Predictions for Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena at Night of Champions

There is genuine uncertainty surrounding the result of the Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena matchup at Night of Champions.

It could be argued that since Lesnar has such a light schedule—he has barely appeared on Raw since winning the WWE World Heavyweight Championship—a Cena win is the natural outcome. It is Cena, not Lesnar, who can carry the company, work house shows, be on television every week and represent the company on various talk shows and radio interviews.

However, I would debate this theory. Indeed, I think a Lesnar victory at the pay-per-view is the far more likely outcome.

Credit: WWE.com

First of all, losing the belt so soon after winning it would be a significant knock to the former MMA fighter's credibility—it would effectively squander all the good work WWE has done to get him over as a monster in 2014.

I mean, come on, the bookers sacrificed The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak to this guy. They scripted him to squash Cena like he was Zack Ryder. It's way too late to back out of his mega-push now.

And having Lesnar hold on to the belt until WrestleMania, where he will then cleanly drop it to up-and-coming babyface star Roman Reigns, remains the best option WWE writers have.

Credit: WWE.com

If the company truly is intent on turning Reigns into its next major name, booking him to be the man who stops Lesnar's reign of terror at long last and takes the belt—on The Grandest Stage of Them All, no less—is probably the best way to go about it.

Besides, is there much point in giving Cena yet another title run? He's held that belt too many times to count, and, with or without it, he will remain as over as ever. And unlike Lesnar with Reigns, there are no obvious world title opponents for Cena heading into WrestleMania.

Rusev is a possibility, I suppose, but it's hard to see Cena vs. Rusev being a big draw on pay-per-view—his heel act just isn't that great. It's obvious that the real potential is in allowing Lesnar to get the belt. OK, so he won't be appearing on Raw every week, but is that a huge problem with Paul Heyman as his mouthpiece? No.

Perhaps Lesnar can again squash Cena as easily as he did at the SummerSlam show. Maybe Heyman could even get involved on behalf of his client and help him retain the title.

Credit: WWE.com

It is possible Triple H or Stephanie McMahon could interfere in the match too, signaling a new Lesnar/Authority alliance. This would also serve to stack the odds against Reigns when he challenges for the belt in a few months. Not only will he be going up against Lesnar and Heyman, but he'll also have to deal with The Authority. This would help make him a lot more sympathetic to fans.

The writers have several options if they decide to go with a Lesnar win.

Ideally, WWE won't seriously consider a title switch right now. It just doesn’t make sense. For the sake of Lesnar’s credibility—as well as the company’s future—expect him to hold on to the belt at Night of Champions.