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John Cena's Feud with Bray Wyatt Has to End at Payback
May 19, 2014
At Payback on June 1, it will be time for WWE’s writing team to close the book on the long-running John Cena-Bray Wyatt program.
Like most feuds, Wyatt-Cena has had its ups and downs. It has had the good (Bray Wyatt’s promos), the bad (Wyatt losing at WrestleMania XXX) and the ugly (most of John Cena’s promos and attempts at humor).
Has Wyatt been aided by the rivalry? I would say so.
Although the program has not been as beneficial as it could have been up to this point—as noted, his loss at WrestleMania was utterly nonsensical—he’s climbed up the career ladder over the past few months. He’s proved he can hang with the main eventers, both in and out of the ring.
Cena has also done a decent job of elevating his foe. He deserves credit for trying to make Wyatt, as well as Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, look credible and strong. OK, so the booking could have been better for Wyatt, but that’s hardly his fault.
Cena has been very willing to look vulnerable for the trio on numerous occasions—a lot of main eventers wouldn’t have been.
But really, it’s time for all involved to do something else.
For one thing, the feud risks growing stale and becoming something WWE throws out there simply to fill airtime and give both men something to do.
Don't forget that Wyatt and Cena’s Last Man Standing match at Payback (The bout was announced on last week’s edition of SmackDown.) will mark the pair’s third match in a row on pay-per-view.
After that, do fans really need to see the two men fight for a fourth time? Of course not. As decent as their matches together usually are, people will inevitably want something new.
Besides, both guys each have more promising storylines on the horizon.
Wyatt could potentially begin a program with Daniel Bryan for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship after Payback, assuming Bryan is ready by then (and really, WWE needs to drop Bryan’s horrendous feud with Kane anyway).
A title run appears to be in the future for him—if not this year, then the next. Ideally, he’ll win at Payback, giving him enough momentum for the rest of the year.
Cena also badly needs to do something else.
Perhaps he could work a program with newest Paul Heyman guy Cesaro and put him over? Or rekindle his feud with Brock Lesnar?
He could feud with Bryan over the title if WWE’s booking team decides a face vs. face program is an intriguing enough possibility.
Hopefully, WWE doesn’t try to push the Cena-Wyatt rivalry past Payback. Not only would it make for mediocre television, but it is also time for the company to try something else.