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We’re just days away from one of the most anticipated WWE World Heavyweight championship matches in the past decade. The stakes are high, with the winner of the match walking away with not only the spoils and the coveted title, but also with the claim of being the biggest superstar in professional wrestling today. On paper, John Cena has reached heights that was unprecedented, and is the modern version of Hulk Hogan. With Hogan recently hailing the leader of the Chain Gang as the greatest WWE champion in the history of the business, Cena has almost achieved everything in the industry. Come SummerSlam, the might of CeNation collides with the indestructible force known as Brock Lesnar.
The stakes of the bout
Going into the PPV, John Cena is undoubtedly the biggest superstar since The Rock and Steve Austin, while Brock Lesnar has done something that was unfathomable till the beginning of this year. Ever since Lesnar returned to the WWE from the UFC, he brought the much needed legitimacy to the product, and has since been one of the most physical and dominant performers in the company – something that would do his character justice. Lesnar defeated CM Punk last year at SummerSlam, and then went on to defeat arguably the greatest WWE superstar in the history of the company earlier this year at WrestleMania 30.
This year’s main event can be compared to Austin – Rock rivalry more than a decade ago. With CM Punk walking away from the WWE and professional wrestling and Daniel Bryan being sidelined with an injury at least till the end of the year, WWE needed a name that would not only bring interest and drag some eyeballs to the current product, but also book someone who can legitimately put an end to the CeNation leader’s title run.
The implications of the match
On one hand, Cena is likely to hold on to the title till the end of the year and have a long, meaningful run as the champion, while on the other hand, anything other than a victory would hurt Lesnar’s reputation after breaking the most coveted streak in sports entertainment history. With the ‘beast incarnate’ going into the PPV as the odds on favorite to win the match, this will likely change the landscape of the organization, with Lesnar becoming the new face of the company!
Before Cena won the title, WWE was pushing for a match between Daniel Bryan and Lesnar at SummerSlam. But with the former WWE World Heavyweight champion getting injured, WWE had to go ahead with the second option by putting the title on John Cena, making him the champion for a record 15th time. It can also be believed that WWE only put the title on Cena so that he would drop it to Lesnar at SummerSlam - something which was considered a strong possibility even if Daniel Bryan wasn’t injured.
A win over Cena for the title would make Brock Lesnar one of the biggest stars in professional wrestling history, while a win over the youngest WWE champion in history would make Cena perhaps the most successful champion in the history of the organization.
The Paul Heyman factor
With Paul Heyman watching over his shoulder, CM Punk held the WWE title for a record 434 days - the longest run as the champion in the past 25 years. With Heyman’s client conquering The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania, he is also arguably the greatest manager in professional wrestling history, but that can be set in stone if Brock Lesnar manages to pin the most successful WWE champion in the past decade.
With WWE releasing the “Ladies and Gentlemen, my name is Paul Heyman” DVD recently, this can be the perfect tribute to the legacy of Paul Heyman. Let us also not forget the history between the trio, as John Cena set out on a journey to defeat Brock Lesnar a decade ago, and capture the WWE title. Things have certainly changed since, with the target now on Cena’s back.
The winner of the title match will walk away as this generation’s greatest superstar, with both the superstars having done some incredible things in their respective careers. While Lesnar’s contract ends next year, reports suggest that Cena might not stick around for a long time either. Both the superstars have very few years left in the industry, and whoever walks out of the Staples Center as the WWE champion will earn the rights to be called the greatest superstar of this era.
