Wrestlemania XXX: John Cena vs Bray Wyatt

[Mustang Sally]

Well, Bray just got a hell of a lot more dangerous by beating Big Show last night on Smackdown, huh? To boot, he did it without the help of his country cousins.

So often, we see the results at a PPV reflect the exact opposite of what happened on the cable TV shows that preceded it. For example, if the Wyatts beat on Cena before WM30.....and cleanly defeat Big Show.....then Cena usually winds up winning the big match. So far, things seem to be pointing that way.

Still, I can't help but think Bray is going to go over at WM30. The feud hasn't really lasted long enough.....and there doesn't seem to be anything else significant for Cena to do in the immediate future after the PPV.

I think WWE has big plans for Bray.....starting with a two-pronged program in which he continues his feud with John Cena AND goes after the world championship held by Daniel Bryan.

 

[@smarkmouth]

I've always been school-of-thought that wins and losses don't matter. This philosophy makes me very excited for this match.

As stated, the Bray Wyatt character is so above wins and losses that the outcome doesn't matter. What matters is the bell-to bell, which has been sold so well by the storyline. When is the last time John Fricken Cena said he was scared of someone? His vulnerability has sold it if not only because it's something we haven't seen out of him.

I'm going to paint you a word-picture with some armchair booking now. I understand if you don't want to read it, so I included Spoiler code.

Spoiler

Hype video plays, business as usual. 'Doctor of Thuganomics' music plays, and we get a throwback Wrestlemania 25 entrance; several dozen John Cenas come out doing the "You can't see me" entrance with Cena himself. Cena's now warming up in the ring.

Wyatt styled blackout. Lights come up. All the Cenas are now wearing sheep masks. Cena is freaked during Bray Wyatt's entrance.

I'm no agent, so I won't try to produce the details of the match itself, but the story that could be told, is Cena not being able to put Bray Wyatt away with anything. AA kick outs and no tap outs for the STF. Cena loses his shit and starts taking it to Bray, too hard. Wyatt is left helpless for the last five minutes of a brutal beatdown.

Remember, Bray Wyatt is "willing to die so the world can see who John really is"

Cena wins, standing triumphantly and celebrating. He looks down and sees what he has done; a (PG-Friendly) bloody Bray Wyatt motionless on the canvas. The crowd takes over from there as he leaves, regretfully, ultimately leading him to question everything the Cena character stands for.

I'm not calling for a heel turn, but a character evolution instigated by this match. The vulnerability that they've shown in Cena suggests to me that maybe the WWE is willing to take the chance and shift the SuperCena character.

Again, that's just armchair booking. But, I hope I demonstrated the potential story this match has, if it's not clear to you already. Wyatt can lose and still look like a fucking winner!

 

[Danny84]

For me bray Wyatt will make this match awesome but cena needs to agree to let bray go over as he needs a strong win at mania to make him a serious danger to everyone I mean a win over cena shows wwe r investing for the future and bray is part of that future he needs to keep the Wyatt family for a few years it works his promos are awesome he is a gd wrestler his gimmick is brilliant think this feud will go until battle ground at least

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

I've always been school-of-thought that wins and losses don't matter. This philosophy makes me very excited for this match.

As stated, the Bray Wyatt character is so above wins and losses that the outcome doesn't matter. What matters is the bell-to bell, which has been sold so well by the storyline. When is the last time John Fricken Cena said he was scared of someone? His vulnerability has sold it if not only because it's something we haven't seen out of him.

I'm going to paint you a word-picture with some armchair booking now. I understand if you don't want to read it, so I included Spoiler code.

Spoiler

Hype video plays, business as usual. 'Doctor of Thuganomics' music plays, and we get a throwback Wrestlemania 25 entrance; several dozen John Cenas come out doing the "You can't see me" entrance with Cena himself. Cena's now warming up in the ring.

Wyatt styled blackout. Lights come up. All the Cenas are now wearing sheep masks. Cena is freaked during Bray Wyatt's entrance.

I'm no agent, so I won't try to produce the details of the match itself, but the story that could be told, is Cena not being able to put Bray Wyatt away with anything. AA kick outs and no tap outs for the STF. Cena loses his shit and starts taking it to Bray, too hard. Wyatt is left helpless for the last five minutes of a brutal beatdown.

Remember, Bray Wyatt is "willing to die so the world can see who John really is"

Cena wins, standing triumphantly and celebrating. He looks down and sees what he has done; a (PG-Friendly) bloody Bray Wyatt motionless on the canvas. The crowd takes over from there as he leaves, regretfully, ultimately leading him to question everything the Cena character stands for.

