6 Questions from WWE No Mercy and RAW that most need answering

#6 Did Cena even have a torch to pass?

Reigns wins, so what?

As previously mentioned, John Cena vs. Roman Reigns was surely a much bigger deal in the head of Vince McMahon than in reality. Given the years and years of Cena fatigue that we've all grown accustomed to, and the fact that the Reigns experiment has been a failure since its inception, this match never really stood a chance of getting over.

One thing that most people do agree on is that John Cena vs. Roman Reigns was a kind of passing of the torch moment, something Cena even alluded to himself in the post-match interview. The main star of the PG Era is finally cutting his wrestling workload down to pursue other ventures, and the Big Dog of the New Era looks like his own reign has just begun.

That being said, if Cena did pass the torch to Reigns at No Mercy, what kind of a torch was it, and does Roman even need to accept it? When you look back through history, other inter-generational matches have typically occurred on a much bigger stage and meant a lot more to fans.

Whether it was Andre doing the job for Hogan and allowing Hulkamania to run wild, or Bret Hart turning heel to help launch the career of Stone Cold Steve Austin, fans were able to buy into the narrative and get behind a new star whilst leaving the old one behind them.

Passing of the torch moments are only really effective if the guy receiving it is made to look good. Remember how great Kurt Angle and The Rock made Brock Lesnar look in 2002/2003? This worked because fans respected the legacy that these men had built and were ready to get behind somebody new and see where he could take things.

Cena is basically leaving behind a tarnished legacy, one fraught with low PPV buys, half-empty arenas and unhealthy balance sheets. The worst thing Roman could do right now is be seen as a continuation of that. Reigns needs to help the WWE have a true break from the past and move into a completely new direction. And if he is not the guy to deliver this change, then maybe the writers need to look elsewhere.

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