WWE Extreme Rules - WWE Championship - Last Man Standing: John Cena (c) VS Ryback

[Jack-Hammer]

It's been made official that Cena will take on Ryback at Extreme Rules for the title. There's no word on what the stipulations of the match will be. I'm guessing they'll announce it on tonight's Raw, or possibly next week's.

 

[OneTooManyPunts]

Personally, I hope they add a stipulation to this match. If it's going to main event Extreme Rules, it should definitely represent the concept for the PPV, and I think that a Cena Ryback match would greatly benefit form a stipulation that gave them a bit more leeway in terms of what they can do with the match.

I'll be interested to see how this one places out in ring. I'm not really sold on Ryback in ring yet, so if Cena wrestles a bit more a technical match and we don't get a repeat of Ryback/Henry..Cena could carry it to a nice WM follow up.

 

[rerun406]

I know I've read on some of the house shows that Ryback-Cena have done a tables match

but I dunno if that would be a good enough stipulation

**on another note when are we going to see another big time Last Man Standing Match?

Big Show-Del Rio had a pretty above average 2 series of matches

 

[LSN80]

What. A. Mess.

Perhaps it's booking on the fly, but it defies logic. Mark Henry, who won at Wrestlemania, had to attempt to earn his title shot against John Cena, by beating John Cena. What does Ryback have to do to get his shot? Attack Cena from behind, cut a promo, then tuck his tails between his legs when confronted by Cena and stand and watch as the Shield beat him down. Makes sense.

Look, I'm glad this is the match that they're going with. It should be a better encounter then the once rumored Henry vs. Ryback vs. Cena match would have been. I just don't like how they got there. Plans change, I get that, but Ryback lost at Wrestlemania, and now he's challenging for the WWE Title after doing.....nothing.

House shows have been Cena vs. Ryback in a Tables match, so my money is on that for the stipulation. Being that this is Cena's year of redemption, I don't expect him to drop the title so soon. On the other hand, can Ryback afford yet another PPV loss and still look credible?

Realistically, I think so. As Ryback, he's reaching his one year mark as a WWE Superstar, and he's challenging a 13 time champion and the biggest name in the industry. And that's exactly what I see happening. Ryback looks credible, goes into the PPV a monster, and Cena perhaps pulls out a 'fluke' victory.

There's a story being told with John Cena, and I don't think that ended with the Rock at Wrestlemania. There are more chapters to be written. Unfortunately, with the backwards booking we've seen, Ryback will be a chapter, not a conclusion. Cena wins this.

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

• WrestleMania29 - Ryback loses to Mark Henry
• Elimination Chamber - Ryback gets pinned in the 6 man against the Shield
• Royal Rumble - despite getting the theoretical best spot, Ryback gets eliminated by Cena
• TLC - he didn't get pinned this time but Ryback still came out on the losing side against the Shield
• Survivor Series - Cena got pinned but Ryback still came up short in the 3 way for the WWe Belt
• HiaC - Ryback gets screwed by the ref and pinned by Punk
• NoC - not on the card
• Summerslam - not on the card
• MitB - Ryback wins handicap against, basically, jobber tag team Hawkins & Reks
• No Way Out - Ryback wins handicap against 2 nobodies
• Over The Limit - Ryback squashes Camacho
• Extreme Rules - Ryback wins handicap against 2 nobodies

So, he started with squashes, was dropped for a while and has been on the losing side since... why do I get the sinking feeling that Ryback is going to pull off the upset here?

One thing I definitely think, the remainder of the card will have to be very good because I just can't see this main event interesting anyone as it currently sits - Cena has just overcome one of the greatest of all time in the Rock; Ryback was defeated by the artist formerly known as "Sexual Chocolate". This is hardly going to have the casual fans who purchased Mania diving for their credit cards!

 

[a member of wwe universe]

What. A. Mess.

Perhaps it's booking on the fly, but it defies logic. Mark Henry, who won at Wrestlemania, had to attempt to earn his title shot against John Cena, by beating John Cena. What does Ryback have to do to get his shot? Attack Cena from behind, cut a promo, then tuck his tails between his legs when confronted by Cena and stand and watch as the Shield beat him down. Makes sense.

