Daniel Bryan vs. John Cena

[10.0] "A beautiful story on display here. One of two men, both trying to prove themselves. Danielson trying to prove that he's a main even caliber sports entertainer. Cena trying to prove that he's a real wrestler who can hang with the best. Both men succeed and create a masterpiece in the process."

[10.0] "What an awesome match. I'm a huge Bryan fan and I remember at the time, just being in shock that Bryan was even in this spot, thinking it was all a dream.. Now, the aftermath is what it is, this was not the end of a story, just a beginning but if I'm just talking about the match.. I just love the contrasting styles here.. it reminds me a bit of MITB 2011 with Punk, however, that match has a different emotional atmosphere, it also has more WWE flavor to it with the contract stuff. Here, it does have Vince not wanting Bryan to be champion but at least for the match, that doesn't play a part at all.. its simply the biggest star in the world vs the best the wrestler in the world. I love how Bryan and Cena work this, its not perfectly executed, there's several spots you just go.. oof that didn't go right, but there's a beautiful urgency to the match. Bryan countering, working the arm, Cena fighting back.. the slap fight was a cool callback to the promo and then Bryan hits probably the best busekiu knee for his career.. it was a shock finish at the time and clean too. As much I love the Punk matches and I still favor the MITB match, Punk did not win those totally clean. So it adds a little more to this match."

[10.0] "The single greatest SummerSlam main event of all time. One of the greatest underdog stories ever told by the WWE reaching its culminating point (or what we thought was its culminating point at the time). It's one of those special nights with genuine tension in the air, with the kind of atmosphere wrestling fans live for, and it's safe to say, all the stars aligned on that night as they put on a wrestling clinic. It's a perfect blend of technique, outstanding storytelling and high-stakes drama, and it's about as engaging and compelling as it gets. Big match John does his things, which is great, but Bryan's unparalleled fire and intensity are awe-inspiring here, his work on Cena's pre-injured elbow is a perfect loophole to not only protect Cena, but also show Bryan's grit and determination with him stopping at nothing to get it done, and that emphatic Busaiku Knee that gets it done is picture-perfect. Him getting the momentous clean win over Cena is a sight to behold, and then, they pull off one of the boldest booking decisions ever! That post-match knock off is as diabolical as it gets and the brilliance of that damn "Plan B" is something else. This is pretty much perfection. *****"

[10.0] "An absolutely phenomenal main event. Bryan and Cena delivered one of the best WWE matches of the decade, with incredible storytelling, intensity, and a perfect crowd atmosphere. The clean finish put Bryan over in the biggest way possible, making this an unforgettable SummerSlam moment."

[8.0] "One of my favourite Bryan matches in WWE. The story was so good. Bryan calling Cena a parody of wrestling while him being the indy darling of the hard core fans. Him winning was such a feel good moment. He finally reached the top. Then the heartbreak... Randy cashes in. This was all so well done."

[10.0] "The wrestler versus the entertainer. It was set in stone as the story early in the match, and it succeeded in making it a reality. Not only that, but this is by far and away, Cena's best in-ring performance. Yes, even above his matches with Punk. While his matches with Punk represented a gradual increase in moveset and intensity to match the craftiness of Punk, it felt like he utilized everything he learned in those matches, and gave it his absolute all against Bryan here. Bryan was the easy sentimental favorite, and his method of victory was a fresh breath of air at the time, "Super Cena" was a real problem. The pop after he hit the Baisaku knee says it all. While at the time, Bryan immediately losing to Orton was frustrating, the result was needed. This match was not only WWE's best in 2013, and even one of the best in wrestling, but it was the genesis for what would become the greatest movement in the history of professional wrestling. *****"

