Wrestlemania XXX: John Cena vs Bray Wyatt

[The Brain]

We knew this one was coming but it's still a little surprising. Who would have thought Husky Harris would one day get a WrestleMania match with John Cena? When I first heard the rumors about this match I quickly dismissed them and didn't think Wyatt was at Cena's level for a mania match. Honestly, I'm still having a bit of a hard time picturing it but I want to be sold on it. Wyatt is doing great in his part but I'd like to see Cena view him as more of a threat. The story is off to a little bit of a slow start and there are only three weeks left until mania. I hope the creative team has some big ideas for a strong build here instead of just Cena vs. Harper followed by Cena vs. Rowand and Harper. This build needs to be more verbal and psychological than physical. Cena is one of the best at selling a feud so I'm confident he will deliver in the clutch.

What are your thoughts on this match?
Who will win?
Is this a step up for Wyatt or a step down for Cena?

 

[Eddie Menuek]

First of all, I think that it's going to be a great match. After seeing what Bray Wyatt did at the Royal Rumble with Daniel Bryan I can't wait to see what he and John Cena can cook up. It strikes me as a good match up, and Cena is due a performance at Wrestlemania. I do think it's about where Bray Wyatt should be aiming as well, after such a strong half a year on the main roster. In terms of quality, I don't have a problem. I think it will be a great match.

I'm a little bit puzzled, and concerned, about what the outcome might be. I'm prepared to rule out a clean Bray Wyatt victory; while I'm glad that he's got such a high profile match I highly doubt that WWE are willing to send that message on the grandest stage of all that Wyatt is on a par with John Cena. I take issue with a clean John Cena victory as well; while it seems like a likely outcome, I worry about what it would mean for the momentum of The Wyatt Family. Bray Wyatt can, and undoubtedly would, come out of the match looking strong despite a loss but isn't the sense of mystique and fear kind of gone when he gets overcome? And isn't there somebody on the roster who can benefit from being the guy that overcomes Bray more than Cena would do? If I had to book a finish I'd go with a Wyatt win, via interference/distraction from Luke Harper and Erick Rowan. It keeps The Wyatt Family on the path that they're on, and it's no blemish on Cena's record.

 

[Harthan]

This definitely seems like a match that Cena is going to win, but it's really a win/win scenario. When it comes down to it, the WWE didn't have anything good for Cena here. After his injury, they knew they had to re-establish him quickly lest the top draw start to lose his luster. So they had to give him the world title. With plans clearly in place for unification, okay, he obviously feuds with Orton then. Again, since they were going to push the Authority hard, it meant that Orton had to win. In another time and another era, one where perhaps Daniel Bryan didn't become a phenom, it would be Cena in this storyline with HHH and Orton, looking for one last chance after getting screwed time and time again. But Daniel Bryan could not be ignored, so he's Mania's top face. The sum of a series of logical moves and with too much momentum to change them is that Cena was shut out of the title picture.

Now, you then figure that next to wrestling for the title, the next biggest thing you can do at Mania is wrestle Undertaker. So why not Cena/Taker? Certainly people wanted it. But then, the WWE is locked into this contract with Lesnar that only gives him so many dates a year. Obviously, one of those dates has to be Mania. And if not Taker, then who in the world would Lesnar wrestle? He's already wrestled Cena, and what sense exactly would Lesnar/Cena II make? Not to mention it leaves Taker out to face, uh...nobody special. Maybe Taker/Wyatt could have been done, but that makes even less sense at face value than this.

So, with both of the two biggest things he could be doing taken out of the picture, Cena was the odd man out to pair off with a rising midcarder and do the dance with. With Wyatt solidly on the rise, probably scaring the shit out of the 8-14 demo that forms Cena's strongest fanbase, it seems like letting Cena kill the boogeyman is the next best thing. While Cena will undoubtedly win this match, I think like many of the people Cena wrestles, Bray will come out looking like a much bigger threat. I suspect we'll see the Wyatts focus on the tag titles after Mania, personally, but this should be a nice chance for Bray Wyatt to shine and have everybody look at him as a bigger deal going forward, and it's a solid chance for Cena to have a big match to at least some part of the WWE Universe.

I expect we'll see a hard reset of continuity post Mania (probably with DBD as champion) and Cena will make a return to the main event, but for now, this little diversion into Cena as an upper midcarder is pretty decidedly interesting.

 

[The Eighties]

I didn't think this one would materialize as a reality when it was rumoured a few months back, it's a huge opportunity for Bray and also for Cena, he can really cement Bray in this feud and so I wouldn't consider it a step down for John.