Look, I'm glad this is the match that they're going with. It should be a better encounter then the once rumored Henry vs. Ryback vs. Cena match would have been. I just don't like how they got there. Plans change, I get that, but Ryback lost at Wrestlemania, and now he's challenging for the WWE Title after doing.....nothing.

House shows have been Cena vs. Ryback in a Tables match, so my money is on that for the stipulation. Being that this is Cena's year of redemption, I don't expect him to drop the title so soon. On the other hand, can Ryback afford yet another PPV loss and still look credible?

Realistically, I think so. As Ryback, he's reaching his one year mark as a WWE Superstar, and he's challenging a 13 time champion and the biggest name in the industry. And that's exactly what I see happening. Ryback looks credible, goes into the PPV a monster, and Cena perhaps pulls out a 'fluke' victory.

There's a story being told with John Cena, and I don't think that ended with the Rock at Wrestlemania. There are more chapters to be written. Unfortunately, with the backwards booking we've seen, Ryback will be a chapter, not a conclusion. Cena wins this.

im glad someone able acknowledges the illogical booking of this storyline. Ryback should have never lost at mania. Now he challenges for the title at the ppv instead of henry. Doesnt make sense. Not to mention the fact ryback have lost dozens of ppv matches so theres another major flaw.

So far im surprised with the praising ryback received for his pretape promo. How can you praise him when the guy literally read it off the teleprompter and highly likely took multiple take to perfect it. Yet there are out ppl out there bashed the rock for his "boring" same old promo.

I maybe a little negative on ryback but i just dont see the good that ppl see in him. BTW i see the general consensus is that ppl enjoy watching ryback but at the same time they bash batista and criticize of his career in wwe. Interesting.

 

[Alucard316]

What. A. Mess.

Perhaps it's booking on the fly, but it defies logic. Mark Henry, who won at Wrestlemania, had to attempt to earn his title shot against John Cena, by beating John Cena. What does Ryback have to do to get his shot? Attack Cena from behind, cut a promo, then tuck his tails between his legs when confronted by Cena and stand and watch as the Shield beat him down. Makes sense.

Look, I'm glad this is the match that they're going with. It should be a better encounter then the once rumored Henry vs. Ryback vs. Cena match would have been. I just don't like how they got there. Plans change, I get that, but Ryback lost at Wrestlemania, and now he's challenging for the WWE Title after doing.....nothing.

House shows have been Cena vs. Ryback in a Tables match, so my money is on that for the stipulation. Being that this is Cena's year of redemption, I don't expect him to drop the title so soon. On the other hand, can Ryback afford yet another PPV loss and still look credible?

Realistically, I think so. As Ryback, he's reaching his one year mark as a WWE Superstar, and he's challenging a 13 time champion and the biggest name in the industry. And that's exactly what I see happening. Ryback looks credible, goes into the PPV a monster, and Cena perhaps pulls out a 'fluke' victory.

There's a story being told with John Cena, and I don't think that ended with the Rock at Wrestlemania. There are more chapters to be written. Unfortunately, with the backwards booking we've seen, Ryback will be a chapter, not a conclusion. Cena wins this.

This. If you're going to turn Ryback heel, then why not make a storyline out of it? When a character turns evil in a regular TV show, it is much more effective because the turn is usually built a little bit by little bit throughout the season. Not by him turning and then give a long boring speech about why he did it. Sure, that does happen, but it's never as good.

Honestly, Ryback vs. Cena could be a great SummerSlam match if Ryback's heel turn were given months of development to the point where his psyche finally snaps and he becomes rabid Ryback. Another thing that really pissed me off was Ryback being afraid to fight Cena face to face. I mean, come on. Why should Ryback be afraid of Cena?

 

[Pedigree1]

This whole story doesnt make a lot of sense. Ryback should have gone over Mark Henry at WM but for whatever reason it didnt happen. So Ryback attacks Cena from behind,trashes him on twitter (Which was funny BTW)and watches as the shield beats him down,and were suppose to believe Cena is gonna lose?

