So what is everybody's New Year's resolution? Mine is to stand more perfectly erect. Perfect posture is how you get them to come back for more.
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| New Year's Inspiration |
One man who never slouches is of course the undisputed Kingpin of the WWE scene for the past nine years, from the mean streets of West Newbury, Mass, John Cena! In this "Wham Bam Thank You Ma'am" world we live in where we demand the latest and greatest yesterday that Cena has been the Face of the WWE since 2005. Put this perspective, back in the 80s when title reigns and feud were longer, Hogan lasted nine years on top with a run from 1984-1992. Bret Hart, Steve Austin, and The Rock were positively flash in the pans compared to the stability that John Cena fostered. As Cena entered his historic tenth year on top the WWE machine, what was left for the Man you can not see, but is yet ubiquitous.
Thus we begin the six part look back on the year that was inside the WWE ring with John Cena. I scoured the internet for top ten, top 25 WWE matches of the year list. From this, I culled the common ones and the ones that piqued my interest and claim up with a list of 25 matches I needed to either watch or re-watch (thanks to the Network it is now usually re-watch) and we begin with John Cena's four matches that seemed to be the most must see.
The year 2014 unlike past years for Cena was one of health and dare I say some goodwill as it seemed with greater frequency than since 2003, crowds were more positively receptive of Cena. A past RAW, actually saw a Minneapolis crowd clamor for Cena to make a save. Personally ever since the amazing CM Punk feud of 2011, I have been a fan of Cena inside the squared circle. It is a personal epiphany, not that Cena all of sudden became a maestro in the ring. The CM Punk feud allowed to me to see John Cena clearly for the first time. From the odd Cena match I have rewatched, I realized the problem was with me and not Cena's working ability. I was drinking from a poisoned well and now have to recognize the greatness of John Cena.
A Most Benevolent Benefactor:
John Cena's selflessness does not just extend to his fans where he had granted over 400 wishes for the Make A Wish foundation, it has been exhibited inside that 20 x 20 ring. Against hungry, up and comer, Cesaro, Cena showcased Cesaro's amazing feats of strength. Cena never let this become an exhibition. He made Cesaro work hard and together they looked all the better for it. Cena's generosity at the time made Cesaro look like a million bucks that was knocking the door, but was not quite there yet.
The most selfless act of any main event babyface in history was the historic ass-whupping he took at the hands of Brock Lesnar at Summerslam. Just when every wrestling fan said they had seen it all before, Brock Lesnar and John Cena blow out minds with an unexpected blowout reminiscent of the Broncos-Seahawks Super Bowl. Never before had a top level babyface (Hogan, Austin, Sammartino etc...) ever been so decisively demolished and had to come back to work within a week. Personally and I think most agree, how they handled the aftermath pissed away an interesting opportunity to have Cena grow as a character as he doubts his abilities after such an ass-kicking. The Night of Champions that followed is an incredible match with both men playing their roles fantastically. The problem was that should have been at Survivor Series or the Royal Rumble. With the final third chapter coming at Wrestlemania where all is rectified with Cena overcoming his greatest challenge, the Beast, Brock. While I may be miffed at the booking, there is no doubt, there was no bigger "Big Fight" feel this year than when Cena and Lesnar locked up for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. I will never complain about more Cena and Lesnar.
A Tepid Year?
The rest of Cena's year felt pretty ho-hum relative to previous years. Bray Wyatt attempted to subvert in his innate good nature, but the storyline was inconsistent at best and lacked interesting plot developments. The matches often felt overly cinematic and bloated. The Last Man Standing match was a fun action move blockbuster ending, but left Bray Wyatt with little to do and he has only recently recovered. After the Brock rematch, Cena was ripshit at Rollins for his interference that assuredly cost him the title. There was one problem, Dean Ambrose was hot at Rollins too. In a numbskull booking decision, Ambrose beat Cena to win the right to fight Rollins and what does John Cena, the loser, receive a Number One Contender's match against Randy Orton. But, but he lost. Nobody was clamoring for more Cena/Orton that if for sure. They continued the Cena/Authority feud that seems so ham-fisted and artificial. No one knows why the Authority dislikes Cena. Cena was an afterthought in the thrillride, Team Cena vs Team Authority and then had a fun tables match with Seth Rollins. Brock Lesnar's departure left Cena in a holding pattern and now that they are building to the Rumble, Cena has direction and we are building to the exciting third chapter in the best and most marquee feud WWE has.
