WWE Extreme Rules: Has John Cena Won Back the Crowd?

Overall, WWE Extreme Rules was a very solid pay-per-view. Although the card did have some clunkers (like the Divas Championship match and Rybak's handicap match), there was one thing that will stick with many WWE fans for months to come.

There may have been concern that the Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena fight would not live up to the hype. After all, Cena was supposed to be portrayed as a heavy favorite, while Lesnar was getting a boatload of cheers by the same audience that is attracted to the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

While Cena's track record of a "face gone wrong" has stretched out through multiple events, Sunday's main event against Lesnar may have done something that few in the Internet Wrestling Community thought was possible: John Cena won back the fans.

You could not tell when Cena and Lesnar made their respective entrances, as the predictable reaction ensued with both wrestlers. Lesnar came out to a mixed reaction with a majority of cheers, while Cena came out with a majority of boos.

Then the match began.

The WWE did what they needed to do with Lesnar. He came out looking like the ghost of Super Cenas past. For a good 15 minutes, Lesnar dominated the current face of WWE. For the first time in a while, the WWE had a superstar pour a significant amount of blood on the mat as well.

Cena looked to be done throughout a majority of the match but eventually came back with his chain necklace to the face of Lesnar and an Attitude Adjustment on a set of steel stairs to pick up the victory.

On paper, this looks like the typical Cena win at a PPV. However, those who didn't see the match need to dig deeper to see the entertainment value.

Cena was beaten to a bloody pulp before coming back, which does sound like shades of Super Cena. However, the difference with this was Lesnar's attitude.

Lesnar's promo on Raw this week clearly set the tone, as some fans were annoyed that he wanted Vince McMahon's private jet and many other perks for doing this match. Even though the demands were strictly kayfabe, the fans bought it.

As the match went on, the arrogant persona of Lesnar rubbed the fans in Chicago the wrong way. Lesnar danced around when Cena was recovering and knocked out three referees during the match. Finally, Cena made his comeback and the fans at Allstate Arena loved it.

Cena won the match and the crowd went wild. Although Cena may have suffered a significant shoulder injury (he did say, "I may be on a long vacation," while his left arm was completely limp), the biggest victory of the night was that Cena was once again in good graces with the fans.

The WWE's best hope is that the Cena injury (if there is one) is not serious and they can capitalize on this momentum. Otherwise, the WWE will need to push its youth movement sooner rather than later.