No way Cena loses the title so quickly after regaining it from possibly his biggest Rival ever. But at the same point how can anyone take Ryback serious if he keeps losing PPV after PPV! This will be what the seventh PPV ryback is gonna lose? I just dont have a lot of faith in this Main event the rest of the card better be top notch if WWE expects people to shell out 45 dollars or 55 for HD!

 

[Wolf Pac]

It's hard to predict who comes out the winner here. Cena just came off the biggest victory of his career against The Rock at Wrestlemania and finally got redemption, but Ryback just turned heel and really can't afford another PPV loss if they don't want his heel turn to flop. Plus Ryback needs redemption himself after months of losing on PPV. The only outcome I can think of here would be for them to go to a Draw. Neither men win nor lose but they still look strong & credible and can continue their feud down the road where Ryback can end up beating Cena for the WWE Title and getting his own redemption.

The only stipulation I could see them going to a draw in would be a Last Man Standing match with a finish similar to Rock/Mankind at St. Valentines Day Massacre where they knock each other out with weapons at the same time for the 10 count. I'd be more satisfied with Ryback/Cena in a LMS match than in a Tables match anyway. Their match is too big for a Tables match.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

As LSN already pointed out, the build for this feud has been an illogical mess. I understand Ryback can't afford anymore setbacks, but the way he stumbled into this match annoys me. WWE had the PERFECT opportunity to give Ryback a huge boost at Wrestlemania, and they fucked that up.

Cena retains, because there's no way in hell he loses the title after gaining his redemption from Rock at Wrestlemania. Maybe Ryback goes nuts post-match, and destroys Cena, setting up a rematch. I dunno. But my interest level is pretty low for this contest.

 

[Radical]

Booking wise it make sense you'd put Ryback vs Cena for the WWE title considering the lack of other options but as others have pointed out the logic behind this match is SEVERELY lacking!

I'm fine with Ryback attacking Cena from behind, letting him get destroyed by The Shield and cutting a promo on why he did it ... but what should have happened is Cena (or Vickie) should have said a #1 Contender has to be determined.

Logically, since The Rock has a 'rematch clause' and is the #1 Contender but since he is gone they need to determine a new one so they should actually have started a #1 Contender Tournament where obviously Ryback would storm through and win.

You could even do most of the same matches done last week on Raw and just say they were a Tournament match and you can build feuds within feuds as Ryback marches to the win. That would be the BEST way to build Ryback as a logical and serious threat to Cena's title.

But they could have even gone a cheaper and quicker route and had when it was announced they needed a new #1 Contender they could have a quick segment where 4 guys say they deserve the spot ... say Jericho, Kingston, Henry and, of course, Ryback. Then Fandango would interfere to cost Jericho and Cesaro could interfere to take out Kingston building up those feuds and then Ryback could get his revenge on Henry with a Shell Shock DURING the match to win it.

But no... WWE decided to go the route of "Do whatever you want, because it's all made up there doesn't have to be any logic to it!"

And with that mind-set I WISH/HOPE it would start showing on their PPV buyrates.

Hey, if you are a fan, in general, fine... watch all their free programming you want but when it comes to PPVs and WWE clearly is showing a lack of logic show YOUR distaste for that and don't buy the PPV ... watch it later for free in highlights on YouTube if you must but don't let WWE be able to be so bad with logic and get away with it.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Cena retains, because there's no way in hell he loses the title after gaining his redemption from Rock at Wrestlemania.

I agree it's too early for Cena to lose the title; he's no one's idea of a transitional champion. Yet, he still seems the ultimate company man; ready to sacrifice victories and storyline triumphs for the good of the cause. (For a guy whom many criticize as Super Cena; a guy who never loses.....he takes a lot of lumps to put over other people).

As for Ryback; for a guy who's depicted as an unstoppable monster, he sure does lose a lot of high-profile matches, doesn't he? Since he started performing on PPVs, he wasn't able to get the title from Punk, he didn't garner much glory in 6-man matches against The Shield.....and we know what happened in his Wrestlemania debut, right?

The intrigue in this match lies in the storyline. Who's turning heel? Cena? Ryback? Both of them? These past weeks, while it's obvious what Ryback has been doing, it seemed the night after WM29 that Cena was finally going bad. He sure as hell wasn't behaving as he always has; he seemed to be getting disgusted with all the damn booing. Then came Ryback and his gripe....and now we're not sure if Cena is turning heel or not.