[9.0] "A match for Bryan that showcases him in a manner that almost every step of the way feels like he's rightfully earning the triumphant and satisfying finish, even if it is later robbed. How this match played out all the way to its decisive finish really allowed for Bryan to get the most out of the crowds' reactions, using the crowds' support to enhance and play a part in the work, which works beautifully to his role, like the times where he'd threaten to turn the tide only for John to cut him off, giving Cena a touch of heel on his performance, and all this just built more support for Bryan. Even Cena's expressions of doubt as he acknowledged the crowd booing him and cheering Bryan had the heel touch and played into the story of Bryan being the people's choice and overcoming him to assume his position. Another great heel touch and a different use of his babyface comeback was when Cena cut off Bryan's Yes! Kicks, then teased Bryan getting back on track, only to get him back in position for his five-knuckle shuffle, which was fantastic, and there are more neat cut-offs. The match isn't without its flaws; there is a part that muddles Bryan's babyface trajectory where he starts working Cena's arm and kicking him, which ends up making Cena seem like a babyface in peril through his selling. There are other nice layers here where Cena indulges in Bryan's styles, like from the outset, with the technical work that doesn't work well for him. Only when he utilizes his power and digs into his bag does he begin to gain the advantage. Bryan bested Cena a lot here as he kept coming back for more, even having some of his offense scouted and using it against him, like the STFU, and surviving both an AA and an STFU really made Bryan look spectacularly resilient against the face of the company, making the decisive finish extremely satisfying. ****1/2"

[10.0] "One of the best WWE matches of all time. An absolute classic in every sense. What makes this match truly special is that they didn't rely on doing anything flashy or unique; they simply did all the simple things the right way. Sometimes, that's all it takes to create greatness and this match is filled with great moments. Tho the post-match is still a massive heartbreak."

[7.0] "An extremely competitive and entertaining match. For any who doubt Cena, matches like this show that he can dance the dance extremely well when he has an amazing partner in a big spot. The drama, back and forth, and intensity keep this you glued to the screen the whole way through. There is really never a point where this match becomes dull. My reason for 'only' giving this 7 points is because they really don't go outside their comfort zone at all. It's essentially them both doing a 'greatest hits' performance. Now, they mix these moves up well and add a lot between everything, but at the end of the day, most of the moments in the match are exactly what you'd expect from them both. I was hoping for just a little bit more from them. Plus, them robbing Bryan after the match with no plans at this stage of truly giving him his moment sours this a bit too. Overall, still a spectacular contest, but just shy of 'elite' level stuff in my opinion."

[7.0] "It's a good match but I expected it to be better considering the wrestlers involved in the match. Cena and bryan did some cool stuff but nothing extraordinary. Cena's sell of busaiku knee was amazing and easily my favourite thing about the match lol. *** 3/4"

[10.0] "The matches when two wrestlers styles contrast one another are some of my favourites. John Cena really brought the best out of Bryan and vice versa, one of the better WWE title matches that decade and one the best matches in WWE history. Another masterpiece featuring big match John. *****"

[9.0] "[4.5*] Excellent match. I have somewhat of a rule that I just give 5* to matches that have no botches, because I think a botch is something that makes the match not perfect, even if it is 99% perfect, this is a major flaw, and should be counted. My heart was broken when Cena botched the spot on the second rope because I was really going to give it the full 5*, in fact, this is one of the WWE matches I have enjoyed the most, in history. I really think that, discounting the botch, this match is indeed better than some of my 5-stars. Yes, it really is. The key work here is discounting. The key word is the If. If the botch did not happen, it would have been a perfect match. However, Cena dropped Bryan on his head on the ground and some major injury could have happened there, so I have to take this into the analysis. It is a shame, because this is incredible. Cena tried to wrestle a completely different style here with Bryan and it ruled. The crowd was electric, the beginning was very technical, the ending was great, it was a proper Main Event between two of the best in the world. That Cena lariat after the Dropkicks on the corner made my jaw drop, for real. Wtf was that. Bryan ending the match with the Running Knee was pretty awesome too, you could feel the surprise of the crowd and the atmosphere changing. A phenomenal and almost perfect match with a major botch that thank God did not injure Bryan, and of course one of the best in the company. Sometimes it felt that Cena could not keep up with Bryan but every single time he tried to prove that he could. This challenge was awesome for him, and of course, for us."

