10 WWE Matches That Defined Each Year Of The 2010s
7. 2013 - Randy Orton Vs John Cena
When the first brand split was introduced in 2002, WWE brought in a second top title alongside the existing WWE Championship.
The World Heavyweight Championship, which existed in the form of the classic "Big Gold Belt", was defended between 2002 and 2013 and was held by the likes of Triple H, Edge, Batista, and John Cena. It was the latter who would be that belt's final holder.
On an episode of Raw in November 2013, it was announced that WWE would be unifying its two top titles, thus creating the "WWE World Heavyweight Championship". Original, right?
The two men who would compete in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match for the new title would be Cena and WWE Champion, Randy Orton. Because we hadn't already had enough of them feuding by 2013.
For years, WWE had slowly been abandoning the idea of the brand split. Raw and SmackDown stars were appearing on the other show on a regular basis, championships were defended across both brands, and the idea of two distinct brands was laughable at best and downright deluded at worst.
The creation of this championship confirmed the obvious - the brand split was dead. Well, until WWE brought it back in 2016 and is seemingly let it die again.