With the WWE Championship being held in abeyance for six weeks, Randy Orton faced off with Daniel Bryan in a Hell in a Cell match at WWE Hell in a Cell 2013 on pay-per-view. With Triple H’s best friend, Shawn Michaels, performing referee duties, Daniel Bryan laid out the COO. HBK responded with a superkick to the jaw of his former pupil, allowing Orton to cover Bryan for the victory and regain the vacant title.

At WWE TLC on December 15, 2013, The Viper defeated World Heavyweight Champion John Cena in a brutal TLC match to claim both titles and become the first-ever WWE World Heavyweight Champion.