WWE No Mercy 2017: 5 Possible endings to John Cena vs. Roman Reigns

It might not be the match that we've all been dying to see, but from a business standpoint, John Cena vs. Roman Reigns has the potential to change the WWE's course of direction for many years to come.

The perceived leader of the PG era is about to go head to head with arguably his 'new era' replacement. There is a lot riding on how this match, and subsequent feud, turns out and hopefully by the close of play this Sunday we will have a pretty good idea where things are heading in the company's future.

Here is a look at 5 potential endings to John Cena vs. Roman Reign at this Sunday's No Mercy PPV:

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#1 Cena wins clean/ Roman gets demoted

Cena wins, LOL.

No matter the opponent, there is usually a pretty strong chance that Cena will come away with the victory, especially at PPVs. He might be going through the autumn years of his career, but big match John normally still has enough standing in the company to earn wins over promising, 'new era' talents like Kevin Owens and Bray Wyatt.

Therefore, it probably won't shock too many people to see John Cena beat Roman Reigns clean at No Mercy. But then again, this is the Big Dog we are talking about, and if there's anyone who might possibly have more influence with Vince, it is Roman.

This match will let us know where Reigns currently is in terms of Vince's plans for the future. Perhaps this whole feud is the boss's way of punishing Reigns for not being able to bring in the eyeballs and revenue he was supposed to. In a recent promo on RAW, Reigns claimed that WWE ticket sales were on the up but quite a few of us remain sceptical about this.

If Cena does come away with a clean victory and the two go their separate ways, it will be clear that the company's plans for allowing Reigns to headline the new era will have been put on hold — perhaps permanently.

#2 Double count-out

Too evenly matched.

Provided this isn't all a punishment for Reigns, there's a very strong possibility that this will not be their only match of the rivalry. Therefore, No Mercy might well end in a no contest, setting up their follow-up bout at the next PPV.

So far, WWE has been marketing this match as the collision between the two biggest stars of the company and there have been several hints suggesting that neither man necessarily has what it takes to beat the other. Therefore the narrative coming out of No Mercy might be that the two powerhouses cancelled each other out, succumbing to a double count-out after a gruelling, evenly matched affair.

While this might leave fans feeling fairly disappointed and underwhelmed, double count-out victories are much more likely to happen on so-called 'B shows'. If this was taking place at a Summerslam or Wrestlemania, then we would probably expect an outright winner.

On reflection, there really is no need for one man to come away with the victory as it feels like this rivalry is just finding its feet. Having Cena or Reigns score a pinfall over the other puts the whole thing out of balance. WWE is often too quick to resort to 50/50 booking which ends up helping nobody.

Plus, if this feud is a way to finally replace John Cena at the top of the wrestling landscape, it should feel like a herculean effort from the Big Dog, and maybe after a few draws, his signature victory will come at the third or even fourth time of asking.

#3 Both are attacked before the match (match never starts)

The Miz-factor.

One possible scenario at No Mercy is that the match between Reigns and Cena will never actually be allowed to start. If, as seems likely, this is going to be the first instalment of a lengthy feud, having this edition fail to get off the ground would be a clever way of extending things without the crowd losing interest.

One option would be to have the two start fighting before the bell rings, with both unable to answer the referee and officially start the match itself. A more inventive way would be for an individual or team to cause some interference backstage and beat the two so badly that they can't get to the arena.

Perhaps the Miztourage could fulfil this role. Thinking back to the first time Cena and Reigns met in the ring after Cena's transition to RAW, Miz made the point that he felt disrespected by the WWE and constantly seeing other big-time names get opportunities ahead of him.

Therefore, a great way for Miz to establish himself into the feud would be for him and his team to attack the two competitors, denying the WWE Universe the chance to see any action.

The writers could then tell a slightly different story, with Reigns and Cena having to work together despite their animosity to overcome a common enemy. If all else fails, an attack by the Miztourage is at least bound to elicit a huge pop from the audience in attendance.

#4 Rollins and Ambrose interfere and recreate The Shield

Is it time?

With the recent reuniting of Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins, fans have been able to reminisce about a period of time in the company's not too distant past when the two of them, along with Roman Reigns, once tore up the WWE's roster as the Shield. With Reigns busy pursuing other avenues at the moment, Rollins and Ambrose were seemingly placed together as neither had much going on heading into the close of 2017.

As good as it is to see the pair back together, they have not yet been repackaged as the Shield. They still come to the ring in their singles gear and haven't officially adopted a tag team name despite holding the championship belts.

Perhaps what is missing from all this is the Big Dog himself. Maybe fans appreciate the effort but would like to see the company go all the way and bring back the Shield as a three-person unit.

If Dean and Seth do interfere to help Reigns beat Cena, it would also allow all three men to turn heel, something that, in different respects, they could probably all do with.

This could also be a way for Vince and company to reignite some interest in the Roman Reigns character, as there is little denying that his most successful period, at least in terms of positive crowd reactions, was as part of the Hounds of Justice. Maybe hiding him a little behind the more popular pairing of Ambrose and Rollins would help him find some long-lost respect.

It seems unlikely at this point, as Reign's career still seems destined to outlive his Shield days, but with the crowd increasingly demanding that Roman at least change things up in his character, perhaps this could be the way to go.

#5 Triple H helps Reigns to win

Enter the Reigns era.

Strip away all the mixed reactions from the doubters and John Cena vs. Roman Reigns essentially becomes a story about the old guard giving way to the new. For better or worse, Roman Reigns looks like he will be replacing the controversial leader of the Cenation at the top of WWE's billing and is probably set to stay there for quite some time.

Therefore, their match at No Mercy this Sunday has the potential to be a true passing of the torch event. After the weeks of high animosity between the pair, it seems unlikely that Cena will be doing this willingly, at least not so soon.

Another way to go about this would be for WWE's management to get involved. Now that Vince McMahon is busy dealing with Kevin Owens over on Smackdown, this could theoretically be Triple H's chance to wipe out Vince's legacy while the chairman's back is turned.

Much like Hogan in the 80s, it has always been Vince who had the final say over how long Cena has been at the top. He obviously sees great potential in big match John to bring in the revenue from ticket sales and merchandise purchases. All things going well, Reigns will be the guy to carry on John's work but maybe it could be written into the story that Vince isn't 100% ready to make the transition yet.

For a while now, fans have been anticipating Triple H taking a more central role in the running of RAW and Smackdown, especially considering how good of a job he is doing on NXT. Helping Reigns to wipe out the face of the PG era could be a great way for this to finally happen.

The only problem would be that this might precipitate a Reigns heel turn, but right now, it's not like the crowd are going to be able to tell the difference.

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