To me, this is where the interest in this match comes from. I don't know where they're going with the attitudes of these guys.....but in the match itself, Cena retains.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

It's a strange match. Cena shouldn't drop the title so soon, but Ryback also shouldn't lose. Naturally they'll pick a lame stipulation like a tables match with the result being that neither benefits.

Losing won't hurt Cena, losing will Ryback. There's your outcome. Ryback should win, hold the title until SummerSlam where he drops it back to Cena who can then have another lifeless title reign.

 

[LSN80]

It's a strange match. Cena shouldn't drop the title so soon, but Ryback also shouldn't lose. Naturally they'll pick a lame stipulation like a tables match with the result being that neither benefits.

Losing won't hurt Cena, losing will Ryback. There's your outcome. Ryback should win, hold the title until SummerSlam where he drops it back to Cena who can then have another lifeless title reign.

The more I think about this match, I don't think the stipulation is going to matter. As I stated in my earlier post, Ryback hasn't done anything to garner the title shot. Nothing. Yet it's been given to him anyways. An injustice, if you will.

Enter the Shield. They've been an enemy and a thorn to both Cena and Ryback in the past. They showed that they weren't over their issues with Ryback last night, perhaps with him getting an unwarranted title shot. And the issues continue with Cena as well, due to Cena interfering in that beatdown.

The Shield has been inserted into the storyline for a reason, and I think we'll see that played out at Extreme Rules. The fans may not like it, but what better way to continue to assert the Shield's dominance then to leave both Ryback and Cena laying to end the contest, ending the match in a no-contest?

We want definitive winners as fans, but this won't main event the show, not with Lesnar and HHH fighting to be the "Alpha Male" in the WWE, so it would soften the blow. After a brutal match, Cena keeps the title he just won, and Ryback doesn't have his credibility shot even more with yet another major PPV loss.

This allows the two to continue their feud, if so desired, or move Ryback over to the Smackdown side of things, where he can beat up on Sheamus and Randy Orton before entering the WHC picture. Where does that leave Cena? Facing perhaps his truly biggest challenge for his title, against a member of the Shield.

Unlike Ryback, after all, they've earned it. One way or another, Cena retains here.

 

[steven87gill]

What. A. Mess.

Perhaps it's booking on the fly, but it defies logic. Mark Henry, who won at Wrestlemania, had to attempt to earn his title shot against John Cena, by beating John Cena. What does Ryback have to do to get his shot? Attack Cena from behind, cut a promo, then tuck his tails between his legs when confronted by Cena and stand and watch as the Shield beat him down. Makes sense.

Look, I'm glad this is the match that they're going with. It should be a better encounter then the once rumored Henry vs. Ryback vs. Cena match would have been. I just don't like how they got there. Plans change, I get that, but Ryback lost at Wrestlemania, and now he's challenging for the WWE Title after doing.....nothing.

House shows have been Cena vs. Ryback in a Tables match, so my money is on that for the stipulation. Being that this is Cena's year of redemption, I don't expect him to drop the title so soon. On the other hand, can Ryback afford yet another PPV loss and still look credible?

Realistically, I think so. As Ryback, he's reaching his one year mark as a WWE Superstar, and he's challenging a 13 time champion and the biggest name in the industry. And that's exactly what I see happening. Ryback looks credible, goes into the PPV a monster, and Cena perhaps pulls out a 'fluke' victory.

There's a story being told with John Cena, and I don't think that ended with the Rock at Wrestlemania. There are more chapters to be written. Unfortunately, with the backwards booking we've seen, Ryback will be a chapter, not a conclusion. Cena wins this.

I can see that, Cena gets a fluke (but still very much clean) win against Ryback, and as the months go by, his wins get more and more........'flukey'.

(if 'flukey' is even a word)

 

[HBsam31]

Not sure of the logic in this match given Ryback lost at Mania, but I must say the match has me intrigued. I would think Ryback needs to do something huge here to make up for all the losses. If Cena wins this one that would tell me they don't have a whole lot of faith in Ryback as a main eventer. I really think Cena retains here, but it would not surprise me one bit if Ryback took the title here.

