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| Y'all come back now, ya hear? Photo Credit: WWE.com |
John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt
How: Wyatt challenged Cena while Cena was attempting to enter the Andre the Giant Battle Royale.
The Story:In song form:
Come and listen to a story 'bout a guy named Bray
Creepy swamp cult lord who made Danny Bryan pay
'Til out from the back he came with lotsa dread
And he whacked a-John Cena right across the head
Thumped him, I say
Cost him gold
Not cool
Well next thing ya know, ol' Bray was in a fight
Called Cena a disease, lotsa fans believe he's right
But Cena won't back down, he's got a lot to lose you see
So he's getting down and dirty to fight for his legacy
Abstract concept, that is
Not Cody Rhodes
Or Sim Snuka
Well now it's time to get excited for this motherlovin' brawl
If John Cena ain't careful, he's gonna lose it all
But he proved this week on RAW he's gotta trick up in his hat
So masked he ambushed the Family and put 'em on the mat
Lamb mask that is, sit down, grab a soda, stay awhile
Y'all don't go nowhere, ya hear?
Analysis: When this match was rumored, I thought it was refreshing for Cena to take a step back in the card. Nothing more, nothing less – rumors that Cena and Wyatt would face off at Mania abounded before the Royal Rumble, even. Of course, at that time, Daniel Bryan was supposed to be wrestling Sheamus, CM Punk was still assumed to be at Mania, and the Randy Orton/Batista match for the title wasn't even a tilt between Orton and Batista at all.
Then again, Cena spent the period between his return from planetoid removal surgery and title unification build basically in a holding pattern against Alberto del Rio, Damien Sandow, and the Real Americans. Instead of doing that thing where he would womp the midcard guy handily en route to another staredown with Orton or Batista or The Miz, Cena gave a lot in those matches and made his opponents look like equals. Sandow losing his Money in the Bank cash in on Cena didn't damage him; the match was outstanding. You can blame WWE Creative for fucking the follow-up to that loss up something fierce.
While Cena still is inarguably the best box-office draw WWE has and its most popular overall superstar, the time has come for him to come down off Olympus and start wrestling some of the new breed of main eventers WWE has in its stable. He did wonders for CM Punk and even more positive work for Daniel Bryan. Coming down and working with those next guys up would do wonders for them, which made the rumors of the Cena/Wyatt match not only sensible to me, but downright appealing.
Then, Wyatt went out, carried his own weight against Bryan at the Rumble, and I started getting the feeling that Cena/Wyatt could steal the show. As of right now, I would be shocked if their match wasn't the best on the card. Cena has arguably become the best big match performer in WWE history. Your agreement with that statement will depend on what your temperature is on Shawn Michaels, Randy Savage, or Steve Austin. While Wyatt does have the Bryan match under his belt as well as virtuoso performances in several trios matches, he hasn't been asked to be in this high profile match against this established a superstar yet, my only trepidation for this match so far.
As for the actual mechanics of the match, I expect a lot of interference from Erick Rowan and Luke Harper, some dynamic hope spots from Cena, at least one inverted crab walk from Wyatt, and one standout moment that will make this match memorable above the cacophony of YES! chants and the din that will certainly be created when Brock Lesnar and Undertaker clash. If WrestleMania XXX is to compete with WrestleMania X-7 for the best big event of all-time – and let's face it, outside of X-7, that bar isn't a terribly high one to clear – then a match like this will have to deliver not just on mechanics, but on moment. I trust Cena is game, and while I don't have the sample size to back it up on Wyatt, I can assume – or at least hope – that he's got it in him as well.
Who Should Win: In all honesty, I see cases for both guys to win. Wyatt taking the duke here would be right out of the "you gotta create stars" playbook, and beating Cena, clean or otherwise, is such a rare occurrence that the actual victory itself might mean something. However, Wyatt has proven that no matter whom he faces or what the result is, he can capture the same imagination and attention of the crowds. He's the very definition of elastic heat. Besides, Wyatt losing has so much story potential. The Wyatt that audiences have seen has been creepy and manipulative, but I can't help but wonder if it's just the tip of the iceberg. A loss to Cena at WrestleMania might trigger a psychotic break so awesome that it would unleash the true Eater of Worlds and absolutely light WWE on fire for the rest of the calendar year into next year's WrestleMania.
Who Will Win: Cena wins. Cena always wins unless he's going up against The Goddamn Rock or our lord and savior, Daniel Bryan. Bray Wyatt is neither. The match will be goddamn fantastic, but Cena's gonna win. Search your feelings. You know it to be true.