Which Was Better: Cena/Bryan In 2013 OR Cena/Brock In 2014?

When trying to decide on a weekly topic, it usually depends on one of two things. First, is it relevant to the present day? Second, do I know what I am talking about? The latter is always going to be questionable at best, but the former plays into my thinking this week. WWE Summerslam is right around the corner, so that part is a ‘gimme.’ About what though? Well…

In my Jay’s Ways column (on another website), I tend to spend a lot of time giving John Cena a mountain of praise. Most of the time, it is probably pretty annoying. Now though, in 2015, it seems his greatness is finally being appreciated by all fans. Supporters and detractors alike. With the annual August pay-per-view coming up in two weeks and him once again in a prime spot, I believe it is only fair to look back at his recent Summerslam history. Thus, the column was born!

Which Was Better: John Cena/Daniel Bryan in 2013 OR John Cena/Brock Lesnar in 2014?

Summerslam 2013: Set Up – In July 2013, John Cena was reigning WWE Champion and without an opponent for Summerslam. He had just defeated The Rock, Ryback, and Mark Henry. There were very few ‘big’ names left, worthy of that spot. At the conclusion of Raw on July 15th, Cena was to select his own Summerslam championship opponent. An interesting move that was later criticized for not being a “legitimate” way to crown a new #1 contender. While that argument does hold water, it does not in this case. Daniel Bryan had defeated The Shield (a huge accomplishment at the time), had defeated Sheamus clean (rare), and even beat Randy Orton in a recent RAW main event. Clean. Fans knew it was his time, as did WWE…and most importantly, so did Cena as he selected The Yes Man to face him at Summerslam.

Summerslam 2014: Set Up – A lot like 2013, John Cena needed an opponent for Summerslam 2014 in the WWE World Championship main event. Could it be Seth Rollins? Would it be Randy Orton? Heck, with The Authority making the decisions, maybe it would be Triple H himself? Well, leave it to Paul Heyman to enter the picture and inform HHH that he had a perfect plan. Plan C – Brrrrrock Lesnar! Hot off ending The Streak at WrestleMania 30, it was the next logical step. Take down the #1 man John Cena and become champion. Triple H agreed to put his differences aside with the two, shook their hands and did what was best for business: Lesnar vs. Cena at Summerslam for the WWE World Title!

Which set up was better: Slight edge goes to 2013 here. I knew Cena would pick Bryan. You knew it. Fans in the arena that night clearly knew it. We all knew it, but that is exactly what made the moment so much better. Just waiting for Cena to say his name. So great. While the Lesnar re-introduction in 2014 was also awesome, it can not top the previous year’s moment.

Summerslam 2013: Build – This was played as a face vs. face showdown. Weeks before the event, I called this out generations’s WrestleMania VI with Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior. One good guy taking on another in which the only end result could be the younger/fresher star winning CLEAN over the older and more established name. The build up worked on both of those sides. Cena had his fans (and not so much fans), while live crowds were warming up to Bryan at a rising rate week after week. The clash was inevitable, and on the final RAW, WWE went the predictable “wrestling vs. sports entertainment” route in promoting Bryan vs. Cena. I figured it would come up eventually but still, it is quite silly to mention on air and started drifting into the worked shoot junk. Also, Triple H inserted himself as the special guest referee last minute, similarly to the Summerslam 2011 main event. Spelled controversy was coming and distracted from the one on one bout between Bryan and Cena…

Summerslam 2014: Build – Brock Lesnar was on his usual part-time schedule, which is no problem to me. He SHOULD be on a part-time schedule. At the same time, John Cena was also on a part-time schedule in July/August 2014. He was filming two movies (Trainwreck?) and away from WWE for a little bit. Truth be told, it hindered the build a little but not really. The company already had the main event set, and that alone would sell the pay-per-view event. Lesnar. Cena. WWE World Title. What more do you need? Have Cena give his big rah-rah speech six days before the match and show those cool Brock video promos. That’s it.

Oh, and an all-time classic line from Lesnar: “Party’s over grandpa.”

Which build was better: Going with 2014 here. Brock Lesnar just makes everything more important by virtue of being Brock Lesnar. The Bryan/Cena stuff from 2013 was your typical face/face stuff (nothing wrong with that) and suffered from the HHH inclusion, and as much as I enjoyed the promo, the worked shoot stuff about WRESTLING is not my cup of tea.