I have no idea what to expect from the actual match and that is kinda fun, I don't know if their styles will mesh as Bray is pretty unorthodox, but I expect them to make it work.

The story from Cena's side is that he's set himself as the guy that the next generation have to go through, which works well enough. Bray initially tried to go the route of calling Cena the hero but too many of the audiences WWE perform in front of have a vocal anti Cena element, so switching it to him seeing Cena as a thoroughbred who is ready to be put down and face the loneliness of no longer being on top is a smarter route.

As for who wins? Cena gains nothing from beating Bray and I don't think hanging with Cena but losing is enough. Having said that Cena's "The future goes through me" angle is kinda done if Bray beats him, and I do wonder if beating the top guy at your first Mania is too much too soon. I think this one is the hardest to call of the main matches.

 

[Nate DaMac]

I can see Cena winning clean here. Bray's character isn't one that greatly benefits from a big win at Wrestlemania, his goals aren't really wrestling orientated. I say Cena wins here then Bray and the family destroy him at Extreme Rules, giving him some time off. The same could happen at Mania, but I don't see Wyatt getting that big of a rub quite yet.

 

[Aeon Mathix]

I have warmed up to this match a lot. At first when I read months ago Cena vs Wyatt was locked in I was like no way. Cena is not going to face anyone at Wrestlemania 30 but Undertaker. I was severely disappointed that that was not the case, but after reading Brain's opening post, I can see it a lot more clearly now. Everyone was just too tied up and Lesnar works I think 3 matches a year so it makes sense to get a big money match out of Taker while he's still around.

As for this match, I really think Cena is going to win, but I wouldn't be shocked at a Wyatt upset either. The people who think that this is a step down for Cena are not really thinking too clearly. If you recall at Mania 26, Triple H faced Sheamus when Sheamus was relatively new. Maybe Cena even requested to work with Wyatt. There is reasoning behind it.

I'll flip a coin and just give my final prediction on this match. Cena wins, everyone cries and says he buried Wyatt, Bray destroys him at Extreme Rules. Done and done.

 

[Mustang Sally]

The story is off to a little bit of a slow start and there are only three weeks left until mania.

It seems that legitimate injuries have slowed the development of this feud. I think Bray's leg injury was fairly serious and kept him out of the ring at a time the feud with Cena should have been building. Yes, we continued to see Bray, sitting at ringside in his rocking chair, watching his country cousins do business in the ring, but planned storylines were delayed because he was out of ring action for so long. Then, once he recovered, Cena gets that groin injury, costing two more weeks of plotline development.

It isn't too late. Despite his many detractors, Cena always manages to come up with a fine performance once the bell rings, while Bray comes off as a detestable enough character to make the WM30 match something we'll want to see.

A few backstage attacks by the Wyatts are all that's needed to fuel this one and we've still got a few weeks to get them done. A more interesting element to be planned is how Cena is going to arrange to keep the other two swamp rats off him during this match, and that's where the intrigue might come from.

Bray might win.....if management wants to continue the feud past WM30, he definitely might. Had the aforementioned injuries to both participants not occurred, they'd probably be wrapping this one up at WM30, but since it's still a fairly new feud because it took so long to get them together, we might see versions of Bray vs. Cena for a while to come.

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Is this a step up for Wyatt or a step down for Cena?

Bray Wyatt debuted a year ago(in his current gimmick not counting Husky Harris). Now he is getting a match with WWE No1 face.

Cena mainevented Mania last 3 years in a row. So this is a bit step down for him after all.

Would be good match but Cena wins. And gives good rub to Wyatt in a process...

 

[bioshock]

I wonder if maybe this is a sign Cena will be in a lesser role following WM30, or maybe that hes leaving to take a break following WM30?

But This is a whole lot like Undertaker's tag match at WrestleMania 19, or Undertaker against Henry at WM22 I think. They just better hope Harris turns out to be a star for years to come, or they will look back on this as being a huge failure.

And besides reminding me of a few head scratching Undertaker WM matches, also reminds me of Hogan & Beefcake against Money Inc. or Savage against Krush at WM10, Triple H vs Sheamus a few years back. Just think they could of had Cena in a more high profile match.

Better deal would of been for Cena to go against Undertaker, or be part of the title match, then have the Wyatts face the Shield in some 6 man tag gimmick match.