Overall, I would say John Cena had a good year in 2014. He was World Champion once again. He had the two biggest fights of the year against Lesnar with both being considered Match of the Year Contenders. His match with Cesaro is one of the best matches of the year on RAW. However, the year feels shallow for Cena in terms of quality and interesting feuds. If Cena felt directionless the past three months, I thinks that tells you all you need to know about the booking the past three months. Going forward, that will be the most telling of this series is how the majority of these matches comes from the first third of the year.
Match Listing:
John Cena vs Cesaro w/Real Americans - RAW 2/17/14 ****1/4
Cesaro strength showcase, but Cena fights from underneath to give this a sense of struggle.
John Cena vs Bray Wyatt - WWE Payback 2014 Last Man Standing ***1/2
Fun summer blockbuster, but not enough hate and transitions too capricious, forgettable
WWE World Heavyweight Champion John Cena vs Brock Lesnar - WWE Summerslam 2014 ****1/2
Lopsided destruction. Amazing Brock heel performance, Cena's selling off the charts good
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar vs John Cena
WWE Night of Champions 2014 ****1/2
Cena avoids early F-5 & just keeps coming. His unbreakable will carries him. Brock's reactions are perfect.
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| Cena rides the Merry Go-Round |
John Cena vs Cesaro w/Real Americans - RAW 2/17/14
Much like the Bryan/Cesaro RAW match from 2013, I thought this match was overhyped initially by the commentary I was reading. The difference here was that upon rewatch, Cena and Cesaro lived up to the hype of being one of the best matches on free TV for the year of 2014. It is true testament to both competitors that even though the match was a showcase for Cesaro's strength spots, it never descended into an exhibition. On the surface level, many would attribute that Cesaro's creativity in setting up his own strength spots such as:
1. Using a Cena leapfrog (very typical Cena spot) to hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Almost never see Cena's leapfrog countered and an excellent transition to Cesaro controlling the match.
2. Catching a Cena cross body block into an incredible fallaway slam.
3. Reversing the STF into a deadlift gutwrench
4. Using an uppercut to block Cena's top rope legdrop to setup his middle rope suplex from the apron.
Cesaro really does come off as the Swiss Superman in this match and this is not against Rey Misterio, but against John Cena. It is not just Cena's presence that makes it all that more incredible, but how Cena sets Cesaro up to look amazing. Cena is purposefully wrestling smaller to make Cesaro look larger than life. He tried to match strength and power with Cesaro early, but two mistakes (leapfrog and crashing & burning over the top rope) put him in a bad position as Cesaro is content to lean on him with chinlocks. Cena tries to pull unexpected tricks like the hurricanrana and the cross body block in doing so he magnifies Cesaro's strength. Of course, Cena's most important role in this is to maintain that this is a sporting contest not an exhibition for Cesaro, which could have very easily devolved into with a more mindless performance. Cena was always on Cesaro fighting from underneath and making Cesaro earn every inch. I enjoyed the Giant Swing teases because it gets a rise out of the crowd, but also I see the move as the ultimate grandstanding, hot dog move. He could win with the Neutralizer, but the Giant Swing shows off Cesaro's strength and humiliates Cena. You see that Cesaro's hubris almost costs him twice: STF and a DDT. He finally takes Cena on the Merry Go-Round, but that does not get it done and now it is time for the Neutralizer. This is of course the perfect position for the FU, wait, Cesaro lands on his feet. Wicked Cesaro big boot and WHATTA CLOTHESLINE, MICHAEL, BY CENA! Cena fireman's roll through into a FU for the victory.
