The Miz rejoins us to introduce the next match from the back but is once again interrupted by the dancing of Fandango. This time The Miz lays him out, and it is about time. We return to the kick-off panel and the hosts that I mentioned earlier make their picks. This leads into the package for the Main Event. This is a feud that started the night after the last PPV, Money in the Bank. Acting RAW G.M., Brad Maddox would give John Cena the chance to select his own opponent at SummerSlam. After polling the audience he decides that Daniel Bryan is to be his next opponent. This is kinda based in real life as Cena pushed McMahon to make this match happen as he thought it was the biggest match the company had to offer. Cena wanted to do it at Money in the Bank, but Vince thought it was better suited for SummerSlam if Cena believed in the match so much. This leads to an angle where Vince doesn’t think Bryan has the look to be Champion. And after a slew of insults, Vince suggests a makeover. So Bryan combs his hair and puts a suit on to appease McMahon. Vince say there is one more thing that must go and “Itttsss the beaarrrdd.” (Insert best Vince McMahon impersonation here.) Wade Barrett comes to the ring, clippers in hand, and Daniel Bryan sits in the barbers chair. Just when Barrett is about to start shaving him, Bryan strikes with a headbutt. He then shaves Barrett’s scruff into a mustache before tossing him into the fans. Bryan then removes the suit’s jacket and reveals a shirt with an arrow pointing at his beard. It reads “The Beard is here.” As a member of the bearded community, I fully support these actions by Daniel Bryan. This all caps off with Triple H being announced as the special guest referee after he attacks the originally planned special ref, Brad Maddox. This is another amazingly put together package and hopefully the match does it justice.

Our official, Triple H, is the first one to enter and the fans respond well for the King of Kings or is it The Game, or The Cerebral Assassin, perhaps. Either way the fans bow down to him. The challenger Daniel Bryan is next and the “Yes” chants are strong. Bryan takes to the top turnbuckle and when he joins in with them, they grow even louder. Before Cena’s music even begins the boos are strong. You would think the Big Dog was about to enter the arena. The boos become even louder when the Champion’s music hits and John Cena enters. Cena has a shirt on to counter Bryan’s “The Beard is Here” shirt. Cena’s reads “The Champ is Here” and has a downward facing arrow, pointing at the Strap. When the ring announcer calls Bryan’s name again the “Yes” chants are right back as I’m sure they will be throughout the match. Cena, on the other hand, gets booed as if he were Nickleback. Triple H shakes both men’s hands before he raises the Title high and signals for the bell. The two circle the ring before entering into the collar and elbow. After they trade wristlocks, Cena takes Bryan to the mat with a side headlock. Bryan escapes the hold and tosses Cena to the mat with an arm drag takedown. The two stare each other down and this is where Michael Cole had a comment that piqued my interest. He says “This is John Cena, The Entertainer Vs. Daniel Bryan, The Wrestler.” I just found that interesting. They enter into a test of strength and Cena quickly takes Bryan to the mat. They have a goofy sequence on the ground with the test of strength still applied, Cena hops onto the bridged waist of Daniel Bryan. The return to their feet, and Bryan monkey flips Cena. Bryan tries to go for a Yes Lock on the injured arm of Cena, but he is able to escape by rolling from the ring. This injury is partially torn quadriceps that John Cena would leave the WWE soon after to have surgery on.

After he checks with the ringside doctor, Cena returns to the ring. A collar and elbow quickly turns into a side headlock in John Cena’s favor. After the escape is made, Cena covers Bryan with a matchbook pin. Bryan bridges out of it and uses a backslide pin on Cena. This, too, is kicked out of and they are fast to their feet. Bryan is first on the offensive and takes Cena to the mat with a dragon screw. He tries to put Cena in a surfboard stretch, but John Cena overpowers him and escapes. Cena then fireman carries Bryan onto the apron and hits the ropes. He connects with a shoulder block that sends Bryan face first into the announce table. The crowd boos Cena here for his unsportsman-like actions. Cena leaves the ring and tries to Irish whip Bryan into the ring stairs. Bryan reverses this and Cena goes shoulder first into them. They climb on top of the ring steps, and Bryan’s suplex is reversed into a suplex from Cena off them. The crowd pops for this, but start “You still suck” chants right after. Cena returns Bryan to the ring and hooks the leg but Bryan is still quick to kick-out. Bryan is knocked into the corner with some heavy punches and Cena then violently whips him to the corner opposite. Cena drives Bryan to the mat with a brutal sit-down powerbomb and this time Bryan doesn’t kick-out as fast. Cena uses a side headlock next but it doesn’t take long for Bryan to escape. He then pounds Cena into the corner with forearms and the “Yes” chants grow louder with each one. Bryan switches to kicks and the chants keep coming. When Triple H forces him to back off, Cena strikes with a knee to the gut. Cena then whips Bryan to the corner, but he is able to spring board out of it and over the head of Cena. Bryan hits the ropes and catches Cena with the sit-down clothesline. This leaves Cena kneeling and open for some more Yes Kicks. When Daniel goes for the final kick, Cena is able to duck it and explode into the ropes. This is where we see the classic double shoulder block/fall-away slam combo from Cena. Cena looks at the crowd in disbelief as he raises his hand in the air for the “You Can’t See Me” motion. His doesn’t get it off because Bryan is there with a kick to the top of his head when he bends down to do so. Cena ducks a clothesline that sets up another fall-away slam. He then pops to his feet and once again raises his hand in the air. There is nothing but boos as he goes through the motions and hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle. The Attitude Adjustment is next but Bryan flips out of it and lands in the corner. Cena charges, but Bryan gets him with a boot to the chin. Bryan then takes to the skies and plants a missile dropkick into the chest of Cena. The crowd counts along when Bryan hooks the leg but they are only rewarded with a two count.

