Ranking John Cena's WWE SummerSlam Matches From Worst To Best

2013 is right up there with the greatest SummerSlams of all time, and there’s a strong argument that this is its best match. John Cena’s never better than when he wrestles an opponent who’s completely unlike him, who the audience can rally behind because they’re everything John Cena’s not, and there are few wrestlers more un-Cena than Daniel Bryan.

The indie legend was here just approaching the peak of his popularity, and in WWE there was no better way to legitimise his rise than to have him beat Cena clean in the centre of the ring. Cena puts over his opponent so brilliantly here, first demonstrating Bryan’s superior chain wrestling and submission threat before resorting to raw power and brawling.

But even that doesn’t work. Bryan has an answer for everything, survives the AA, and eventually sparks Cena out with the running knee. It’s brilliant face vs face action, with Cena the gent shaking Bryan’s hand as he leaves, only for Bryan to eat a pedigree from guest ref HHH (again) and lose his brand new belt to a briefcase-clutching Randy Orton.

The shenanigans are inevitable, but they all come after the match. This is bell to bell brilliance, followed by some sports entertainment silliness with the end goal of WrestleMania XXX. Talk about a summer blockbuster.