John Cena’s farewell run is taking shape
After Cena wrestles Randy Orton at Backlash, who is next?
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Randy Orton, CM Punk, Cody Rhodes all lined up for John Cena in his final run
John Cena has his next opponent. It is one from his past, longtime rival Randy Orton.
The two went back and forth in an entertaining exchange on SmackDown, which ended the same way all of Cena’s interactions go these days–with his opponent getting the better of him. That’s how it ended on Friday, with Orton standing tall over a fallen Cena. In that regard, it was very similar to the manner in which the Cena-Cody Rhodes interactions played out ahead of WrestleMania.
[As a quick aside, I wish there was a better send-off for Rhodes at WrestleMania. Had The Rock been there, which he should have been, then Cena, Rock, and Travis Scott could have delivered a massive beatdown. Instead, we exist in this odd purgatory where Rhodes lost the match but walked out mainly with bruised pride. In terms of storyline, it would have been signally easier to have Rhodes written off temporarily because of a severe beating instead of this gray area.]
Cena wrestles Orton in only a couple of weeks at Backlash. Considering that show takes place in Orton’s hometown of St. Louis, it will be interesting to see how Paul Levesque and crew plan to have Cena leave as champ. The worst place you can be as an established star is to challenge the brand-new champ (better to be in a spot similar to Mick Foley in 1998 when challenging the champ helped elevate him to the main event), and that is exactly where Orton finds himself. Orton is not dethroning Cena–who is building himself as “The Last Real Champion”–less than a month after winning the title.
After Orton, who comes next?
All signs point to CM Punk. That is a feud people will want to see even more than Cena-Orton. Given their history and ability to work on the microphone, it is possible that Cena-Punk becomes even more highly anticipated than Cena-Rhodes.
Rhodes isn’t finished with Cena, either. All signs point toward their story ending in November at Survivor Series. That still leaves time for Cena to wrestle a farewell in December in Boston, as well as room for a few more opponents.
If the purpose of Cena turning heel and winning world title Number 17 is to highlight the person that defeats him, then that is Rhodes. Even though Rhodes is already a star in his own right, being the last man to beat Cena for the belt is a tremendous achievement, and it is one befitting a star. In some regards, it is similar to Brock Lesnar beating The Undertaker and ending The Streak. While it could have went to a rising star (like Roman Reigns), the decision was made to have Lesnar do it and become an even more dominant star. Rhodes defeating Cena for the belt would serve a similar purpose.
Ideally, Cena will add in some additional opponents. An opening-show promo followed by a main event against the likes of LA Knight, Penta, or Damian Priest would inject some real excitement and unpredictability into Cena’s appearances, which are starting to feel like paint-by-numbers in their consistency. That doesn’t need to happen every week, but this current run of promo-and-then-take-his-opponent’s-finisher can only take him so far. And who would be opposed to a title shot against R-Truth?
Originally, it looked like The Rock could be Cena’s last opponent. Clearly, Rock cannot be counted on after his disappearing act at WrestleMania, followed by a disastrous PR spin in his interview with Pat McAfee. So that leaves the door wide open for a final opponent.
Cena’s heel turn hasn’t redefined the wrestling industry. The possibility still remains that it will be very entertaining, especially with a feud against Punk looming. But there are some legitimate question marks, primarily how Cena will keep this storyline buzzing through November.
Seth Rollins is set for career-defining run
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