But... No doubt this will be a good match, I just hope its not riddled with run-ins.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I don't see what Cena gets from this match at all. It's a 'B' show main event. It's a feud Cena should've had after Mania. Like his Ryback one last year. It's a bit like that year when Steve Austin (WWE's biggest star) ended up facing Scott Hall. We call it a nothing match. Then again, this wouldn't be the first time Cena's been mismanaged at WrestleMania.

I like The Wyatt Family (who doesn't!) but they're a mid-card act. Bray isn't going to become some long-term headline act. It just isn't going to happen.

 

[kadroan]

I'm excited for the match. My only worry is they have the match when the crowd is tired from an earlier match like HHH/Brock last year.

I think Cena will win in a hard fought match but the feud will be far from over. I could see it ending at Extreme Rules.

I think it's a step up for Bray, he gets to go against the best in the company. As far as Cena, it's a good look for him to help the young and coming talent get the exposure he needs.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I'm not 100% sold on WWE using to put Bray over clean here. Cena could use a wheelchair for his entrance at Wrestlemania with a full body cast on, and I wouldn't hesitate to pick Cena for the win. Nothing against Bray, but it's Wrestlemania. Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and The Rock twice. That's a group with one Hall Of Famer, and two future Hall Of Famers, so it's kind of strange to see Bray challenge Cena on the big stage.

Still, I'm going with Bray for the win. The feud will go into Extreme Rules, where Cena picks up a win to even the score. Afterwards, Cena moves on to the WWE WHC picture. Bray will be fine. After all, he'll have bragging rights for a win over Cena at Wrestlemania for the rest of his career.

 

[MMA Mark]

I would LOVE to see Cena get so frustrated during the match, not being able to put Bray away, that he ends up trying to use his chain and gets DQ'd. Bray looks strong and technically gets the win, Cena doesn't lose clean and adds a new, interesting element to his character. It would make the feud so much better if it really showed that Bray had gotten to Cena psychologically. Usually a non-finish in a big match at Wrestlemania would be a terrible idea, but this would be an exception in my opinion. A No Holds Barred rematch at Extreme Rules would be great.

 

[suleman09]

Having a match with cena at mania is a big deal these days and I like the way OP put it, remember this is Husky Harris NXT Season 1 the Nexus guy facing off with cena at the big dance. Im liking the build thus far, I was worried they wouldn't have enough time to build a good story this close to mania but they have sparked a decent flame under this feud. I think it would help the feud if cena walks away from a fight from the wyatts to play up that he's "scared" of bray wyatt. Last weeks promo with eminems "legacy" was a beautiful way to sparking interest. Whoever puts these videos together is pure genius bc that promo got my attention to the feud more than I thought it would. Im excited for this one

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Solid, old-styled program, and I could see them making this seem worthy of Mania by the time it rolls around. Not only that, but both have shown themselves capable of putting on great matches, so if they mesh well, this could be pretty fucking awesome. Im excited for the inevitable and far more entertaining gimmick rematches

 

[The Eighties]

Now that the angle is about Cena's legacy and the kids that believe in him I don't see there being any chance of him losing, but what I';d like to see them do is use the old Raven vs Benoit finish where Bray possess out in the STF while grinning like a mad man. This way, even with a clean loss, you have the story set up for a rematch.

 

[WorldChampionJustin]

John Cena V.S. Bray Wyatt, could this be the most interesting match of Wrestlemania XXX? The build has been great, the promos have been great, Wyatt has been, out-talking Cena in my opinion. This is the match I care about the most, and I hope John Cena puts Bray Wyatt over in this one, I imagine it's the 2nd to last match of the night. Now, it's gone to John Cena's "legacy" being at risk in the match. Could this be the beginning of Bray Wyatt's legacy?

 

[OYDK]

I honestly would love to see Cena put over Wyatt as well but I don't think that it's going to happen unless they decide to give Wyatt the do or die megapush. I can see this match being an amazing match with Wyatt controlling basically all of it to keep him strong and Cena getting the odd high impact move, the comeback near the end of the match, and his 4 moves of doom. In my opinion, the way this match is going to be remembered is based heavily on the ending and how exactly Cena or Wyatt go over.

 

[WrestlingForumGod88]

When I first heard about this match I sort of wrote it off as just a rumour because I always see Cena as the main event man, he's the face of the company after all. But after recent weeks and seeing the feud build it's really intrigued me and listening to Bray's promos is brilliant, mentioning the 'plastic girlfriend' and calling Cena the 'super hero' make it feel a bit more personal and exciting.

