WrestleMania 28 Matches: WWE Can't Win with John Cena vs. The Rock

It's been nearly a year since the wrestling world was promised an epic showdown between John Cena and The Rock at WrestleMania XXVIII.

That showdown is now less than two weeks away from becoming a reality. Are you excited yet?

Of course you are. WWE may be kidding itself by referring to this match as "the most anticipated WrestleMania clash in history," but it's definitely a matchup for the ages. 

One of the greatest professional wrestling legends of all time against the most loved/hated man in WWE today? What's not to like?

Nothing. The matchup is a good one, and the match itself ought to be a lot of fun.

Fair warning, though: In the long run, there's no way WWE can win this match. It will be fun while it lasts, but the fun will stop when the match stops.

Just take a minute to consider the possible outcomes. 

Most wrestling junkies are pulling for The Rock to pull out the victory, partially because he's The Rock and partially because a lot of people just plain hate Cena. And besides, the match will be in his hometown of Miami.

Surely WWE wouldn't have The Rock lose in front of a raucous crowd that will be decidedly on his side.

Letting The Rock win would definitely be the safest way to play it, as the hometown crowd would be very, very pleased and the same would be true of The Rock's legions of fans watching from home. No doubt most of them will be a little on the older side, full of fond memories of the good old days when The Rock was the dominant personality in all of professional wrestling.

But then The Rock would leave to go shoot a new children's movie, and WWE would be left with a Cena character who would be the same after the match as he was before the match: a hero for some, a pinata and general hate magnet for others. 

That would be the easy way for WWE to play things, but that does not mean it's the best way.

This match may not be the greatest in WrestleMania history, but it does represent a chance for WWE to put itself on a new path of sorts by delivering unto Cena a career-changing victory. The company's biggest star would embark on a bold new path, and so would the company itself.

At least, that would be the idea. In reality, WWE would find that not a whole lot would be changed by a Cena victory over The Rock.

In the immediate picture of things, WWE would have to come to grips that it just ticked off a whole stadium full of people by having Cena lay waste to one of Miami's favorite sons. After that, WWE would have to come to grips that fans would have the same opinion of Cena that they did before.

Some will hate him, some will love him. He would still be met by an equal mix of "Let's go Cena!"/"Cena sucks!" chants everywhere he goes.

If that ends up being the case, WWE's efforts to shake things up will be for naught. Instead of setting the company on a new course with its biggest star in the lead, the company will merely be staying the course.

Things would be completely different if The Rock was somebody who was going to be around from one week to the next, but he's not. Since he's a movie star, it's appropriate to refer to this upcoming match as a simple cameo for The Rock. And of course, cameo appearances don't alter the plot of the movie itself. They exist just to have some fun in a very brief moment.

So enjoy The Rock's cameo while it lasts, and then get ready for the inevitable letdown.