Great ending because at the end of the day, Cena can beat Cesaro at his own game because he is still John Cena and power is his game. Cesaro pushed Cena hard, but came up short because he became obsessed with the Giant Swing and not just winning but proving he is The Man. I really liked the champion veteran against hungry up and comer dynamic throughout the match and how Cena was so selfless throughout the match. Selflessness is something I like to see in my heel because it is his job to shine up the heel. Cena walked the perfect tight rope to make Cesaro look like a million bucks, but he himself never lost his luster. Say what you will about Cena the promo or Cena the character (and I have my issues), but inside those ropes, he knows what he is doing. My slight qualms with this match. This match could have benefitted from body part psychology because Cesaro would go for chinlocks, which is fine, but the match could have used a little more spice. Even thought, I liked the ending, Cena did to readily get into the FU position from the Neutralizer. If you look at his selling and body language during his standard comeback (shoulderblocks), you see a man fighting through pain and exhaustion to win. The Cena at the end was a little too fresh. Regardless of these qualms, on the surface, the match showcases Cesaro as a Swiss Superman on the cusp of main event stardom, but if you look closely you see why John Cena is The Man and has been The Man for all these years. ****1/4
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John Cena vs Bray Wyatt - WWE Payback 2014 Last Man Standing
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| He Holds The CeNation in his Hands |
I would say my favorite trend of 2014 was each PPV having an overbooked, entertaining clusterfuck on the show. It spices the show up and allows more intersection between different characters and ties the matches, angles and character motivations together better due to the booking to be very limited. Unlike the Attitude Era, these matches do not feel as overexposed and the wrestling surrounding the hijinx is better than in that era. That being said while I find these matches entertaining they fall more in the Summer Blockbuster category than Oscar-winning performances. A perfect example of this which is Cena vs Wyatt Last Man Standing, which has made multiple Top WWE Matches of 2014 list.
To me this match begins and ends with Cena hurling those steel steps right into Wyatt's face. I mean he fucking nailed him. First time, I watched it, I was convinced that was the finish and when it was not, I knew they never could top it and the match would feel anticlimatic. Instead, Wyatt just hits Sister Abigail in the next spot. It is fun, but the spots and transitions are arbitrary and capricious. It is violent, but you do not feel the visceral hatred. The beginning of the match is a rushed version of their typical match. Cena feeds Wyatt a ton of great cutoff spots to show off his explosive transitions. They trade finishers and the Wyatts and Usos brawl for a bit. It all feels very perfunctory. This when that hatred would come in handy to really build interest instead they are resting on Cena's presence, which always ignites a thunderous reaction rather the story they are telling in the ring. Cena uses the chair and writes it off as it is legal so now Cena is not in a moral quandary. I was never buying all that anyways. This when the counters were flying and just hitting spots. The Usos and Wyatts have a really fun little street fight on the outside which ends up with everyone going through tables. They have one last holy shit bump which is Wyatt's cross body through the barricade, which was pretty cool. Cena then just walks over to the pyro area and FUs Wyatt's ass through a box and then tips over a heavy box to win. The steel steps should have been the finish.
It is a fun Summer Blockbuster that I will forget tomorrow save for the steel steps. There was no real substance it was just instant gratification. I have no problem with that, but this is definitely overhyped in my opinion. On top of that, there was so much action movie violence rather than that gritty violence you would see in street fights of yore that really made this feel very much like exhibition. The best stuff to come out of a shitty feud, but not real worth going out of your way to see. ***1/2
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WWE World Heavyweight Champion John Cena vs Brock Lesnar - WWE Summerslam 2014
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| One of Sixteen |
Brock Lesnar gave a heel performance for the ages in the biggest match of the year. It was the little touches like stepping on Cena's hand, the trash talk, and the desire to make Cena give up. He could have pinned him at pretty much any moment after about two minutes into the match, but he wanted to dominate and humiliate Cena. He wanted to force Cena to tell the referee he could not continue because Brock Lesnar beat him so senseless. Like any good villain, Lesnar's hubris almost cost him on two different occasions. The elbows into the FU was electric and the STFU brought people to their feet. Jerry Lawler was the perfect voice for all the children that did not want to believe their hero was going to be vanquished at the hands of the meanest schoolyard bully there ever was. Good conquers evil, right? Not when evil is Brock Fucking Lesnar. When he did the Zombie Sit-Up complete with a crazed look and maniacal laugh, it was the perfect horror movie image that the monster was not going to stay down. Sufficiently rattle though by STFU, Brock quit playing with his food and hit the F-5 to win the match in a similar vein to the Seahawks' complete annihilation of the Broncos in the 2014 Super Bowl.
