Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena: Fans Must Give Cena Props for Extreme Rules Match

John Cena haters rarely give WWE's top man props, but after his excellent performance against Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules 2012, they should be bowing to his greatness.

Cena took a hell of a beating throughout his Extreme Rules main event with Lesnar on Sunday. He was busted open early by a vicious straight-on elbow from an absolute man-beast. He was repeatedly brutalized with clotheslines to the upper body and knees to the midsection.

Simply put, Lesnar went to town on WWE's newest punching bag.

But Cena proved just how tough he is by taking the beating and pulling out the improbable victory. He even did so after enduring gruesome armbar after armbar, which may have resulted in a legitimate injury that could force Cena to miss extended time.

WWE.com is reporting that Cena did indeed hurt himself in the match:

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'The most obvious injury was the laceration to his head, which caused a substantial amount of bleeding,' said WWE locker room physician Dr. Chris Amann. 'He also has suffered a shoulder injury. Initial testing in the training room leads me to believe there may be torn muscles, possibly a torn rotator cuff or a biceps muscle.'

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Everyone wants to look at the outcome of the match and complain that Cena turned back into "Super Cena," since he won after such a beatdown. The fact of the matter is that's what John Cena is all about.

He took a vicious beating throughout the match, one that was so bad that it looked like WWE was deliberately trying to make Cena, one of the toughest men in the industry, a rag doll of a joke. It was a complete squash for most of the match, and that's never what anybody wants to see for a main event.

Cena's counter slam to Lesnar on the steel steps was executed perfectly. The only reason he won was because Lesnar was too cocky in the end.

It all worked to perfection.

If Cena is forced to miss time with the injury, it would further prove how dedicated Cena is to the business. The man finished and won a match without a left arm to use. Unreal. 

Fans need to wise up and respect his contributions, effort and impact on the business as a whole. Nobody gets the reactions he does in any arena.

WWE programming will not be nearly as entertaining if Cena is unavailable to work for an extended period of time.