WWE: John Cena Gets a Traditional Feud with Brock Lesnar

Nothing like a good old-fashioned pull-apart to get the crowd amped.

That’s what it's called, by the way, when you have two guys who want to destroy each other, and the objective is to whet the fans’ appetite for their eventual match.

Yeah, I believe that pretty much sums up John Cena versus Brock Lesnar.

It was a good move, it achieved the desired result, and it likely made fans all over the world even more anxious to see this one.

Here’s the thing.  Is it too soon?

Don’t get me wrong here, I am not opposed to Brock hitting the ground running, let’s face it, anything beats the long, overly drawn out return of The Rock.  He may be a WWE legend, and a fan favorite, but his feud with Cena was just talked to death.

By the time their WrestleMania match took place, it was just as much about "finally, let’s do this, and get it over with," as it was about the collision of two eras.

But, in the case of Lesnar, the truth is, he did just come back to the company.  On his first night, he gave Cena the F5, and a week later, their match is booked for Extreme Rules, which is three weeks away.

So, what’s the reason?  What’s Brock’s beef with John Cena?  

Brock says John Laurinaitis brought him back to be on top, where he belongs.  Cena, according to Lesnar, thinks he’s on the top, but he’s wrong. 

So, it’s your basic "take out the top guy to become the top guy."  OK, fair enough.

But, you didn’t really think that Cena would just take that lying down, did you?  Please.

Of course he showed up.  And, of course, he got in Brock’s face.  That’s kind of his thing.

By the way, though Cena has had his fair share of controversy and just cannot seem to be taken seriously despite what WWE does for him, I have to admit, I liked the way he looked on RAW.

Smiling, with his mouth bloodied, staring at Brock, as if to say, “Is that all you got?  I thought you were in Ultimate Fighting.”

I suppose that was the intended reaction, one that WWE is hoping Cena haters everywhere will also have.  Besides, if any of them get just a glimpse of what I did, then maybe, just maybe, they will begin to see the light and embrace Cena as one of their own.

Yeah, I know, I even chuckled a little as I wrote that line.

However, I will say that it seems, once again, that WWE is going back to the drawing board with Cena, as they attempt, one more time, to try and get him over as the hero that they want us to believe he is.

That could not be accomplished with The Rock.  Rocky is a face, and no matter how much heat Cena took in that rivalry, he was still a face at his core, as well.  

Lesnar, on the other hand?  Well, let’s just say that the huge ovation he received last week upon his return was not as evident this week, mostly due to his new association with Laurinaitis.

It’s a smart move on WWE’s part.  Think about it, how can anyone sit there and cheer Brock, while Johnny is standing behind him, smiling and nodding his head in approval?  It’s like watching a newly heeled-out Steve Austin being endorsed by Vince McMahon.

Plus, a bloody Cena is a man who looks the part of the victim.  He went from being the guy who could not lose, to doing the job to Rocky at WrestleMania, to being F5’ed by Lesnar the night after, to getting his mouth busted open just seven days after that.  Cena now appears, much to the delight of his detractors, very human.

Oh, and before anyone starts losing their mind proclaiming Brock to be too stiff, that he thought he was still in UFC when he hit Cena or that Cena will be ticked off and raise cane over the situation, let’s just stop that talk right now.

Cena is, like it or not, a professional wrestler.  OK, maybe he’s more entertainer than wrestler, fine, whatever.  The point is, he is all business.  He is all about whatever looks real and what sets the mood, whether it’s to his benefit or not.  

Cena likely has the same mentality that any other worker who loves what he does and cares about the product has whenever he gets color in a match.

“How was that, did it look good?”

So, for me, there’s no story there.  Moving on.

The real question is, what happens now?  Extreme Rules is three weeks away, and we now have our main event, so where does the hype go from here?

Think Brock will start cutting promos "live via satellite?"

Sorry, couldn’t help myself.

This time, it’s for real, folks.  Brock is back, and he’s not going anywhere in the near future.  There’s no movie, or Hollywood party waiting for him.  He’s a competitor, to the core, and he looks as though he’s itching to get back in the ring.

This is the kind of feud that Cena needs, and the kind that we want.  Brock will be in Cena’s face from here to the night of Extreme Rules.  Smiling, taunting and attacking at every turn.

So, who’s going over in this match?  In my estimation, it’s too early for that.  Sorry, folks, you get no predictions here.  We all had a full year of that debate, and this time, I’m content to just sit back and watch this feud unfold.

Instead, I will give you a comic book reference, as I have been known to do in the past.  Hey, I’m a fan boy, what can I say?

Superman has been grounded.  Now, let’s see if Doomsday can finish the job.