6. Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena - WWE Championship (2013)
Cena and Bryan produced something very memorable that is already a candidate after just one year of reflection for Summerslams greatest match. It is important to remember that it was the beginning of the story and WrestleMania XXX was the payoff. Bryan eventually became WWE Champion, allowing the people that were undoubtedly disappointed with WWEs failure to pull the trigger on Bryan keeping the title at Summerslam to, now, look back at the totality of the situation and smile. The Summerslam 2013 chapter of the saga, Bryan vs. Cena plus the aftermath, was an outstanding, 4-star plus match. It was utterly phenomenal. Bryan was everything that you would expect him to be in a WWE style main-event. He was markedly different from the man who faced CM Punk 15 months prior at Over the Limit '12. All the same battle-tested, indy-hardened work was evident, but he added some flash. In 2013, he truly rounded into form as one of the best "WWE style" workers on top of the brilliance that he already brought with him as the best technical wrestler in the game. Cena, as usual, stepped up and added another classic to his resume. Bryan made a wise choice that night in using the running/diving knee to the head as his finisher. Who could get up from that? The timing of the pin was perfect. After the camera panned to the most lively Los Angeles crowd since Warrior vs. Macho Man in 1991, all of them in unison chanting "Yes!" and pointing to the sky, Bryan put down the face of the WWE CLEAN in the middle of the ring.
"The Doc" Chad Matthews has written wrestling columns for over a decade. A physician by trade, Matthews began writing about wrestling as a hobby, but it became a passion. After 30 years as a wrestling fan, "The Doc" gives an unmatched analytical perspective on pro wrestling in the modern era. He is a long-time columnist for Lordsofpain.net and hosts a weekly podcast on the LOP Radio Network called "The Doc Says." His first book - The WrestleMania Era: The Book of Sports Entertainment - ranks the Top 90 wrestlers from 1983 to present day, was originally published in December 2013, and is now in its third edition.
Matthews lives in North Carolina with his wife, two kids, and two dogs.