 

[LSN80]

I would think Ryback needs to do something huge here to make up for all the losses.

I agree here, and think that's why this is now a Last Man Standing Match.

In 2007, WWE had a problem. Undertaker had just beaten Batista at WrestleMania for the World Title, and felt Batista better in pursuit, rather then champion. However, they didn't want to give him two straight losses on PPV. So what did they do?

[YOUTUBE]fC9WJtZoPJU[/YOUTUBE]

Problem solved. Undertaker kept the title until Edge cashed in on him, and Batista looked like an absolute beast. He hit the big move that ended the match and lead to the double 'countout'.

Similar logic can apply here. It's too soon for Cena to drop the title, but Ryback can't afford another PPV loss, especially with Cena having an "out " with an achilles injury. With no other real challengers on the horizon either, I expect WWE to do a big spot like the Undertaker/Batista match, leading to both men being unable to answer the 10 count.

Ryback looks strong, Cena keeps the title, and the feud continues. They only waited 3 years to go back to the duct tape finish in a LMS match, and haven't used the double countout finish in 6 years. It seems like a logical finish that would be beneficiary to both men.

Ryback hits a big spot, but is unable to answer the count himself, leading to a double countout. Cena retains.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Last night, Ryback picked the stipulation for the match and it'll be a Last Man Standing match. The past couple of ones we've seen featuring Big Show against Alberto Del Rio for the WHC were surprisingly great, so this should be a pretty physical match.

WWE is solidly behind Ryback right now, even though I do think Ryback is a little awkward right now as a heel. With Cena being injured and this bruised heel being another potential warning sign that WWE's intense schedule is starting to break Cena down, I believe that there's a decent possibility that they'll put the title on Ryback. With CM Punk taking time off, however, I just don't see Cena taking time off to rest up either, at least not until Punk is back from his own hiatus.

As I said, Ryback is kind of awkward as a heel right now. That might change as he's given more time to grow into the new role. That current awkwardness, however, might dissuade WWE officials from giving him the strap at this time. But, again, Cena's latest injury is more proof that the schedule is starting to get to him. He could almost certainly use time off to rest & heal up, which could be ultimately better for WWE in the long run. Because of these factors, I do think it's something of a toss up as to which way WWE will go. I'm leaning more towards Cena retaining due to the company's, probable, reluctance to give him time off with it's other biggest star, CM Punk, rumored to be out until late in the summer.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I still can't get behind this heel turn with Ryback. Character wise, he's still the same guy. The mannerisms, his entrance, and he shouted out "FINISH IT!" before the Shell Shock to Kane last night. He's a dick now of course, but I don't really see a heel, when I look at Ryback.

I like the Last Man Standing stipulation. I fully expect both men to beat the living crap out of each other, and Cena really excels in no rules/anything goes matches. Still going with Cena for the win, because again, I can't imagine WWE taking the strap off of Cena after defeating Rock at Wrestlemania. It's just too soon.

 

[Wolf Pac]

It's hard to predict who comes out the winner here. Cena just came off the biggest victory of his career against The Rock at Wrestlemania and finally got redemption, but Ryback just turned heel and really can't afford another PPV loss if they don't want his heel turn to flop. Plus Ryback needs redemption himself after months of losing on PPV. The only outcome I can think of here would be for them to go to a Draw. Neither men win nor lose but they still look strong & credible and can continue their feud down the road where Ryback can end up beating Cena for the WWE Title and getting his own redemption.

The only stipulation I could see them going to a draw in would be a Last Man Standing match with a finish similar to Rock/Mankind at St. Valentines Day Massacre where they knock each other out with weapons at the same time for the 10 count. I'd be more satisfied with Ryback/Cena in a LMS match than in a Tables match anyway. Their match is too big for a Tables match.

Yay!

I just wonder what the finish of the match is going to be. I'm sure it won't be the St. Valentines Day Massacre finish. Maybe The Shield will interfere and take out both men, making em both unable to answer the 10 count. Actually that might not be a bad idea. Roman Reigns could dish out most of the beatdown on both guys and then make it known on RAW that The Shield are coming for the WWE Title, leading to a Triple Threat match at the next PPV between Cena, Ryback & Reigns for the belt. That would truly be a hard match to predict but it would be an exciting one to see who comes out the winner.

