Still More On Brock v. Cena

Hi Scott,

I disagree about your assessment of last night's Brock/Cena match. I think it was the right move to put Cena over Brock the way they did. After all, the idea is to build towards a rematch, and now both men have something to prove when they inevitably lock up again. If Brock had beaten Cena up the way he did and won, then why would anyone want to see the rematch? The alternative would have been an evenly fought match, which does nothing for either man. If Cena had won that way, then it's more of the same stuff everyone hates. If Brock had won that way, then you kill his mystique in one fell swoop. You want to build Brock up to be an unstoppable juggernaut, and they did that last night. He just made one mistake (which you can easily chalk up to ring rust or whatever). Or, they could build on on why I think so many UFC fans hated or resented Brock: He was able to get by on his natural ability without having to get better or diversify his skills. In storyline terms, he could say that he approached last night's match the same way. He didn't wrestle a match for 5 years and he came back and beat the face of the WWE to within an inch of his life. He came up short, but now he knows he has to get serious if he wants to cut a swath of destruction through the WWE (his Summer of Brock, so to speak). He can run roughshod over the fed while Cena's out. Then when Cena comes back, there's your rematch.

Finally, I know you're a fan of Cena's when it comes to his work. I'm shocked that so many people think Cena's a mediocre worker. All I have to say is that last year's Money in the Bank and last night's show were the two best shows of the last 12 months. The best match on either card had one thing in common: Cena working his ass off in the main event. He got a great match out of a guy who hasn't worked a WWE match since Wrestlemania XX. Let's hear it for him! 

Hey, as I’ve noted many times in the past, I think Cena’s a tremendous worker and absolutely should be the top guy because he gets the biggest reactions and can work awesome matches.  I just think he needs a change as a character. 

As for the first point, your explanation of Brock’s journey is a babyface journey.  Someone who makes a mistake and loses, then betters themselves before coming back to go on a path of destruction would make him Steve Austin in 97 or The Rock in 99.  If you have a guy coming out and going “OK, I fucked up, but now I’m going to kill this guy to make up for it,” people will cheer him, not boo him.  Which is fine if you want to go that route, but it seems pointless when all the money matches are on the other side of the fence.  Plus, as others have noted, watch Rocky III and IV if you want to understand where the motivation for the rematch would have come from if Brock had won.  It was RIGHT THERE for WWE to rip off, and given that Hogan became a huge star in the first place because of Rocky III, it’s inexcusable that they’d forget about how to do that sort of booking.