I'm not calling for a heel turn, but a character evolution instigated by this match. The vulnerability that they've shown in Cena suggests to me that maybe the WWE is willing to take the chance and shift the SuperCena character.

Again, that's just armchair booking. But, I hope I demonstrated the potential story this match has, if it's not clear to you already. Wyatt can lose and still look like a fucking winner!

Most of that is a great idea. I'd like to see Wyatt laughing hysterically by the end. Knowing he was able to show Cena how ugly he can be. Make it like the interrogation scene with Joker/Batman. He wants Cena to "break his one rule" so to speak.

 

[closet_fan]

It seemed like last night's RAW was just one big swerve to get people guessing.

Cena, Bryan and Lesnar all got their "revenge" compared to the week prior. I still think the WWE will do the unthinkable and have Wyatt win. If it ends up being just like every other Cena match, this could do a lot of damage to Wyatt's career.

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

I'm not the biggest fan of the Wyatt Family personally, but I think it's refreshing to see someone come in with an actual character, cutting promos that aren't bland/generic/canned promos that are fed to them. I think Bray is talented, but think it's a little soon for him to step into a match of this magnitude. Taking on John Cena at WrestleMania is a pretty big deal, and it's a huge opportunity for Bray.

Since they aren't pulling the trigger on the Shield split for WrestleMania I can't help but wonder if it would've been a better move to do the Wyatt Family vs. Shield match at Mania instead. The crowd was fucking hot for that match and that feud, it would've been cool to see at WrestleMania.

That being said, I think the build to this Cena/Wyatt match has been pretty good, and it is nice to see a new guy get a shot. When we look back on WrestleMania 30 we might end up seeing it as a major transition point, kind of like Mania 21. Daniel Bryan is going to get a huge push and win the World Title, Bray Wyatt's going to have a major match with Cena and he might even win, plus this could be the final breaking point for the Shield given the tension they've been having. This could end up being a pretty significant WrestleMania in terms of the future of the WWE.

I don't think it really matters if Bray wins against Cena. Either way it's going to be a very close match. I think that if you believe in Bray enough to give him a Mania match with Cena in his rookie year, you might as well make him win and go the whole way with the push, but it's not going to kill Bray's career to get beat by Cena. It would've been cool if they had Hogan in Cena's corner for this match like they did on RAW, and it would make sense since Hogan is a "hero" like Cena, and Bray's gonna have his family in his corner. Then you could have Bray go over Cena, and have the family give him a beat down after the match. Hogan comes in and makes the save, he and Cena fight them off and clear the ring. Bray still gets the win, but Cena and Hogan have a cool WrestleMania moment, and the heroes stand tall in the end.

 

[closet_fan]

I think the only way I would appreciate a Cena win is if they go with the mantra of Bray saying he'll die to expose the real Cena.

Cena wins an instead of getting the usual celebration, Cena literally beats the shit out of Bray at the end. Wyatt can get a nice rub if he can keep a smile on his face, knowing Cena is showing his true colors to the fans. Winning or losing, Bray's intentions are to get the fans to realize he is a false idol they have been buying into for too many years.

 

[rerun406]

^ if that were to happen, not so bad, that'd allow for a bit more evolution of Cena's character, and make him a bit less stale. As for some other stuff I noticed

"use the old Raven vs Benoit finish where Bray possess out in the STF while grinning like a mad man."

I'm familiar with how that bout ended. Could work, but IMO Cena doesn't have a strong enough finishing move for it to work successfully and get the desired impact. **it worked for Benoit because the crossface was a bad ass looking move.

"I still think the WWE will do the unthinkable and have Wyatt win. If it ends up being just like every other Cena match, this could do a lot of damage to Wyatt's career."

particular emphasis on the bold. Others are saying a Wyatt win doesn't really matter, as his purpose is more to destroy Cena .. but legacy is about wins and losses so in that aspect wouldn't getting a win over Cena matter? if the WWE has big plans for Bray, he can't lose his debut Mania match .. even if it's vs John Cena

"would've been a better move to do the Wyatt Family vs. Shield match at Mania instead."

certainly so. I'd be very bummed out if the Shield-Wyatt Families paths never crossed again (maybe there's hope if Ambrose & Rollins tag up)

as every match they had the atmosphere was electric, and had The Shield tied up the series after Elimination Chamber, a rubber match @ WM XXX would be logical

but back to Bray Wyatt vs Cena -I've liked the build so far, and hopefully this match can live up to expectations

that said a Cena victory could be in the cards, but if the WWE wants to make Bray a force, beating Cena (even by a DQ) is crucial to his development

