You may have heard that Paul Heyman’s client Brock Lesnar conquered The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania. If you haven’t, it wouldn’t be due to Heyman’s lack of trying. The self-professed advocate for the 1 in 21-1 has reminded us of this fact each and every time he’s been on WWE programming since that fateful April night.
To many wrestling fans it was clear from the moment the referee’s hand slapped the mat as The Undertaker remained lifeless on the canvas, the next stop for Brock Lesnar would be the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. And it only made sense that the enigmatic Lesnar wouldn’t compete again until the WWE’s second biggest show of the year, SummerSlam.
The journey to determine the man he’d be challenging was at least a little more complex. WrestleMania XXX closed with Daniel Bryan capping off perhaps the greatest one night performance in WWE history, defeating three of the four members of Evolution over two matches en route to finally capturing the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Many assumed Bryan would hold the title until he ran into Lesnar, but the Aberdeen, Washington-native’s run was cut short after only one pay-per-view (PPV) title defense by a serious neck injury. Abeyance was then awarded the title by The Authority, and held onto it until June’s Money in the Bank PPV.
The main event of Money in the Bank featured six WWE superstars vying for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The challengers made up a motley crew of those with no chance (Alberto del Rio, Sheamus, Kane), enticing upstarts (Bray Wyatt, Roman Reigns, Cesaro), the former champ (Randy Orton), and than the one.
No, not THAT one; THE one. The one that doesn’t care if you love him or you hate him. The one that espouses about hustle, loyalty, and respect. The one that you simply cannot see.
The one that, once announced for this match, made the result all but a foregone conclusion. That one is John Cena.
At the end of Money in the Bank, when Cena’s hand was raised holding championship belts he’d soon be wearing around his neck as the biggest chain this side of Flavor Flav, there was never any doubt what we’d be getting for the SummerSlam main event.
The posters and commercials that leaked in the ensuing weeks only solidified our opinions, so when Paul Heyman came strutting down the aisle to deliver The Authority his plan C, we knew it was time. We were getting exactly what we expected, and it was exactly the right move to make.
As much as we all may gripe about Cena’s omnipresence around the WWE main event scene, he is the perfect sacrificial lamb for Lesnar. The WWE needs a hero to “The Beast Incarnate” himself, and the only two men positioned strong to realistically oppose him are Cena and Roman Reigns. Reigns is only in the nascent stages of his push towards becoming the next big face of the company, and if rumors are to be believed he is supposed to take the title off of Lesnar at the next WrestleMania.
This doesn’t even take into account the pair’s shared history. The Dr. of Thuganomics first sniffed WWE gold when it was around the waist of Lesnar. This feud saw the debut of Cena’s finishing move, the Attitude Adjustment (then known as the FU). Cena would come up short in that feud though, and the two wouldn’t meet again until Lesnar returned to the WWE the night after WrestleMania XVIII.
Interrupting the Cenation leader as he addressed his loss to The Rock the night prior, the man once known as “The Next Big Thing” confronted Cena in the middle of the ring. Lesnar feigned a handshake, and proceeded to lay Cena out with an F-5 and punt his cap all the way back to Massachusetts.
Following a few weeks of build-up that included one of the better pull-apart brawls in recent history, the two behemoths squared off at Extreme Rues later that month. The match went the way many expected it would, with Lesnar absolutely mauling Cena. Incredulously enough however, Cena wound up winning the match with one of his patented “out of nowhere Attitude Adjustments” TM.
That match remains the only un-avenged loss on Lesnar’s record since his return. Sunday provides Lesnar with the opportunity to expunge the only blemish on his record. Couple that with this being his first match since beating the Streak, and Lesnar has an opportunity to unequivocally assert his place atop the proverbial mountain.
Based on their prior encounters, and with everything mentioned above on the line, this clash of two titans promises to be a brutal but spectacular affair.
Brock Lesnar versus John Cena has the potential to be one of the truly great main events in SummerSlam history. This Sunday, we see if they can deliver.
Photo credit: WWE.com.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @LWOSCarlucci. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Interested in writing for LWOS? We are looking for enthusiastic, talented writers to join our Pro Wrestling writing team. Visit our “Write for Us” page for very easy details in how you can get started today!
For the latest in sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