[6.0] "This crowd made the match feel bigger and better than it actually is. Maybe it's just me but Daniel Bryan and John Cena didn't have very good chemistry here. It was kinda sloppy at times and didn't flow very well. One thing I do love about this match is the ending. Ending a match with a new move that Daniel never used before is ballsy and fresh."

[9.0] "[4.5 Stars] The underdog against the company's standard-bearer is very cool and, above all, it's a very important match for the Yes Movement and everything that will follow behind it. One of the best matches in Summerslam history! (****, 5)"

[10.0] "Is it crazy to say that this match is a masterpiece, I feel like it doesn't get its flowers as a perfect example of what Cena and Bryan did best, a versatile powerhouse and the ultimate underdog."

[7.0] "Goodness, 9.29 is really pushing this. I'm not going to say that it wasn't "great" 7, but to say that this is "excellent" 8 or "incredible" 9 or "classic" 10 is a bit much when you consider that this featured these two going through what was largely their usual styles of wrestling with an interesting thing or two thrown in over the course of literally forever. The crowd was white hot for Bryan during this time, & I feel like this reflects in the rating, much like other Bryan matches during this time that were, again, super great, maybe even sometimes excellent, but just... WOW. I get a sense that this is really a "you had to be watching the product at the time" sort of thing, and I wasn't watching at this time. Make no mistake, though, this is a great match & definitely a more-than-proper main event."

[7.0] "Unfortunately I will have to give a huge underrating here, wasn't expecting this match wouldn't click with me, and I'm very upset about the fact that I didn't enjoyed the way I thought I would, because Cena and Bryan are two wrestlers that I adore and respect, but this match was a disappointment for me, not because of the quality of wrestling in general, that was indeed above average, a lot of hidden details and small messages, and it was definitely a proper main event, with good moves and a nice storytelling, but when the match ended and I started the process of thinking about why I didn't enjoyed this they way I should've, there's a few reasons that comes to my mind, the first one is that, in my opinion, this wasn't even close to the best Cena or the best Bryan, the ones that I'm used to watch in big matches, and that's understandable, it's the PG Era, Cena can't do the Ruthless Aggression stuff and Bryan was also extremely molded into WWE's style, so the structure here didn't pleased me at all, specially considering what I know these two can do in the ring, which doesn't mean the chemistry was bad, it was good, I was just willing to watch things that didn't happened, like Bryan working on Cena's injured arm, for example, it's something that Bryan does a lot and very well, but for some reason it wasn't explicit, he only did a couple of things here and there, most of them extremely subtle, and I was expecting a huge limb work there, a chess match. Another reason is probably that they didn't explicitly worked with the storyline, the "wrestler vs entertainer" stuff, there was some nice stuff about it, but I was expecting a deep and clear psychology around that, because it's so interesting and it was what dragged people into the match, the feud/build was great, high stakes, Bryan was the underdog and the pure wrestler, and didn't even considered Cena a pro-wrestler, while Cena represented the corporate handpicked babyface, everything that the fans didn't wanted anymore, they wanted the small and skilled guy. Probably another reason that I can think off, is that the crowd didn't reacted the way I expected them to react, and this was mainly because the submissions didn't created a feeling that the match could be over, I didn't bought any of the Bryan submissions, and honestly didn't even bought the ending, I was shocked, and the crowd was shocked as well, that was completely out of nowhere, no one expected Cena to lose so "easily", and when you compare the atmosphere to stuff like Cena vs Punk, where the storytelling was very similar, I don't think they were invested enough, they even cheered Randy Orton's cash-in, I thought they would be furious, but it was so well done that the crowd actually cheered, and it was indeed sensational, Triple H forming the Authority. I guess that's it, a good match with some reasons that made me not judge it like basically everyone else does, of course I thought it was a good match, but when a worshiped match like that doesn't click with you, you really need to start looking for answers, and this is why my rating is reactive, I didn't thought it was trash, just not the same level as the majority of the people do - {***1/2}"

[10.0] "This is probably one of my favorite matches in the History of SummerSlam, full of emotion, the crowd was electrifying, even though the final was kinda sour with Randy Orton cashing in the Money In The Bank, the match was one of the best of SummerSlam history definitely, a well deserve 10/10 [*****]"

[10.0] "Perhaps the most recognizable indie wrestler going up against the most recognizable mainstream wrestler; Cena and Danielson are two masters of eliciting emotion out of a crowd. This is one of both's finest showcases of that superpower. An instant classic with a wonderful post-match angle that (just barely) led to a beautiful pay-off at Mania the next year. Fantastic."