This is a fantastic chance for Bray to show what he's got on yeah grandest stage of them all and is also a chance for Cena to prove how good he is in the ring against a fresh new opponent. This match could go either way and is very interesting, could we see a heel turn from Cena? Unlikely but there's nothing wrong with wishful thinking. Ultimately, I see Cena winning this one to give the Cena faithful their Mania moment but Bray will put in a brilliant performance as expected and could propel him into the main event.

 

[MMA Mark]

Segment ideas:

The Bella Twins are talking backstage when the Wyatt Family interrupt. Bray says some creepy thing like 'I can see why John would give in to your...(looks her up and down) temptations..' The girls run off, Bray grins and laughs as he watches them leave. The Wyatt Family later come out while Nikki is in the ring and corner her. Cena runs out to make the save and gets beaten down in front of his girlfriend.

If Nikki's acting skills hold up (that's a big if, I know) then it would push this over the top into an absolutely epic feud. The next week Nikki seems concerned backstage and wants Cena to call off the match, saying he is already injured and could get seriously hurt. He tells her he will never back down from a fight and she says he has to choose between her and the match. He says they talked about this and nothing/nobody will get in the way of his job, before walking off.

Cena has said he's scared of Bray, but I'm not really buying it at this point. Bray needs to really get inside Cena's head in the next couple weeks to really sell him as a threat to Super Cena.

 

[HBsam31]

I never thought the rumors of this match would come to pass, but I am glad it did. I think the build has been very interesting, and have really gotten into Bray Wyatt through his promos in this feud. I hope Bray gets the win here, but I will not believe Cena will lose this match until I see it.

 

[closet_fan]

After Cena's match and the way they started the "Getting into Cena's head" storyline, I'm hoping it's not your typical cut-and-dry match where it goes back and forth, Cena wins and it's a done deal.

This is one of the best Cena storylines I've seen in awhile because it has so much depth to it compared to his recent matches. A Wyatt win would be HUGE, but I just don't know if the WWE would have the cajones to pull it off no matter how high both HHH and Vince are on Wyatt.

 

[JJV]

I just hope Bray Wyatt wins at Wrestlemania. The build has been terrific and honestly, it's one of the most unique feuds I've seen in a long time! Albeit Cena seeing Eric Rowan in the mirror was similar to Orton seeing the Undertaker during their feud, Cena in a sheep mask on Raw this past week was spooky!
I feel Wyatt should stop feuding with Cena after Wrestlemania tho. As much as I'd love to see them use some innovative segments to continue their feud till Extreme Rules, I just don't want Cena to go over Wyatt any time soon. Maybe after Wyatt becomes a certified main eventer he can lose to Cena. But until then, it should be similar to Cena-Punk feud (Cena has never beaten Punk in PPV).

The last time I remember Cena feuding with a stable, he murdered the Nexus! What happened to Barrett after losing to Cena at TLC?
That's why I'm thinking Wyatt should end his feud with Cena at Wrestlemania. Unless of course, WWE decides to give both the PPV victories to Wyatt, which is highly unlikely.

 

[NxtBigThing]

Does this match remind anyone of Hogan vs Undertaker at Survivor Series 91? I remember as a kid thinking there would be no way Hogan would lose to a guy who was only around for a year. However I was wrong and I'm hoping the ones picking Cena are wrong too. Bray is one of the top promo guys right now and he has only been around since this summer. I wasn't impressed with his wrestling at first but since his matches with Daniel Bryan I have seen some good improvement and uniqueness that adds to his character. I can see the Wyatts and Cena having Wrestle Mania type entrances, an entertaining match, and after the match something unique happening. If done correctly this feud should last at least another month, but you never know. I have no idea who will win, but I'm rooting for my guy Bray. Regardless I feel this match will be a win win for the fans.

 

[WarroBODFan]

I think a Cena loss does no harm to him personally, even if it's a clean win for Bray. The thing that has kinda worried me is this portrayal that Cena is the underdog again. Talking about how scared he is, and how Wyatt wants to ruin his legacy. He's added his own brass rings on the line to try and boost the significance of the match. While yes, it's a good thing, anytime Cena is portrayed as the underdog it gives me the impression it'll be the usual "Cena overcomes the odds" thing again. Now I do not dislike Cena, but he doesn't need this win to cement or protect his legacy. Bray Wyatt needs this more.

I don't see why the WWE can't make it look good for both guys, especially if Wyatt gets the WM victory. Let the feud carry on a little longer, and Cena can get his revenge win at Extreme Rules, or even a Raw show before that.