At this point in the match there is a visible shiner starting to form around the left eye of Cena. After a few kicks from Bryan, he is challenging Cena to “get up.” He continues to challenge Cena, but kicks him back to the mat every time he starts to regain some footing. This goes on quite some time but eventually Cena hits a drop toe hold and tries for a STF. This is reversed into a STF from Bryan but for some reason Cole calls it a Yes Lock before correcting himself. It takes a moment, but Cena finally breaks free. with the leg still hooked, Bryan gives Cena a German suplex that he holds for a bridged pin. When Cena kicks out, they repeat the process again. Cena kicks out once more and this time when they stand he frees himself from Bryan’s waistlock. He lifts Bryan for an AA but he is able to wiggle free. Bryan grabs the good arm of Cena and slams him to the mat for the Yes Lock. Cena stands this up after some time but Bryan keeps the momentum and takes Cena to the canvas with a guillotine choke. It takes all his strength, but Cena stands up and drives Bryan into the corner twice. This doesn’t work, though, and Bryan is still hanging on. Cena finally tosses Bryan over his head and flipping into the turnbuckle. The crowd starts to clap as both men lay on the mat. This doesn’t go as they had hoped, and Cena strikes with an AA. He slams Bryan to the mat and hooks the leg. But somehow, Daniel Bryan still kicks out!

The boos are back when Cena takes to the top rope. They quickly change their reaction when Bryan meets him there. Cena shoves him to the mat but Bryan is right back on him with a leaping forearm strike. Again, Cena shoves him to the mat, and this time Bryan is slower to his feet. He still manages to dropkick the Champ before he gets a chance to jump. This leaves Cena hanging and Bryan rejoins him up there once again. This time he is able to slam Cena to the mat with a superplex. Bryan hangs on, landing it the tree of woe but this is intentional and he pulls himself back up, screaming like a madman the whole time. Bryan leaps and connects with the diving headbutt. He hooks the leg and this is the closest Cena has come to losing thus far. Cena rolls from the ring to try and compose himself, but Bryan isn’t having it. He hits the ropes, but when he tries to leap outside, Cena meets him at the ropes with an uppercut. John Cena now heads back to the top rope and hits the Fame-Asser on Daniel Bryant. He hooks the leg for the twentieth time, and for the twentieth time Bryan kicks out. Cena then takes to the top rope again this time with Bryan on his shoulder. It appears like a Super AA is coming but Bryan is able to escape behind some elbows to the head. Bryan then tries for a hurricanrana but Cena doesn’t allow Bryan to get him over. Cena still has Bryan’s legs on his shoulders and jumps back to the mat to lock in the STF. It takes a moment, but Daniel Bryan rolls him over and transitions to a Yes Lock. This is broken up when Cena finds the ropes. Cena is in the corner next and Bryan hits a pair of his flipping dropkicks. When he tries for a third Cena explodes from the corner for one of the more vicious dropkicks I’ve seen in a while. Both men lay on the mat for some time but Triple H never starts the ten count.

Eventually they get to their feet and trade some punches in the center of the ring. They both hit the ropes and nail each other with flying forearms. Once again, they’re slow to their feet and Cena is challenging Bryan to hit him. Bryan grants this wish and they two are soon slapping each other in the face over and over again. Cena whips Bryan into the corner and this time when Bryan tries to springboard over him, Cena catches Bryan. This sets up an AA but Bryan is able to counter this into a tornado DDT that leaves both men on the canvas. Bryan is the first up and takes to the top rope. Cena is able to catch the crossbody and toss Bryan onto his shoulder. Bryan avoids it and rolls Cena up with a small package. The kick-out is made but Bryan strikes fast with a kick to the side of the kneeling Cena’s skull. Bryan starts to send the crowd into a “Yes” frenzy before hitting Cena with a brutal knee strike to the face. A look of shock comes over Daniel Bryan’s face as he hooks the leg and the ref counts the three. The place is shaking with excitement when Daniel Bryan is announced as the new WWE Champion. Cena shakes his hand after the match, like a true gentleman, and leaves the ring so Daniel Bryan can have his moment. What an amazing match we have here folks. The back and forth was amazing, and all the false finishes were as well. This is one of the reasons the “Yes” movement is still so strong today. Say what you will about Cena, but in his prime he was a hell of a performer. Match Time-26:55

But wait, we aren’t done yet! Daniel Bryan is celebrating in the ring with the confetti falling and the pyro blasting when we hear “The Voices”. Randy Orton enters and is carrying the Money in the Bank briefcase. He makes it to ringside, but seems to have a change of plans when the “Yes” chants start. He turns to leave the arena, and this is when Triple H hits Daniel Bryan with a Pedigree. Orton cashes in and Triple H counts the three. This would go on to become The Authority angle with Triple H. An awesome heel finish to an amazing SummerSlam. Match Time-:08

What we have here folks is an amazing SummerSlam. This is up there in terms of best overall. My three must watch matches start with CM Punk and Brock Lesnar. That it just a brutal display of wresting. Second would have to be the Main Event with Cena and Bryan. I mean what an ending. Third could go either way with Rhodes/Sandow or Del Rio/Christian. Lets keep with tradition and see what Dave Meltzer had to say. As always these star ratings are gathered from www.profightdb.com . Punk/Lesnar and Bryan/Cena tied with 4.5 stars. Del Rio/Christian was well received as well, getting 3.5. The rest of the card was rated 2 or better except Brie Bella/Natalya with 1.25 and Kane/Wyatt getting a “DUD”. I will have to disagree with the latter as I thought that match was a solid 1…

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