 

[Dagger Dias]

This match has had such a good build up. The video packages with Eminem's Legacy have been nothing short of amazing, they are some of the best hype videos that I have seen in a very long time. In fact, I'm listening to Legacy now as I type up this post to poke fun at how much WWE has been showing them on Raw and Smackdown, with this song playing each time. It's a perfect fit, really. The bad news comes first. There's no way that this match will live up to the hype. This is coming from one of the biggest Cena marks on the forum. The hype videos have made it out to be such a big deal that I doubt the match will be able to deliver once it comes time for it to take place. It should be an alright match, going on toward the end of the evening.

So who wins? It's a tough call. A really tough one, probably the toughest prediction for me on this entire card. The Cena mark in me wants to see my favorite wrestler win yet again on the biggest show of the year. The business major in me wants to see the future star get established by a win here. If Cena wins, people will whine that Bray is getting buried. If Cena loses, where does Bray go from here? Defeating Cena at Wrestlemania is a BIG deal. I'm going to go ahead and give Cena the win here as Bray is still new and he would not be damaged by a loss here especially if he is booked to be a big threat against Cena. Bray will put up a fight though, he will surely get booked very strongly. The fans get a good moment from Cena winning.

I bet the entrances will be really awesome too.

DAGGER'S PREDICTION
John Cena will defeat Bray Wyatt.

 

[Elchicano15]

This is a match I'm really looking forward to. I think it's because I get the feeling that Wyatt will be the one to go over this year. In the last 2 years we've had a star going super over with the crowd at Mania with Fandango last year and Daniel Bryan the year before. I think this year in Louisiana the Wyatts will get a great reception, especially since Cena gets boo'd out of most WM. We may see 70,000+ doing the Wyatt wave when they come out like in NXT. I understand Windham Rotunda is not from Louisiana (maybe he traveled there a lot and is a familiar face there) but the Wyatt character is, so that aspect might be on his side to.

I can't really consider this a step down for John Cena. The brass of the WWE sounded like they have enough faith in Bray Wyatt that they believe he can hang with the main eventers and make Wyatt one at the same time, which by the way they're doing a great job I think. If you look at it as Cena not being in the main event then maybe it's a step down.

I really don't have a problem with Cena and never did but I'm kinda hoping for a win for Wyatt as I feel he needs it more. Whether it's a clean win or not it would be awesome to see a Wyatt win. I believe during the Wrestlemania Revenge tour or whatever it is they do after the event they're still schedule to continue the feud so I think it will finally end with Cena getting the win, post-WM like at Extreme Rules or so.

 

[JWGunslinger]

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

This is how im looking at the match up and from this perspective it's a kick ass booking. In regards to the question of how this match effects Cena, i dont think his stock goes up or down regardless of who wins. Forget your opinions of Bray being a mid carder and not being seasoned or big enough, its a great program between one of the biggest names in wrestling and a very over young superstar who is a great talent with a unique gimmick. The build has been great, its a fresh pairing and I fully expect them to steal the show. I assume Cena wins but thats yet to be seen, and in my opinion it doesnt matter who gets the victory because this match will make them both winners.

 

[MCMG]

I'm still undecided on who wins this. Initially I was sure Bray would win but I can't help think Cena gets the victory. Cena could easily make Bray look like a star even Wyatt doesn't win.

The match and build has been fantastic. While I do think Cena could/should have a bigger match, this will be awesome. Bray has already had some terrific matches and Cena has really upped his game in recent months.

In the end, I think Bray wins. Beating Cena at Wrestlemania will be a big deal and it will ensure he is primed to be one of the top heels in the company.

 

[thebarber]

Could possibly be the match of the night, big call with Cena involved I know but this is the most intriguing feud I have seen in a long time.
I still see John Cena getting the victory, the talk about his legacy makes me think he cannot lose this match. I have no doubt at the rematch at Extreme Rules, Bray goes over, amd goes over clean to keep the fued going a few more months. If Cena can beat HBK, HHH, Orton, Batista and The Rock.....he can beat Bray Wyatt. This is the toughest match to pick, and with Rowan and Hrper being wasted at ringside, I am sure they will get involved.

