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WWE has a unique history of babyface vs babyface matches with mixed results. Fans are conditioned to expect mostly face vs heel matches with wrestlers telling a traditional story in their matches. However, the task of two fan favorites naturally creates a scenario where both wrestlers must connect with the audience without turning their fan bases against the other. John Cena and Daniel Bryan showed the best-case scenario for two top-tier babyfaces squaring off.
SummerSlam 2013 placed the two beloved characters in a main event match for the WWE Championship. Everyone talks about the post-match moment of Triple H turning on Bryan and Randy Orton cashing in MITB, but the story of Bryan vs Cena was spectacular. The classic match between Cena and Bryan deserves to be considered the best babyface vs babyface match in WWE history when looking back almost a decade later.
The Match Had An Underrated Build
WWE went with the less is more route with the build for Daniel Bryan vs John Cena at SummerSlam 2013. Cena had a memorable segment calling the entire male roster to the stage when he was tasked with picking his own challenger. WWE brilliantly had Bryan standing at the back of the roster with zero cameras on him as Cena discussed the realistic choices.
RELATED: SummerSlam: Every Daniel Bryan Match, Ranked From Worst To Best
Names like Rob Van Dam, Fandango, Sheamus, and Alberto Del Rio were teased by Cena with fans making their voices heard with loud “Daniel Bryan” and “Yes” chants. WWE is understandably criticized at times for not always knowing what the fan base wants. This was a rare instance of them perfectly knowing what was desired and creating a bait and switch segment to set it up.
Fans reacted with a massive pop when Cena picked Bryan after the latter was on fire with his epic performances all summer. The build saw each wrestler staying a face while calling out the other. Bryan utilized the pro wrestling vs sports entertainment discourse to sell the story of opposites between him and Cena. Both wrestlers had their fans still supporting them heading into the huge match.
It Was Cena At His Best
John Cena was considered the most polarizing wrestler of his generation due to the entire stint of him getting treated as the most loved and most hated wrestler for years by the audience. Supporters of Cena loved him and viewed him as the ultimate superstar, but there were plenty of critics who made the “Cena sucks” chant a fixture at shows.
Even Cena’s biggest doubters will admit there was a formula for incredible results for him. The feuds with the indie wrestlers who made it to WWE like CM Punk, AJ Styles, and Kevin Owens always worked, and the same happened with Bryan. Two polar opposite stories of a wrestler’s success played out with their differences creating conflict between the wrestlers and the fan base.
SummerSlam 2013 ensured that Cena fans would say “let’s go Cena” and his haters would respond with “Cena sucks.” That dynamic created an incredible atmosphere and set the stage for them to deliver a classic. Cena did struggle against weaker in-ring workers like The Miz, but he brought it when facing any top-tier worker. Bryan may have been the best wrestler in the world, so Cena stepped up to the highest level of in-ring intensity.
Bryan's Star-Making Performance
One of the biggest selling points for SummerSlam 2013 was that it created a rare scenario where it felt like fans would witness a star-making performance. Daniel Bryan was on fire with the Yes movement taking off and classic matches on television every week. However, he was still on that tier below the true top stars of WWE at the time like John Cena, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar, and CM Punk.
Bryan stepping up to the occasion like Punk did at Money in the Bank 2011 would be the step needed to be a top star. Cena felt like the favorite going into the match, but there was enough hope for fans to believe Bryan had a chance. That added an unpredictable nature to the match that Bryan thrived in to live up to the hype.
WWE expected Bryan to show off his wrestling greatness in the biggest match of his career at that moment. Any wrestler facing Cena in such an impactful spot has a chance to make the most of it. Bryan did just that by showing why he was considered the best in the world and still is today. SummerSlam 2013 gave us two all-time great WWE babyfaces in drastically different roles creating a magical match together.
