WWE Extreme Rules 2012 Results: What's Next for John Cena?

John Cena emerged from his match with Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules a bloody, battered—but victorious—mess.

The match itself was breathtaking. A violent, no-holds-barred scrap filled with shocking and horrifying moments, it was the stiffest and most realistic WWE match in a long, long time. Indeed, it looked more like one of Lesnar's UFC fights, rather than a wrestling match, which was almost certainly the intention. It also included a few ref bumps (definitely not something you would expect to see in UFC).

In the end though, despite sustaining an incredibly brutal beating, an exhausted and bruised Cena managed to get the pin, thanks to a brutal Attitude Adjustment move on the ring steps.

It was a finish that shocked many, and not just because Lesnar had dominated most of the bout with his incredibly vicious offense. WWE jobbing Brock Lesnar out so early in his WWE stint had seemed unthinkable, especially considering all the time and effort they have so far put into him. 

How ever controversial the victory was, it should not take away from Cena's efforts. He worked so hard here, taking a genuine beating, courtesy of Lesnar's stiff offense, that it will be extremely difficult for even the most jaded anti-Cena fan to resent him for gaining the pinfall.

Of course, despite how superb the in-ring action was, the real story may have been what happened afterwards.

A distraught-looking Cena could audibly be heard, in very un-PG language, telling the referee his left arm was injured. The star, almost in tears, then got on the mic and told the crowd: "I may be taking a vacation, but I love you guys."

Then he went into work/shoot mode and proclaimed: "I'm probably going to get sent home for speaking when I'm not supposed to. But I'm probably going home anyway."

The message was blindingly clear: The Lesnar/Cena program is done for now, and John will be taking some time out of WWE for a while. 

While Cena did look in genuine pain at the end, there remains some doubt as to how real this whole arm injury, and the promo afterwards, was. Certainly, company man Cena isn't doing to randomly start shooting on TV. And, even if he did, it is highly unlikely Vince McMahon would fire or suspend him over it (and, really, his remarks were rather mild).

On his recap on the show, Dave Meltzer over at F4Wonline.com noted that Cena has been banged up and battling real-life injuries lately, something he had previously mentioned on his (subscribers-only) Wrestling Observer Radio.

Meltzer speculated that the former WWF champion was finally going to take some time off. After years of working an incredibly hard road schedule, the star almost certainly does need some time to go home and recuperate.

Of course, why they choose to put Cena over Brock if he was always going to take time off remains perplexing, and something only the booking team could answer.

Possibly this is just the first step of a larger plan for Lesnar, and only WWE knows exactly where it's going with this and how the loss at Extreme Rules will play into it. It's a highly questionable booking decision but we'll just have to see how it pans out.  

As for Cena?

Well, as noted, it looks like Extreme Rules will be his last major appearance for a while. But at least the WWE star can comfort himself in the knowledge he went out in the best manner possible, in an awe-inspiring, bloody spectacle that will be talked about in years to come.