[7.0] "Ok so I dont see what was so good about this match. Im a big Bryan Danielson fan but he just looked tiny and weak here against John Cena. I thought the finish was flat and the crowd reactions made this match seem a bigger deal than it played out to be."

[10.0] "One of the greatest title matches in Wwe history. Easily in contention for best match of either guy career its that good. The LA crowd is electric from start to finish and these two proceeded to give them an absolutely fantastic match. Paced brilliantly full of great action and drama its everything that I want out of a wrestling match. Bryan is on his A game and cena matches him step for step. A must watch 5/5"

[10.0] "An absolute phenomenal between Cena and his handpicked opponent Bryan, they worked perfectly together in this match and it was amazing seeing Bryan get the win against WWE's top golden boy. Everything post match did have Triple H, Bryan's only supporter at the time, as special guest referee turn on him and helped Randy Orton successfully cash in his MITB contract to win the WWE World Title, giving birth to The Authority, but it would be great story building into Bryan's victory at WrestleMania 30."

[9.0] "legit might be my favorite summerslam match of all time. First time watching it in about 3 years and its just as good as the very first time i watched it. Easily one of my favorite cena and bryan matches for sure. Its crazy how good of a ref HHH is like you legit forget hes there which is the best sign of a good referee. I enjoyed this match where at times it felt like both guys were taking turns playing the heel and the face. These two honestly should have became the next big time forever rivals i think they could have pulled off something like that. Then you can hear how shocked the crowd is when bryan actually wins no one at all was expecting this. Then the cash in one of the best mitb cash ins of all time which set up the best 8 months of tv or so. 4.75 stars"

[9.0] "CINEMA. the only way you can describe the ending of this match and the money in the bank cash in. Cena and Bryan put on one hell of a show and they followed it by starting one of the best storylines in the modern era of WWE, which then lead to one of the best Wrestlemania moments of all time. The match itself was already so good but to add on top of it the incredible storytelling makes this match the perfect ending to the night."

[8.0] "Very fun match that started the feud that gave us one of the best wrestlemania moments of all time and underdog story of all time. The match was superb and elevated by the ending, with Triple H turning on Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton cashing in"

[10.0] "This was an amazing main event. It would be easy to say that this was a carry job for Bryan, but that would be wrong. Cena was able to keep up with Bryan and put him and his new finisher over clean as a whistle. Randy then cashed in his Money in the Banka md won the title."

[10.0] "amazing match! the two best babyfaces of the decade. entertainer vs wrestler. which ended up being a wrestler vs wrestler. Cena, shutting up the stupid haters, sang "You Can't Wrestler" and he delivered a great performance despite being injured. Bryan is simply the best ring performer I've ever seen. a storytelling class, great reversals, exciting from start to finish. the crowd getting up with the "YES" and then that running knee taking full effect (with a great sell from Cena), and ending right there, without the kickout, and surprising everyone, it was perfect."

[10.0] "This was phenomenal. I remember watching this match years ago and thinking it sucked and was horribly overrated, but coming back to it now, this is a modern classic. The crowd work on display here is top notch with Cena acknowledging the you cant wrestle chants then going on to immediately prove them wrong. Bryan playing an underdog is pretty much guaranteed to be good, and they went at it for 25 minutes without letting up. They beat the hell out of each-other and I loved every second of it. People like to think Super Cena was prime Cena but I think his prime started with this match. This is when he started incorporating new moves and styles into his matches and had some of his best ever performances. Then came the finish. The running knee being the move to give Bryan the win was a great idea and the cash in afterwards, and I know this isnt objectively correct, is the best cash in of all time. The way they catch you off guard with the Triple H heel turn and crush your joy by having Orton steal the belt set a fantastic foundation for the peak of the yes movement. Some real phenomenal stuff here."

