#4. John Cena (c) vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam 2014
If WrestleMania 21 was the night Super Cena was born, SummerSlam 2014 was the night Super Cena died. For years, WWE fans had complained about John Cena’s stranglehold over the upper echelons of sports entertainment. He was the undisputed “number one guy,” and he never lost. On the rare occasion Cena lost, there were bound to be shenanigans.
Hence, when Brock Lesnar, who had recently ended The Undertaker’s undefeated WrestleMania streak, obliterated John Cena and took The Champ to Suplex City at SummerSlam 2014, fans were appalled beyond description. Cena was no match for The Beast Incarnate. Without any shenanigans, Lesnar snatched the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from the Leader of the Cenation.
Although he lost that night, Cena earned a lot of respect. The Champ put over Lesnar big time. All those whispers of Cena burying talent or taking too much of the spotlight died at SummerSlam 2014. Fans began to see a more vulnerable version of The Never Seen 17, which endeared him to the audience in his final years as an active competitor.