I am a Brock mark. As soon as he gets into the ring, I hang on every single explosive and impactful move. Immediately every match becomes bigger when Lesnar is involved and becomes a fight for survival. So many matches from this decade are struggle between being a choreographed exhibition against a predetermined sporting contest. When Lesnar walks down the aisle, all that is effaced from my mind. I know I am going to watch a fight. The opening 30 seconds of this match maybe my favorite opening 30 seconds from any match (with only Tenryu vs Mutoh from 2001 coming close). The amount of struggle in that opening moment. Cena meeting the Beast head on and trying to fight fire with fire. For Lesnar to snap off an F-5 so early was just an incredible climax. The only thing ballsier than the match they gave us would have been to end the match right there. Part of me thinks they should have. The beatdown was a merciless onslaught of unmitigated violence. Cena's glassy-eyed and foggy selling was so spot on. I talked about Cena's selflessness in the Cesaro match, but on no stage was it more apparent. How many top babyfaces would have been so secure to allow them to essentially be squashed by the top heel on the second biggest PPV of the year? None come to mind. The only two matches that come close to how this one was booked were Vader vs Sting from Great American Bash '92 and Brock Lesnar versus The Rock at Summerslam '02. The difference was the Sting match was a little more competitive and Vader is always willing to bump for his opponent and in the Rock match he was leaving WWE for months. Cena got two flurries of offense and would be expected to show up within coming weeks and continue to compete.
The match is carried by strong heel and babyface performances and unique circumstances, but because of its lopsided nature it is not something I consider a slam dunk Match of the Year Contender. It feels like a great first act in a play that hooks you immediately. I believe wrestling matches should be viewed in context, but ultimately need to be able to stand alone. i do not think this match can standalone and it is too tethered to its aftermath. That aftermath is very disappointing. Just when everyone says they have seen everything ever in wrestling WWE pulls off something that I am struggling to find a comparison point to. I would say this is something never been done before. Yet, they treat it like just another John Cena loss where he comes back with no injuries, dominates the entire Wyatt Family and is hungry as ever. He essentially no sold the match. Just like the spots in a match, which should have consequence on the next spot in a match, the match itself should have consequences in the storyline. If the WWE does not respect their own booking, then how can I? For that reason, it is why I am knocking this match down a peg, because its influence was not as strong as it should have been. ****1/2
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WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar vs John Cena
WWE Night of Champions 2014
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| Never Give Up. Never Ever Give Up |
In this match, Cena did learn a couple things from the previous dreadful encounter. First, he could not afford to dig such a deep hole for himself early and just survive the onslaught. He needed to avoid being dropped on his head and he held onto the ropes with all his might. In mirror moment, he scored an early FU, but unlike the the early F5 at Summerslam this had little effect on Lesnar. I loved Lesnar's game plan early of using the Kimura to sap Cena's strength and control Cena. It was a perfect defense against Cena's fastbreak offense. Without the early F5, Lesnar never had the same dominant advantage. Instead, he used the Kimura to cut Cena off and keep Cena at bay. In doing so, he set Cena up for his big throw-based offense. We saw a variety of suplexes from Lesanr and a variety from which he could hit them from including as cutoffs to Cena. Like I said without the early F5, Cena was able to score some more headshots that rattled the Beast. I loved Cena's game plan, which was a mixture of survival, rope a dope and bomb throwing. That was the second thing Cena learned, once he survived, he needed headshots and kill blows. This was not the time for shoulderblocks and bullshit. He was going for hard uncharacteristic Cena elbows. That back elbow was fucking some Misawa-level shit. He just needed to survive long enough for