Analyzing the Potential of a John Cena vs. Seth Rollins Championship Feud

John Cena and Seth Rollins will likely square off for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in the next year or so. Rollins has his Money in the Bank title shot to cash in, and Cena will probably still have the belt by then.

(Even if he does lose it to Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam next month, it's hard to see him not winning it back soon after. Lesnar works a light schedule and is therefore not well-suited to a lengthy title run.)

So what can we expect from their program when it happens?

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From an in-ring standpoint, it's hard to see it not being good. While Cena has been troubled by various injuries over the past few years, he can still deliver when he has to—for example, his Payback bout with Bray Wyatt last month was spectacular.

Rollins, meanwhile, is fast turning into one of the best wrestlers in the company.

He's a phenomenal in-ring performer and arguably takes the best bumps on the roster. Even if Cena is hindered by another muscle tear or injury by the time their program comes around and is moving slower than usual, Rollins can just bump around like crazy for him, and their matches will still be great.

The promos should also be perfectly respectable.

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Ever since turning heel on Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns in June, Rollins has developed strongly as a personality. He's shown himself to have impressive interview skills and knowledge of how to work the crowds. He's not The Rock or anything (who is?), but he's very, very good.

Provided Cena omits the bad jokes and cheesy catchphrases, he should perform well in their outside-of-the-ring segments, too.

Perhaps most importantly, Rollins and Cena will be a fresh feud for fans, a welcome relief at a time when the television product appears at risk of growing stale. (Come on, Kane and Randy Orton in the title picture? Again?)

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So there's nothing to worry about if these two face off in a program, right? Nothing can go wrong?

Well...not exactly.

The booking, and WWE's apparent determination to protect Cena at all costs, could be a significant problem for Rollins as he attempts to climb to the top of the company.

Sadly, Cena doesn't have a great track record when it comes to feuding with younger stars. In fact, he has a downright terrible one.

Wade Barrett never truly recovered from his dismal—and mostly one-sided—feud with the wrestler in 2010. The Miz and R-Truth weren't elevated at all by working with him in 2011.

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Damien Sandow unsuccessfully cashed in his MITB title shot last year against Cena and became an undercard comedy act soon after (a role he's probably stuck in forever).

Granted, there's some hope left for Bray Wyatt, who clashed with Cena earlier this year, but two high-profile pay-per-view losses to the star didn't help him. Even now, he doesn't feel anything like the big deal he did last year, partly because of that program.

It's not fair to blame the 12 Rounds actor for all of this. After all, he's not doing the booking. And to his credit, he does go out of his way to make these guys look credible and competitive in the ring with him, even if he's ultimately going over.

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But the sad truth is this: It seems if you want to get a new guy over as a main eventer, the last thing you should do is put him in a feud with Cena. Vince McMahon is too determined to make the former WWE champion look as strong as possible—at any cost.

Rollins probably will successfully cash in his title shot against Cena when the time comes. (WWE has too much invested in him to turn him into the next Sandow.)

But after that? Who knows? Will he get the strong, clean victories over the star that he desperately needs to become a full-time main eventer? I'd like to think so, but history tells fans not to get their hopes up too much.

A Rollins vs. Cena could be a star-making program for the former Shield member, or it could be the thing that relegates him to the midcard forever. It ultimately depends on how highly McMahon and management think of Rollins and his long-term potential—and whether they're willing to allow Cena to finally look weak.