[9.0] "One of those rare examples where the special guest referee isn't intrusive or isn't intrusive in a bad way. The fans that chanted "You can't wrestle! " to John freaking Cena must have been surprised if they changed their narrative to "This is awesome! ". Cena in his prime was fantastic to watch and he got a great dance partner here aswell"

[9.0] "A fantastic match between John Cena and Daniel Bryan, with both pulling out all the stops. Cena put Bryan over so much in this and showed that, indeed, "He can wrestle." The ending was a big shocker, of course, with Orton coming in and Triple H screwing Bryan. Thus begins the build-up to Mania 30, and what a run it is. This match by itself is still freakin' awesome, though."

[9.0] "A huge match that I missed from the start. Very well built, the use of finishers is not abused. Light drama surrounding Cena's injured elbow. Risk taking. It's really awesome to see. The crowd is all for Bryan. (4*3/4)"

[9.0] "[4.75*] This match was the meeting between the two biggest Babyfaces in WWE at the time and we can consider that perhaps in the entire history of the company, Bryan was at the height of his popularity with the Yes Movement and Cena continued to be Super Cena. I loved the moment when Cena gives Bryan a hard blow and the crowd boos while Cena looks at the crowd as if he was doing something wrong, the Storytelling of this match was of a very high level too. The intensity of the match increased as the minutes went by, the sequence of slaps between them was sensational, Bryan and Cena had great chemistry together and Bryan's technical performance in this match was beautiful to watch. Bryan's victory in the end is very remarkable, the Running knee was spectacular but the fact that he won with a Running knee is incredible as he wasn't his main finisher at the time, in addition to getting a clean victory from Cena at the time it was almost impossible but Bryan managed to do this to a huge reaction from the audience. Everything that happens after this match, Triple H's heel turn and Orton's Cash in add even more elements to this fantastic SummerSlam main event."

[10.0] "This was an amazing match. The beginning with the two feeling each other out and locking up, just getting the crowd invested. The second half really hit that second gear, with these two going all out and Daniel Bryan debuting the Busaiku Knee to beat Cena clean."

[9.0] "I just want to comment one of my biggest peeves with this match, which is the spot where Bryan/Cena having to use each others bodies to lift each other up to continue fighting was not earned on Bryan's part. Bryan was absolutely controlling Cena before that spot and truly doing a number on him so Cena had earned that spot in taking enough "damage" to be struggling on his feet. But Bryan's part is earned by a turnbuckle dropkick reversed into huge lariat yes, but a single one after controlling most of the match in the last few minutes prior? Sorry, but I did not buy Bryan suffering the same beating as Cena to earn that. Especially it being a match where Cena was being generous with the split on how much of the match is controlled by who since this is Bryan's big moment. Still a great match though"

"This was really good. This is probably the best I have seen John Cena when it comes to technical wrestling and Daniel Bryan being so over at this time made this work. I do feel like this match is overshadowed by Randy cashing in after word. This was fantastic. *****"

[8.0] "This is match is a strange one. Infact, they tried to do a puroresu-fashioned encounter in the most pure way possible. It's awesome to see this kind of matches in WWE but sometimes it looked like boring, it's weird but the USA-style match between Lesnar and Punk was better. Perhaps, some federation aren't simply able to do "normal/classic" wrestling. ****1/4"

[7.0] "The build up to the match has been great and so has been the moment after the match. The match itself is good. However, it does not live fully up to the hype for whatever reason. Good performances from both Bryan and Cena but they could have been doing better."