 

[El Rev sXe]

Man, if this wasn't Wrestlemania, I wouldn't doubt at all that Wyatt goes over Cena, but I doubt VKM wants the golden boy to look even more vulnerable (after admiting he is actually afraid) on the biggest stage of them all. Yet the build up makes me think that Bray Wyatt does stand a chance to win the match, probably cheating, distraction etc. But I can't decide who wins.

I'm not sure either if the match itself is going to be at the level of the feud.

 

[Logisticalbooker86]

Bray Wyatt is probably my favorite new character in the past few years. I think the guy is going to be great for a long time to come.

With that said, Cena wins tonight. Too much is being made of Cena being afraid of Bray Wyatt, so tonight Cena will "overcome the odds" and get the victory.

 

[laodaron]

Well, we all learned a valuable lesson tonight regarding this match: Bray Wyatt needs a metric shitton of work in the ring. He was embarrassingly bad inside the ring. Cena carried the whole match.

 

[Zycho32]

Alright, I'll personally confess to responding somewhat negatively to the ultimate outcome of the match... not because of Cena, mind you, but because it felt like a total swerve from what the story was being built upon. They teased it riiiiight until Cena charged with the chair, then it's Hero Mode.

Then I thought better of it. You can't have someone like John Cena, built for better or for worse as the Ideal Hero, fall so quickly. Even if it is Wrestlemania. As long as Bray doesn't let go of him for ANYTHING, this angle still has a lot of juice to it. Give it one or two more PPVs of unrelenting pressure from the Wyatts, and a Cena meltdown becomes more believable.

Of course, this depends wholly on what is done with the Wyatts immediately afterwards. Wait and see.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

I figure a lot of people will hate that Cena won. This feud isn't over. The story was to get Cena to be ruthless. He got to the brink and stopped. The match was really good and the psychology was great with Cena being torn. Excited to see where else this goes.

 

[ocekit]

That match might not have been a technical masterpiece, but was a clinic in terms of psychology and storytelling. Cena winning wasn't a problem as Wyatt looked good out there. There were some unusual spots from both guys which kept me in the match. These guys were spot on with their characters, and little touches like facial expressions really added a lot for me. I'll admit I wasn't looking forward to this match, as I'm not much of a Bray Wyatt fan (I couldn't tell you why because I don't really know), but Wyatt might've just won me over.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Listening to Legacy again as I type this response up, given it being the theme of the match and used in all those great video packages. It ended up being alright. Was it the match of the night? No. It delivered though. Cena had to struggle with the decision to give in to Bray's mind games or not. I thought for a moment there he was going to bash Bray's face in with that chair. I'm sure some will come in whining about how Bray has been buried now. No he has not. He got a good Wrestlemania match with John Cena and was booked strongly. His career is only just beginning. I enjoyed this more than I thought it would, though it still did not fully live up to the hype of those videos. There was almost no way for it to completely live up to the hype. Good effort out of both wrestlers as well as the Wyatts.

 

[rerun406]

I particularly liked the spots where Cena attacked the Wyatt Family

**top rope dive onto Harper-Rowan

**spear/shoulder tackle on Harper through the barracade


decent match, with a mildly predictable outcome, IMO bleacherreport said it best

"But the live audience, and their online counterparts, seem just about done with Cena. Even after the match picked up, they never quite regained the crowd"

**while the Wyatt-Cena angle very well could continue .. what's the point? Bray didn't beat Cena or expose him for being a fake hero or etc

 

[I Heart Cena]

Cena's acting was terrible, as always. His pretend anger was cartoonish. I've seen better acting on the Disney channel.

He was thoroughly booed tonight, which was good. The chants were "Let's go Wyatt, cena sucks!". Plus, the whole crowd was following the buzzards, then sang along to "Whole world in his hands". No one cared when cena won, except a few children.

The feud shall continue, but cena is an afterthought, as he should be. The top faces will now be Bryan and Cesaro.

 

[Seosa]

Same old, same old.

I'm just sick of seeing Cena. Yes that sounds childish but I don't care to see him in new storylines & certainly not in title matches. Hopefully Wyatt takes him apart at Extreme Rules to make amends somewhat but I won't hold my breath.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

It was a good match but the story they were telling stopped it from having any real flow. The outcome makes more sense when you consider the outcome of The Streak, but I think it was wrong to have Wyatt lose. Even if the character himself wasn't that interested in the outcome.

 

[CharlesKane]

I think expectations of this match were a little too high for some of you. It wasn't about who wins or even the physical side of the match. The psychological build of the match put Bray further over than pinning Cena would have, because most thought Cena was going to put Bray 8ver.