them to take their toll. I loved Lesnar's reactions to Cena's spells of offense. He is content to play with his food, but he is scared, he does not fuck around. Cena rattles him with a wicked back elbow and goes for the FU, time to drop him on his head. Cena hits the FU and Lesnar right on it going for an F5, but Cena applies the STF. You can feel the desperation from the big bad bully and he goes back to the Kimura. Now control feels fleeting and the tension really is building. It is all because of how all Lesnar's reactions feel desperate and as a heel he is reacting to the babyface. That is perfect heel psychology. He is being forced to play catch up ball because Cena has finally rocked him. Even though Lesnar seems to regain control with the Kimura, it feels much more tenuous. The strength spot from Cena picking Brock up and ramming him in the turnbuckles is babyface wrestling at its finest. Cena will not be denied tonight. Cena quickly hits an FU, but has enough sense to know that is not enough so he locks in the STF to sap Brock's strength and energy. I love how before Brock gets to the ropes he is pulling him back and one time rips Brock from the ropes. It feels like a real struggle and fight. Cena also knows that STF like the Kimura is a setup to something bigger, the knockout blow: a fourth and fatal FU. Then Seth Rollins hits him with the Money In The Bank Briefcase.
So before I defend the finish, let's wrap up the match proper. I thought this was really well-executed, high drama pro wrestling. It demonstrates how important that early F5 was. Cena was able to avoid thus Brock had to go into contain and attack mode. He was never able to hit the F5. He had his chances but he was caught playing with his food, he would go back to the contain (Kimura) and attack (suplexes). At the end of the day, he let Cena hang around too long and Cena made him pay with that wicked back elbow. After that back elbow, he had to play catch up ball. You give Cena an inch and he is going to take the mile. With renewed confidence, Cena was not going to denied on that and you can sense the desperation and fear in Lesnar. It was beautiful pro wrestling. if they ended it with the Cena victory, I would rate the match highly even if, I thought the booking was very myopic and stupid. In fact this is probably the layout I would have selected for the upcoming Royal Rumble match. What I envisioned does not discount the greatness of Cena's and Lesnar's performances in this match.
Defending the finish, from Rollins's perspective if Cena wins outright, Cena will have gone through hell, but he will still be standing and will not be ripe for the pickings. Lesnar by all counts was down and out. So if Rollins could successfully knock Cena out with the briefcase then Rollins should be able to pin Lesnar easily to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champios. The two arguments I have heard why this was stupid was that Lesnar would just BROCK Rollins or Cena would attack Rollins (as happened). To the first, Lesnar was clearly portrayed as being out from the Fourth FU and the added curb stomp and how he was selling there was no way he would just steamroll Rollins. To the second point, well Rollins should have done a better job making sure Cena was knocked out. The plan was foolproof if he executed it properly, but in haste he did not finish the job on Cena so Cena was able to prevent him from cashing in out of anger (YOU FOOL!). I hold that booking was sound on the finish from a psychological point of view even if it was not what I would have chosen. The match never reached the transcendent levels of Brock/Cena Extreme Rules 2011 and with the overbooked finish, it has a tenuous claim to the match of the year at a ****1/2 rating.
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We close John Cena's 2014 with some great matches that will go down in the history books. The story is not finished as Cena versus Lesnar will lock one final time at Royal Rumble with myself and my brother in attendance. The rematch at Night of Champions has a tenuous claim to Match of the Year and the Summerslam match is the most memorable match of the year.
Next up we take a stroll down memory lane when the futures of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns collectively looked so bright when they were known as the most powerful three man unit in recent memory: The Shield.
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| Believe The Hype and Believe In The Shield |
