WrestleMania 28: Why Rock's Victory May Be Best Thing to Happen to John Cena

WrestleMania 28 has come and gone, once again leaving us with moments that will live on forever. One of those moments is The Rock defeating John Cena in the biggest hyped match in the history of the business.

For a number of reasons, you could make the argument that, in typical fashion, John Cena was going to defeat The Rock, giving him the respect of fans he's needed for the past several years, and making him a mega star. However, I have a different take on Cena's defeat: Cena needed to take the loss in order to truly rise to the next level.

Cena needed to take the loss in order to gain the fans' respect, which he seriously lacks. For far too long, Super Cena reigned supreme, coming across as unbeatable. Super Cena wasn't the guy we wanted to cheer for; in actuality he became the guy we hated, because he became someone that we could no longer relate to.

Victory, after victory came a little too easy for him, creating a distance between him and the adult fans that loved and respected him. After awhile it seemed as if Cena was coasting and dialing in his matches. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. You talk to any number of fans, and they'll give you any number of reasons why they can't stand Cena.

Taking the loss makes Cena human, which may be the key to his salvation. No matter how good you are, at the end of the day, you can't win them all. Sometimes it's not about winning or losing, but how you played the game. Cena brought his A game, and up short, but that's okay—that's life. No one is above losing the big one. 

He proved beyond a doubt that he deserves to be recognized as a great performer. No matter what, he'll still fight the good fight because that's who he is. At his heart, at his core, Cena is everything good about this industry. He's still the guy the kids look up to, he's still the face of the company, and a goodwill ambassador that will do what's best for WWE.

A defeat at the hands of The Rock is just what Cena needed. It reinforces the idea that he is not above doing what's right for the business at the risk of suffering a professional setback. It also leaves the door open to taking the John Cena character into a whole new direction from a creative perspective.

Where does he go from here? What does the future hold for Cena between now and WrestleMania 29? Hopefully WWE Creative will give this some serious thought if they decide to re-invent Cena, taking him to new heights.