Cena (World) - 2013
...especially when fans actively, powerfully protested the use of both John Cena and Randy Orton as the men fit to fight over unifying the titles after the end of the original brand split.
For two men relentlessly pushed and protected over a decade that became preserved in nectar in their latter years, 'The Champ' and 'The Viper were never the icons the organisation desperately wanted them to be. This isn't a subjective take from a Generation Y fan gifted the likes of Hogan/Warrior and Austin/Rock in his formative years. Their Royal Rumble 2011 staredown, two years before this supposed scorched earth decider, presented deafeningly silent evidence about audience disinterest. And all before Daniel Bryan.
Daniel Bryan. The Daniel Bryan John Cena handpicked as his SummerSlam opponent just four months earlier that had, in the wake of winning that exact match, become the biggest star in the world. The Daniel Bryan John Cena had to park an infamous go-home segment with 'The Apex Predator' to acknowledge due to the voluminous support from the live crowd. The Daniel Bryan that lost a handicap match on the show Orton and Cena were set to headline over who was the "true" Champion.
He wouldn't be crowned for months.