Championship Unification (2013-2014)

Three years post-Nexus invasion, the WWE looked different. CM Punk’s pipe bomb promo catapulted him to icon status, The Shield wreaked havoc, Daniel Bryan became the most beloved star since Stone Cold, and The Authority—led by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon—called the shots.

Despite a new wave of A+ talent and storylines, John Cena and Randy Orton, their generation’s Rock and Austin, fought in a Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match to unify the WWE and World Heavyweight titles. Orton won the contest (and retained in a rematch at the Royal Rumble), but the “Championship Ascension Ceremony” on the Raw prior to TLC remains the highlight of the feud.

As Cena and Orton stood face-to-face, former world champions packed the ring. Orton cheap-shotted Cena, sparking a domino effect brawl involving Triple H, Punk, Shawn Michaels, and Daniel Bryan. The melee ended with Orton accidentally knocking down Stephanie McMahon and Triple H retaliating with a Pedigree.

Like Daniel Bryan and the “YES” Movement hijacked Raw, they too will hijack this write-up, as the fans’ unrelenting desire for him to become the unified champ—strongly reinforced by this moment—eventually played out. The WWE Universe was ready for a changing of the guard.