[10.0] "This is a really interesting performance from John Cena. He makes use of his power in some different ways to usual. I really like how he tries to match Bryan on the mat early in the match by using his strength advantage to nullify Bryan's superior technique. You can see Cena cleverly shifting some of his usual routine to trend closer towards 'heel' status than it usually would, without ever needing to sacrifice his babyface character in the process. He has a really good showing here in general and does a lot of subtle things to play along with the crowd siding with Bryan, and the match is structured perfectly to go along with this idea. It is a very smart way to make a face vs face match feel engaging and tell a cohesive story. I prefer Bryan's more technical or physical matches to his more 'WWE style' work, but this may be the pinnacle of what he can achieve in this style. Even with his offence limited and working within the confines of WWE tropes, he still looks fantastic and has the crowd in the palm of his hand. It really is incredible how diverse of a professional wrestler he is. The perfectly clean finish is an excellent note to end this match on, and feels like a special moment - and a surreal one for anybody who has followed Bryan's career since his Ring of Honor days. A really great, competitive main event, that shows another side of both wrestlers and is a testament to how skilled they really are."

[8.0] "MOTN, the big moment where Daniel Bryan finally won the top prize, one of the best technical displays of John Cena and Bryan in his biggest career match up to that point showing why he is one of the best of all time (****1/4)"

[9.0] "an instant classic. beautiful storytelling. fantastic in ring chemistry. Cena put Bryan over CLEAN. [****3/4]"

[10.0] "This match is so fun to watch and is so good it has so great wrestling move and seeing daniel win was awesome even though randy cashed in on him this is a instant classic match.*****"

[10.0] "Glad to know this still holds up no matter how many times I rewatch it. This sort of has the same feel as Cena's match with Punk at MITB in 2011 with the Indy guy vs the ultimate WWE guy. The actual work in this is better, none of their exchanges look sloppy as opposed to his match with Punk, besides when he almost dropped Bryan on his neck as he tried to transition from powerbomb position to the STF. The crowd chanting you can't wrestle at Cena twice during this match is laughable seeing how he was able to easily hold his own in lockups with Bryan. The constant change of who had the momentum in this match was great and added to the big fight feel. I've always felt like Cena clothesline is underrated, and he hits a wicked one on Bryan as Bryan attempts another knee in the corner. The trading of slaps was great because Bryan said that he wouldn't slap him until he accepted Cena as a wrestler, afterwards Bryan hit the running knee to beat John Cena clean. This was so great you don't notice Triple H as the referee until the end.*****"

[10.0] "Terrific showdown between two crowd magnets carrying different aspects that wowed the audience for years. Cena being the resilient champion & the gatekeeper of WWE fighting the wrestling masterpiece in Bryan who waited for this iconic chance was presented in the most amazing way possible. From the fans chanting "You can't wrestle" to Cena & him zipping their mouths with the feel-out process at the start till the insane back-and-forth exchanges flowed between the stars, everything was superlative and the crowd was surreal throughout. The result gave a massive Eddie Guerrero moment of winning the World Title to every single fan's adoration until the major swerve happened. Randy Orton's cash-in was bittersweet to have the 13th count for Orton as World Champion while prolonging Bryan's huge moment for a better time at a bigger stage. Triple H played his role perfectly from officiating a clinic excellently to becoming a despicable schmuck showing his true colors. 5 out of 5 stars!"

[9.0] "An excellent match from two of the absolute masters of crowd control. Cena playing off the crowd's 'you can't wrestle' chants at the start and going for the tie-up with Bryan is ace. The showcases of Cena's power and Bryan's submission skills (including putting on a better STF than Cena ever has in his life) set the tone for the match in the early going, and then things kick into a whole other gear starting with Cena's out-of-nowhere AA. After that point there's just so many great spots to talk about. Cena repeatedly pushing Bryan off the top rope only for him to refuse to stay down, leading to an incredible spider suplex. The best word life leg drop I think Cena's ever hit. Bryan hitting his corner dropkicks with incredible speed only for Cena to counter with a hellacious lariat. The two men trading slaps before Bryan unleashes with his furious kicks. And, of course, Bryan debuting the busaiku knee in WWE for the finish, with Cena selling it possibly better than anyone since. There's a few obvious moments of the two men talking to each other and calling spots (to be expected with Cena), but this remains a fantastic example of a pure face vs. face match. (As a side note, it's incredibly easy to forget Triple H is the guest ref for this match; his performance is amazing)."