Summerslam 2013: The Match – Ranked as my #3 match of the year…

“What a show. From top to bottom, Summerslam truly lived up to its billing this year. With such momentum behind Daniel Bryan trying to take the WWE Championship from John Cena, there was no way either would disappoint. Triple H calling things down the middle made this even better. Bryan vs. Cena for the title – no funny business or outside interference. There would be plenty of that after, but from bell to bell, Bryan beat Cena clean in the middle of the ring for the top prize in this industry…ONE, TWO, THREE! Unreal.”

That is the condensed version but yeah – you knew Cena would deliver, and you knew Bryan would deliver. Triple H DID stay out of it, so he was a non-factor (well…). Summerslam 2013 was a very good PPV for WWE and capped off with a memorable main event.

Summerslam 2014: The Match – Ranked as my #4 match of the year…

“There is going to be LOTS of discussion of this main event in the weeks/months/years to come, but I will stop there. Great main event with WWE, Cena, and Brock deserving a ton of credit. Tons of kudos. Tons of praise. It is easy to rip WWE when they gets things wrong, but when they get things right like last night, you have to give credit where it is due.”

Eat. Sleep. Suplex. Repeat. I hardly ever use the words ‘buried’ and ‘squash,’ but in the literal sense, Brock Lesnar buried John Cena with a squash victory in the main event of Summerslam 2014 to win the WWE World Championship. Obviously, it is Cena, so that does not technically apply, but you get what I mean. Lesnar dominated from start to finish and for a main event of a major PPV, it was something VERY different. In boxing and MMA, promoters get rich off quick KOs and dominant fighters. In the world of wrestling, you just expect a lengthy 20 minute bout no matter what the circumstances and a quality back and forth main event. Not with The Beast. Not here. He wiped the floor with Cena…and it was great. Exactly what should have happened.

Which match was better: Can I give a tie? Cena and Bryan focused on the wrestling aspect and who was the better man, while Cena and Brock was all story telling with a new conqueror emerging in WWE. I enjoyed both. My initial reaction was to go with Summerslam 2013, but Summerslam 2014 was so unique it is hard to deny its place in wrestling history.

Summerslam 2013: Followup – Well, Daniel Bryan was not WWE Champion for long. Moments after his victory over John Cena, Randy Orton came out to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase. He was a face, as was guest ref Triple H. That changed in a matter of seconds. The confetti and ongoing celebration for Bryan was cut short after a shocking Pedigree. HHH and Orton were in cahoots, turned heel, and three seconds later, a new champion was crowned. Orton and Bryan would feud for months on and off, leading to WrestleMania 30 where Yes-tleMania ultimately reigned supreme. As for Cena? He exited the picture the night after Summerslam, revealing he needed surgery, BUT Cena was sure to mention his health had nothing to do with his loss and gave a huge vote of confidence to Daniel Bryan. Big moment there.

Summerslam 2014: Followup – Pretty simple. John Cena and Brock Lesnar did have a rematch a month later, but the champ retained and went on to take the Fall off (a whole different conversation there). Business did pick up in January when Brock returned to beat Cena and Seth Rollins in an excellent triple threat match and while in contract negotiations, he made his way towards a WrestleMania 31 main event clash against Royal Rumble winner Roman Reigns. In what could have been his final WWE match ever, Brock’s wave of momentum was sure to end one way or another. Either by Reigns…or by Seth Rollins cashing in his MITB briefcase. New contract aside, it was clear the tide was turning, and a new WWE World Champion was coming sooner rather than later. As we all saw, Rollins was the beneficiary. In a first, he cashed in DURING the WrestleMania main event, pinned Reigns and stole Brock’s title. Nearly a year after Summerslam 2014, Lesnar is still The Beast and looks to be unbeatable.

Which followup was better: Yikes. Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton had their…um, feud for the Fall season. However, that led into a classic WM main event moment. Brock Lesnar was off television for the Fall season but finished his title run strong when WM season rolled around. As much as I loved the Reign of Brock, WrestleMania XXX was truly all about Daniel Bryan winning the title and overcoming all the odds.

Summary

Both Summerslam main events. Both WWE Championship bouts. Both with clean losses to John Cena. Yet, both unique in their own way. I have made my opinion clear, so now I turn it over to all of YOU!

Cheap Plugs

Read Jay’s Ways on nodq.com

MIND, BODY, POKER: http://www.wholesomepoker.com/

FASHION FUN: http://winifredjac.com/

Watch Big Brother 17 on CBS.

Here is where you can send me all of your lovely messages:

Email – [email protected]

Twitter – @JustinWatry

Thanks.