Burning Opinion - John Cena Will Walk out of "Money in the Bank" as Champion

John Cena will walk out of “Money in the Bank” as the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. In all honesty, he is the only option to win. None of the other competitors make sense. Who ever wins the title at “Money in the Bank” will go on to face Brock Lesnar at “Summerslam” and Cena is the only person in the match that makes sense to go up against him. Is this going to be a popular decision? Of course not, but as is the current theme in the WWE, it is what’s “best for business.”

Brock Lesnar is coming off the biggest win in professional wrestling history. He is the man that defeated The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at “Wrestlemania.” To follow up that epic feat, you have to go have an opponent that is equally as important, in today’s modern WWE, the only man that comes close is John Cena. He is WWE’s only true star. With Daniel Bryan’s injury, the WWE was placed in a tight spot. To their credit they waited as long as possible, but Bryan’s injury is worse then initially thought. It appears as if Amazon.com may have already spoiled the rumored title match between Lesnar and Cena, but in reality, this is only scenario that makes sense for the WWE.

Let’s examine the other competitors in the match, keeping in mind that whoever wins is going to face Brock Lesnar for the title at “Summerslam.”

Randy Orton. Orton is the closest person in this match that can match John Cena’s star power. However, since “Wrestlemania XXX” he has been somewhat of an afterthought. During the Evolution/Shield feud he was hardly the focus, and in some ways forgotten about. It would be difficult for the WWE to get Orton to the point where he would be relevant enough to face someone like Lesnar. The other major aspect working against Orton is that he is a heel. Lesnar can not work as a face, his character is perfectly built to be a heel. His manager, Paul Heyman, works perfectly as a heel manager. The only way this would work is to turn Orton back to a face. The transition would not be that difficult either. The Authority could turn on Orton, and say he has not been the “face” of the WWE as they had hoped, and now they deem Brock Lesnar as the “face” of the WWE. Would create a compelling feud, but I don’t think changing Orton back to a face is the best move for his long term success, he is much better off as a heel.

Bray Wyatt. Wyatt is the hottest act in professional wrestling. However, he needs to be protected. The way his character is, I’m not sure a feud would make sense with Lesnar. Brock Lesnar is the supposed to be the guy who “legitimizes” professional wrestling. The WWE portrays him as a man who brings in an element of realness, Wyatt’s character is so over the top that feuding with Lesnar would feel very awkward. While I am sure the genius of Paul Heyman could find a way to make it work, I think Wyatt needs to be protected. Feuding with Lesnar would not benefit Bray Wyatt’s career, if anything it could ultimately hurt his career.

Cesaro. Placing Cesaro in this match was a mistake by the WWE. He should be in the ladder match for the “Money in the Bank” briefcase. Him winning the briefcase makes far more sense then anyone else. It is almost a certainty that Lesnar will walk out of Summerslam as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, having Cesaro turn on Paul Heyman and cash in the briefcase would be the ultimate rub for him. I will admit storyline wise, it would be amazing for Cesaro to win the title and head in to Summerslam as champion to face Lesnar. Seeing Heyman play both sides and have to choose, while pitting two amazing athletes against each other would be amazing. However, it is not the kind of draw the WWE needs for their second biggest event of the year.

Alberto Del Rio. This is laughable. No chance he walks out as champion. His character is stale and the crowd has zero interest in him. If Del Rio walked out as champion, the WWE may end up with the lowest ratings they have ever seen, fans would riot. Moving on.

Kane. Kane will go down as one of the greatest big men ever in professional wrestling, but the WWE has killed his character over the past five years. They have flipped him from heel to face, masked to unmasked, comedy act to monster way too many times for fans to take him seriously. He is no longer viewed as a threat. If the WWE had protected Kane’s character over the years this could have been a really interesting feud. They have could played off of Kane trying to avenge his brother’s loss, or even set out to prove that he is better than The Undertaker. Unfortunately, the fans just don’t look at Kane as the monster he once was. Kane is still a tremendous performer and will add a unique element to the match, but there is no way he will win and go own to face Brock Lesnar.

Sheamus. Right now Sheamus is not a main event caliber wrestler. His in-ring work is still at a very high level, but his character has grown stale with the audience. Sheamus would benefit greatly from a heel turn. As a face, Sheamus may never be able to be a consistent main eventer, but as a heel he could certainly be the number one or two heel in the company. This match may have made sense a few years ago, but right now Sheamus vs. Lesnar would not draw at all.

Roman Reigns. In a year, I would love to see this match. Roman Reigns appears to be on a path to super stardom. I recently wrote that I was not sold on Reigns becoming a top star, and while I still have some concerns I do believe he will become a top talent in the WWE. However, the WWE can not Ryback this situation. Putting Reigns in a match against Lesnar would be the wrong decision at this point. Besides, from a storyline perspective it would be a huge curveball. It is well known that the WWE has been building up a Reigns vs. Triple H match for “Summerslam,” so changing the plans for that match would make little sense at this point.

Like it or not, John Cena will be walking out of “Money in the Bank” as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Whoever wins this match is going to be champion at “Summerslam.” The WWE will want to have as strong a champion as possible to face Brock Lesnar. Knowing that you know whoever wins this match will also retain the title at “Battleground” next month. Is this the best option from a storyline or TV perspective? No. Most likely this feud will not be much different from their feud leading up to “Extreme Rules” in 2012. The match itself should be entertaining and physical, similar to their previous match, but the build up will probably fall flat.

Summerslam is the WWE’s second biggest even of the year, they are not trying to sell the event to fans like you or me. The WWE is trying to sell the event to the casual fan, and the only match that makes sense from that perspective is Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena. “Money in the Bank” is always an interesting event because it is never about that night, it is about the future. This year is no different, but with a twist. This year’s “Money in the Bank” is all about who will face Brock Lesnar, and who can draw the most money with Brock Lesnar? The answer is easy, John Cena.

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