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August 17, 2014.
The date that has now been etched into every pro-wrestling fan's memory as being one of the most important moments in WWE history. On this night, something happened that ended up changing the company in more ways than one. Something that is now regarded by many as an incredibly impactful incident that changed our perception on a lot of things.
The main event of SummerSlam 2014 pitted former rivals John Cena and Brock Lesnar against each other for Cena's WWE World title. The WWE Universe came in expecting a hard-fought battle, with both Superstars delivering another classic brawl, much like their past encounters.
Instead, Brock Lesnar hit Cena with a whopping 16 German Suplexes and 2 F-5s, and completely squashed him to win the match and the title. Today, this historic moment turns 5 years old, so let's dive down memory lane and look at five ways it changed WWE.
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#5 The German Suplex suddenly became one of the most destructive moves in WWE
The German Suplex had been previously used effectively by several Superstars, including Brock Lesnar, but this was the night it turned into one of the most dangerous moves in WWE history. The match saw Lesnar hit Cena with German Suplexes one after the other. Cena was thrown on his back a total 16 times! Couple this with two thunderous F-5s, and Cena was done at this point, enabling Lesnar to pin him with ease and win the belt.
The consistent use of the move by Lesnar soon resulted in WWE coming up with the moniker of "Suplex City", with his WrestleMania 31 bout against Roman Reigns being responsible for the coining of the term. They made sure they didn't forget to promote it with "Suplex City" merchandise. As time passed, Lesnar began using the move on a regular basis, and it helped him bag a long list of victories in the coming years.
#4 The 'Reign of Terror' kicked off
When Seth Rollins challenged Brock Lesnar for his Universal title at WrestleMania 35, fans were clamoring for The Beastslayer to dethrone Lesnar and win the title in the process.
The reason? Lesnar's reign was marred with him being absent from TV, sometimes for weeks on end. This resulted in the Universal title becoming an afterthought and it gave WWE an opportunity to elevate the Intercontinental title to new heights, essentially turning it into the top title on Raw.
By the time WrestleMania 35 rolled around, fans had gotten tired of Lesnar's antics, and this was one of the major reasons why Rollins defeating Lesnar with the help of a low blow got a loud (and positive) reaction from the crowd. The "Reign of Terror" had become unbearable and the WWE Universe wanted someone to rid them of Lesnar as Champion.
Additionally, there were many fans who hadn't forgotten the destruction of Cena at the hands of Lesnar five years ago. Rollins beating Lesnar not only ended the "Reign of Terror", but gave those fans a much needed closure, years after their hero was put down mercilessly by Lesnar.
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#3 WWE got an opportunity to make a couple of future stars
One of the biggest reasons why Lesnar squashed Cena was to move ahead with the momentum from his history-making WrestleMania 30 win over The Undertaker and turn him into a monster, so that it would be a big deal when a rising star defeated him somewhere down the line.
Putting down Lesnar became one of the toughest feats in WWE. When Roman Reigns defeated Lesnar at SummerSlam 2018, it marked the culmination of his three-year journey towards defeating Brock Lesnar. Rollins turned into a huge star overnight when he defeated Lesnar at WrestleMania 35.
#2 Brock Lesnar became one of the most protected Superstars in recent history
There comes an athlete once in a while who is a guaranteed draw, and thus the company turns them into someone who can't be defeated easily. It happened with Hogan and Warrior during the 80s, and Cena during the 2000s. Lesnar's victory over The Undertaker at WrestleMania 30 and the SummerSlam squash was followed by WWE turning him into the most dominant Superstar of this era.
Superstars like Braun Strowman, Samoa Joe, AJ Styles, Daniel Bryan, and a few others tried and failed to put down The Beast. It took Reigns three years to finally pin Lesnar. Rollins defeated Lesnar in the opening match of WrestleMania 35, but it too a low blow, followed by three Curb Stomps to bag the win. Lesnar is quite possibly the most protected Champion of the modern era and it made Seth Rollins' recent SummerSlam win even better, cementing him as a credible megastar.
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#1 Superman Cena became history
John Cena won his first WWE title at WrestleMania 21 by defeating JBL. As time passed, it became clear that WWE wanted to push Cena as the next big thing. Cena moving to the flagship show during the 2005 Draft Lottery made things clear as day. Over the course of the next decade, Cena won multiple WWE titles, and carried the company on his shoulders, becoming the face of the PG Era.
Much like Hogan in the 80s, Cena became the episode of a good guy, and was promoted as a superhero who would come out victorious in the end and defeat the bad guy. Superman Cena died at SummerSlam 2014 when Lesnar squashed him like a bug. Cena's aura died that night and he was never the same after this loss.
