WrestleRant
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Store
  • About
  • Contact
Picture

SummerSlam Recall, Match #16: John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar, SummerSlam 2014

8/5/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
​​​By Graham "GSM" Matthews

Here on SummerSlam Recall, I will be ranking my top 20 favorite matches in WWE SummerSlam history. A new installment will be posted every day leading up to SummerSlam 2016, culminating with my No. 1 favorite match on Saturday, August 20th. Each article will offer an in-depth look at each match and an analysis of why it is among my favorites.​


Brock Lesnar was riding a major wave of momentum upon returning to WWE in April 2012... before running into the roadblock that was John Cena. Everyone was excited for their No Holds Barred encounter at Extreme Rules, and while it definitely did deliver from an in-ring standpoint, Cena winning (LOL) was unquestionably the wrong finish. Cena's "road to redemption" ended way too early, not to mention it was stupendously stupid to beat The Beast in his first match back.

​I enjoyed Lesnar all the same despite the controversial conclusion to that contest, but it still left a sour taste in my mouth and in the mouths of many. A rematch between them wasn't held after Extreme Rules and likely would have never happened had Daniel Bryan not suffered a serious injury in the spring of 2014. At the end of WrestleMania 30, it was apparent that Bryan vs. Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship was set for SummerSlam, but Bryan's setback put those plans on the back burner.

Regardless of whether it was Bryan or Zack Ryder, it didn't truly matter who faced Lesnar at SummerSlam. The ending result did not need to change, and that was Lesnar becoming the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion. After ending The Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania 30, there was no way he couldn't be the champion in his first match back, and putting him up against Cena at SummerSlam was merely the icing on the cake.

Cena didn't shy away from mentioning their past battles in the weeks preceding the pay-per-view and how he was simply incapable of beating him. Needless to say, that didn't sit well with the former UFC Heavyweight Champion, and now he was extra motivated to give him the beating of a lifetime at the August extravaganza. With their match not having a stipulation this time around, fans figured it would be a straightforward singles matchup, but it was ultimately anything but.

Lesnar entered the event with a head of steam, and not for one moment during the bout did he appear to be vulnerable. And it's important to keep in mind that his opponent was John freakin' Cena. You know, the same guy who has been known to overcome the odds and pull out the win time and time again, even when all hope has seemingly been lost. Not only was he on the losing end of this encounter with The Beast Incarnate, he was utterly humiliated once this match was over.

For example, a mere minute into the matchup, Lesnar laid out Cena with an F-5. That had to be some sort of record, right? Hitting a finisher on Cena no more than a minute into a match? Obviously, that wasn't enough to put Cena away, but it was enough for fans to put aside anything they were doing and fully focus on the contest. I sure know I did, as my buddy John and I exchanged looks of shock as well as elation every time Lesnar inched closer to victory.

A scintillating 16 suplexes later, Lesnar nailed his longtime adversary with one last emphatic F5 to score the three count and his fourth WWE World Heavyweight Championship, at the same event where he won his first won 12 years earlier, no less. For that moment, the Staples Center stood still. Some fans were celebrating the championship triumph of the Next Big Thing, but most were simply in a state of complete disbelief. No, it was no by means a five star mat classic, but it was so different from anything we had seen before that it was a masterpiece as a result.


​SEE ALSO: "SummerSlam Recall, Match #17: Edge and Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz, SummerSlam 2000"
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    Categories

    All
    #AskGSM
    Battle Of The Belts
    Cruiserweight Classic
    Halftime Heat
    Hidden Gems
    Interviews
    Lists/Rankings
    Mae Young Classic
    Mixed Match Challenge
    News
    NJPW
    NWA Shockwave
    NXT PLEs
    Opinion
    Previews
    Retro Reviews
    Reviews
    RJ's Two Cents
    Satire
    Slammy Awards
    SNME
    SummerSlam Recall
    The Deadly Draw
    The World Is A Vampire
    Tribute To The Troops
    Women's Eliminator
    Worlds Collide
    WrestleMania Recall
    WWE Draft
    WWE Network Specials
    WWE PLEs
    WWE Starrcade


    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010

    RSS Feed

©2025 WrestleRant. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • Columnist Corner
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • Audio
  • Videos
  • Store
  • About
  • Contact