Then again, the next WWE PPV is Payback and it's in Chicago. I expect CM Punk will return for the PPV and be involved in a match for the title, so The Shield may have to wait longer before going for the WWE Title. I wonder what that means for Ryback though at Extreme Rules. Will they make him lose so we can get Cena vs. Punk again at Payback? Or will they go with the Draw or have Cena lose & cash-in his rematch clause and have Cena/Punk/Ryback II at Payback? The Draw and Cena/Punk/Ryback II at Payback seems like the better option. Plus they could have Punk get pinned in the match to protect both Cena & Ryback again.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Wasn't Cena starting a heel change the day after WM29? Everything in his attitude seemed to suggest so; he seemed sick and tired of the fans and their booing. Did I completely misread it, or is it possible that was the original intention of management.......but they changed their minds and decided to make Ryback a heel instead?

Face it, if you want to turn Ryback bad, it seems the last guy to play him off would be Cena, no? The fans have been turning against him, so if Ryback betrays Cena, wouldn't the fans love that?

Putting all logic aside, the fans seem ready to hate Ryback, don't they? Given that, I'm hoping Cena beats the shit out of him at the PPV. A clean victory.....no interference from The Shield, no half-assed, ambiguous endings.

If Cena pulls it off cleanly, I want the audience to cheer the hell out of Cena, especially if they're now seeing Ryback as a whining double-crosser, which is how management has been painting him these past weeks. (And I loved Cena taunting him on Raw. I was told he even managed to sound like Ryback).

Go, John. The fans will boo you anyway, if for no other reason than they think they're supposed to......but get the job done.

 

[HBsam31]

Now that is a Last Man Standing I agree with Sally totally. I would like to see Cena just say enough and beat Ryback with in an inch of his life. Despite Cena's success I think he needs a dominant win at this stage. He needs to prove to the fans that he isn't indifferent to everything that happen, and a dominant convincing win over Ryback could possibly do that.

 

[LSN80]

Roman Reigns could dish out most of the beatdown on both guys and then make it known on RAW that The Shield are coming for the WWE Title, leading to a Triple Threat match at the next PPV between Cena, Ryback & Reigns for the belt. That would truly be a hard match to predict but it would be an exciting one to see who comes out the winner.

1. Hasn't Ryback gone out of his way to avoid confrontations with the Shield? I suppose the Shield could take him out for his cowardice, but they've already addressed that he's 'learned his lesson.' How many times can they beat the guy down?

2. It would be an easy match to predict. No countout, no DQ, the Shield gets involved, Reign wins. It's too soon.

Then again, the next WWE PPV is Payback and it's in Chicago. I expect CM Punk will return for the PPV and be involved in a match for the title.

He's not expected to be back until Summerslam, so this isn't going to happen. Unless WWE does force The Shield into the title picture, we're likely to get Cena/Ryback round 2. But you can forget about CM Punk vs John Cena at Payback. It's too soon to go there again anyways.

Wasn't Cena starting a heel change the day after WM29? Everything in his attitude seemed to suggest so; he seemed sick and tired of the fans and their booing. Did I completely misread it, or is it possible that was the original intention of management.......but they changed their minds and decided to make Ryback a heel instead?

I think so. Cena was more or less mocking the, let's face it, relatively small demographic that wants him to turn heel. He was saying "Not today, ain't gonna happen."

Face it, if you want to turn Ryback bad, it seems the last guy to play him off would be Cena, no? The fans have been turning against him, so if Ryback betrays Cena, wouldn't the fans love that?

A small demographic turned against Cena some time ago, but from what I've seen, he's been very much cheered in this feud. It's the antics last night where he mocks his opponent and makes them seem beneath him which have that demographic booing him, but I digress.

Putting all logic aside, the fans seem ready to hate Ryback, don't they? Given that, I'm hoping Cena beats the shit out of him at the PPV. A clean victory.....no interference from The Shield, no half-assed, ambiguous endings

.