[10.0] "One of the best matches in Summerslam history and one of the best from either Cena or Bryan's illustrious careers. Bryan's put in one of the best underdog performances of his WWE career and Cena did a wonderful job controlling the match. He also sold that running knee beautifully."

[10.0] "One of the greatest matches. Cena has pulled out some unique moves out of his arsenal and Bryan, once again, put on a masterpiece and made this a defining moment in his career."

[9.0] "This started off like a typical big match, slow and the two being cautious. They had some lovely exchanges on the mat and have a nice knuckle lock struggle. Speaking of which; I always love the ? You can? t wrestle? chant right before Cena goes all grapple fuck and proves he can. Then the fans chanting ? you still suck? . Lol. Idiot fans being idiots as per usual. Then there was a great transition for Cena to take control with Cena throwing Bryan neck first into the ropes and then basically hits a shoulder block on Bryan, who is no on the apron, sending him flying hard into the announcers table. The momentum switches in the match were great at times - some of which totally blew my mind. Bryan was excellent at the little things in this match. The way he brought the crowd alive by just milking in the crowd, the way he slowly pulled himself up after hitting a spider suplex to Cnea off the top rope and then put his hands in the air. Playing to the crowd for maximum effect. There was a scary, yet great counter by Cena to a hurricanrana into an STF by just dropping off the ropes, almost dropping Bryan on his head. I almost thought that he was doing a styles clash for a second. Cena brings everything he has in this match, intensity and all. He even hits a stiff lariat to Bryan when Bryan tries to hit a knee in the corner. The best part of the match, for me, was when they started trading slaps which transition to the closing stretch so, so well. Then the finish with Bryan debuting the Busaiku Knee was a great way to end the match. It says a ton when you completely forget the Special ref. One, that they didn? t need a clutch and instead got you into the match on your own. And two, HHH did a good job as ref. Two outstanding performances that kept you engaged from start to finish. Starting with some great grappling exchangings, eventually turning into a great battle of Bryan having to fight from beneath and come up with new ways to beat Cena and be champion. Tremendous match. ****1/2"

[10.0] "rating; 4.75 stars This match was FANTASTIC.John and Bryan have tremendous chemistry with eachother.Daniel showed once again why he is the very best, and john didn't look weak next to him, both delivered great performances.Loved the chainwrestlign sequence, the big sports were simple but effective, the crowd was invested, and both men sold really well for eachother. The highlights of this amazing match were the ring steps suplex, spider suplex, diving headbutt, diving led drop, missile dropkick, john tossing bryan to the announce table, the counters were also amazing, bryan performing the stf etc....Breathtaking MATCH."

[10.0] "One of the absolute best WWE Bryan matches and arguably Cena's best match ever, there isn't much that can be said that hasn't already. I just wanted to gush a bit about how the early goings of this match referenced a spot the two of them did in their first singles match: John Cena vs American Dragon on WWE Velocity in 2003. The test of strength spot where Cena tries to weigh Bryan down into a pin and Bryan bridges up to prevent it is nearly beat-for-beat; it's such an obscure but remarkable callback and honestly even in a vacuum it sets the tone so well for the rest of the technical darling vs powerhouse hero Face vs Face battle. You can always tell when Cena's putting in 100% when he does power moves you rarely see on TV or the average PPV, and I honestly think that Bryan's Spider German off the top where he fires the fuck up while upside-down is an underrated star-making visual. Tremendous work that paved the way for Bryan to basically force his way into being WWE Hall-of-Fame material in the years following this. *****"

[10.0] "This was a clinic in Face vs. Face storytelling. In a company that has often shied away from those types of matches. Daniel Bryan and John Cena show how great a World Title match between two pure-of-heart characters can be. Bryan was fighting for the legion of independent wrestlers and independent wrestling fans, while Cena was providing the platform while looking to prove that he was better than those same fans gave him credit for. Both missions were accomplished. Bryan and Cena created five-star magic here. 10/10."