It’s Now or Never, Cena.
The ‘Road to WrestleMania’ began last night with the airing of WWE’s Royal Rumble 2012, and while there is currently only one match officially announced, and a few predicted, I’m definitely starting to get majorly amped up for WrestleMania XXVIII on April 1.
It’s a known fact that a big part of what makes WrestleMania easily the best pro wrestling show of the year is that every WWE SuperStar on the card gives 110 per cent. Sure, most of these guys give it everything they’ve got night in and night out, but at WrestleMania… everything is left in that ring.
But you can still end up with a garbage show even if everyone gives it everything they’ve got. For instance, I could have a spot on the WrestleMania card and give 110 per cent, but chances are people would be pretty displeased with what they were watching.
So far, the card is filling up with guys who can really bring it, and under the bright lights of WrestleMania, chances are pretty low that they’ll disappoint. Sheamus is headed to the big show, where he’ll probably face Bryan Danielson. Lots of potential for a great match there, as well as with Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk, another predicted match. I would gladly sit through a 60-minute Iron Man Match between those two incredibly gifted wrestlers.
But obviously, the one match that every single fan of the business is waiting to see, is hands down the biggest match of this generation: John Cena vs. The Rock.
I realized last night that the WWE is doing the exact right thing with John Cena to set up this match. Finally, after years of pretending it wasn’t there, John Cena and the WWE are acknowledging the fans who hate Cena and everything he stands for. They’ve even extended a hand to the Cena haters and given them a voice, offering a “Cena Sucks” t-shirt.
After watching the amazing, chill-inducing video package on Cena from the Rumble last night (below), I realized the genius behind these questionable decisions by the WWE. They’ve completely obliterated the heel/face aspect that is usually pivotal to any wrestling match, in order to get the eyes of every wrestling fan in the world on this WrestleMania match.
I didn’t realize the enormity of this match until last night. It’s not just a blockbuster match for the sake of bringing in revenue, maybe even more-so this is a stage, in front of everyone, for Cena to silence his haters once and for all.
He’s stepping into the ring with one of the very best in the history of the business, and quite frankly, if he can go move for move, hold for hold with The Rock, he’ll have little left to prove to those who have been calling him out for years now. And I, someone who dislikes Cena, think that’s exactly what he’s going to do.
April 1 the eyes of the entire pro wrestling industry will be focused on one match, but probably more on one man than the other. For years now, I think Cena has been afraid to try and prove those who hate him wrong, for fear of failing to do so. But if he can’t do it at WrestleMania XXVIII, he never will. I think we’re about to see a side of him we’ve never seen before.
And the haters… are gonna hate it.
Journo JT 