Amen. Why do the fans hate Ryback right now? He's a 300 lb monster who's essentially acting like a p*ssy. He backed down from fighting an injured 175lb Daniel Bryan last night. Ryback should be acting more like Mark Henry or Brock Lesnar right now, not a heel Chris Jericho. Jericho is fine as a whining coward, 300lb beasts are not.

If Cena pulls it off cleanly, I want the audience to cheer the hell out of Cena, especially if they're now seeing Ryback as a whining double-crosser, which is how management has been painting him these past weeks. (And I loved Cena taunting him on Raw. I was told he even managed to sound like Ryback).

The only problem with Cena beating Ryback cleanly is, who's left? CM Punk is on hiatus and Brock Lesnar has limited dates. What heel left is there for Cena to tangle with?

I hate what they've done with Ryback's character. I never found him incredibly interesting or a main event wrestler in the first place, but to turn him into a whining, b*tching coward is the last thing he needed. Besides another clean loss, of course. Where does he go from there?

I'm sticking with the double countout end. And not due to the Shield's involvement, but because Ryback is a dumb oaf who will hit a big spot on Cena, only to make it so he can't beat the count either. Ryback looks strong, Cena keeps the title, and the feud continues into the summer.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

I agree here, and think that's why this is now a Last Man Standing Match.

In 2007, WWE had a problem. Undertaker had just beaten Batista at WrestleMania for the World Title, and felt Batista better in pursuit, rather then champion. However, they didn't want to give him two straight losses on PPV. So what did they do?

[YOUTUBE]fC9WJtZoPJU[/YOUTUBE]

Problem solved. Undertaker kept the title until Edge cashed in on him, and Batista looked like an absolute beast. He hit the big move that ended the match and lead to the double 'countout'.

Similar logic can apply here. It's too soon for Cena to drop the title, but Ryback can't afford another PPV loss, especially with Cena having an "out " with an achilles injury. With no other real challengers on the horizon either, I expect WWE to do a big spot like the Undertaker/Batista match, leading to both men being unable to answer the 10 count.

Ryback looks strong, Cena keeps the title, and the feud continues. They only waited 3 years to go back to the duct tape finish in a LMS match, and haven't used the double countout finish in 6 years. It seems like a logical finish that would be beneficiary to both men.

Ryback hits a big spot, but is unable to answer the count himself, leading to a double countout. Cena retains.

This.

What about a Shell Shock where both men go through the announcer table? It's an easy way to believe Ryback wouldn't get up either, especially after a long, tough match. Let's just hope we don't get another announcer table botch

 

[steven87gill]

Wasn't Cena starting a heel change the day after WM29? Everything in his attitude seemed to suggest so; he seemed sick and tired of the fans and their booing. Did I completely misread it, or is it possible that was the original intention of management.......but they changed their minds and decided to make Ryback a heel instead?

Yeah, you did

It was actually being reported on the dirtsheets well before wrestlemania that the plan from about January time was to have Ryback turn heel and feud with Cena after WM, it's just *that* post WM crowd on Raw made it easy to misread the situation. The way the announcers sold the attack on Cena tells you all you need to know about what they were planning. Cena wasn't starting a heel change on that post WM Raw, he was actually just doing his usual 'lets try & suck up to the smart crowd' shtick, it's just that he's very good at rolling with the punches when the crowd doesn't buy it and still boos him anyway. Whatever happens at ER, in the long run he's still going to be that good guy that gets those mixed reactions.

Personally, I wanna see him as a heel but still be john cena, I don't want some contrived BS where he 'snaps', or 'shocks the world' in some cheesy fashion or becomes some sort of 'cool bad guy' that just ends up getting the reverse of the reaction that he gets now.

He needed to beat the Rock clean and he did, and each week the success of redeeming himself turns in to arrogance and him thinking he's unstoppable until eventually, he's just an arrogant prick who only focuses on how he defeated The Rock. he needs to become John Cena but turned up to 11, to the point where his good guy shtick even becomes too much for his fans. He said publicly he'll *never* be a bad guy, and he's right, he won't.

But as we know there's a difference between being a *heel* and being a *bad guy* What he was saying is that he'll never 'act' like a bad guy as such, even if he goes to every arena and gets booed by everyone. So what John Cena was saying was technically correct, even if he did end up turning heel.