Mark for War: Owen-ed
This past weekend at WWE’s Elimination Chamber PPV, we saw a dark horse Match of the Year candidate between John Cena and Kevin Owens.
I think everyone would agree it was the PPV’s match of the night. Much to the surprise of many, Owens went over in the match. I was fine with the finish. I would have preferred if it came across like Owens stealing one more than it did. What annoys me is that at the next PPV, Money in the Bank — which is mere weeks away — we’ll get a rematch (I’ll get to that in a sec).
So, the feud continues:
Awesome promo by both Owens and Cena on Monday’s Raw, by the way.
I love that the feud includes Kevin Owens’ son, and how his father resents him liking John Cena. I see a match somewhere down the line with Owens’ son front row, and his Dad destroying Cena in front of him while he cries.
As for the Money in the Bank match coming up, I think it’s a mistake. How the hell can the Money in the Bank rematch unfold other than with Owens winning clean again? If Cena wins, the previous win of Owens is chalked up as a fluke. If Owens wins by DQ, the first win is tarnished. Also, a rematch is totally contradicting the Owens character laid out for us a couple weeks back on Raw. Wasn’t Owens supposed to “fight Cena when HE was ready”? Well, I guess he got ready pretty quick. We’re about to see two PPV matches between the two within a month.
Why WWE didn’t have Owens sneak away with the win, and then hold it over Cena’s head for months upon months is beyond me. Can you imagine a Royal Rumble number one contenders match, with the winner facing the champ at Fastlane, or something along those lines?
Even though Cena jobbed to Owens, it’s hard for me to watch a match like this and not reiterate something I’ve thought for the last couple years: John Cena is the best WWE has to offer.
I like to think I am an unbiased wrestling fan. I don’t cheer for anyone to win or lose. My favorites are simply those who provide us with best action in the ring, cut the best promos, tell the best stories, so on and so forth. But if I had to pinpoint my favorite way to gauge one’s ability, it would be how that Superstar makes their competition look in the ring. I’ve seen great Superstars in the past make great talents look inept in the ring, and vice versa. It’s very easy for me to say that Cena seems to bring out the best in whomever he faces. Owens could be a top 5 WWE star before the years end, and more than likely Cena will provide him with his best match of his first year, like Cena has done with many in the past year. Off the top of my head…
- Randy Orton (Hell in a Cell, 2014)
- Brock Lesnar (Summerslam, 2014)
- Seth Rollins (Summerslam, 2014)
- Rusev (Fastlane, 2015)
Believe me, I am looking forward to Owens clashing with Rollins (a match I’ve actually seen before on the indies). It will be amazing on a big stage, and I’m sure it will exceed what we watched on Sunday. But again, something has to be said, win or lose, about Cena bringing out the best of these competitors, both new and old, one way or another.
He’s a dream opponent, because the crowd is unbelievably hot on him, one way or another, from the jump. This means that the crowd is basically never going to go stale on you. I cannot think of a Cena match, mid-card or main event, where the crowd has seemed disinterested.
For those of you who don’t understand where I’m coming from, imagine if Owens debuted on Raw and started a feud with Seth Rollins — technically the top guy — instead of John Cena. After a couple of weeks of promos, they clashed at this past Sunday’s Elimination Chamber, with Rollins strap on the line. Would the crowd have been hotter for the Owens/Cena match with nothing on the line, or the Owens/ Rollins match with everything on the line? If you’re unsure of the answer, it proves what I’m saying about Cena.
Match of the Week: Bret Hart vs. 123 Kid, Raw, July 11th, 1994
This is an example of the company’s measuring stick dragging the best out of an up-and-comer. This match is insane! One of Bret’s best matches (which covers a lot of ground), and for sure the Kid’s best ever. Bret had a streak in the 90s that will be forever difficult to trump. His matches with Michaels and Austin were arguably their best matches in their careers. He brought out the best in guys like Davey Boy Smith, Bam Bam Bigelow, Yokozuna… the list goes on. Even third tier superstars like Hakushi thrived in matches with Bret. Not saying Cena’s at this level, but I am seeing similarities in Cena’s current run.
