Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena: Best Potential Finishes to Anticipated Rematch

After doing the unthinkable by thoroughly dominating John Cena at SummerSlam, Brock Lesnar will have an opportunity to repeat that feat Sunday at Night of Champions.

The Beast Incarnate will defend the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in a rematch that has certainly piqued the interest of the WWE Universe. Lesnar is favored to defeat Cena for the second consecutive time, but things aren't always what they seem in the world of professional wrestling.

There are several potential options on the table for this bout, and the choice made by the WWE brass figures to have a huge impact on the product between now and WrestleMania XXXI.

With that in mind, here are the best possible finishes to Sunday's main event that WWE must take into consideration.

Lesnar Destroys Cena...Again

No wrestler in the history of WWE has been portrayed quite like John Cena. Although he has suffered some losses here and there, he always manages to bounce back. At Night of Champions, WWE has an opportunity to change that and add another layer to what has become a stale character.

Lesnar beating Cena at SummerSlam wasn't particularly surprising, but the manner in which he did it definitely was. The Conquerer hit Cena with 16 German suplexes and two F-5's before mercifully pinning him. Cena had never been picked apart to that degree previously, and it is possible that he never will be again.

Cena's loss has allowed WWE to create some doubt regarding his status as a top guy. It has also provided both Lesnar and advocate Paul Heyman with plenty of ammunition. According to WWE Universe on Twitter, Heyman didn't mince words when addressing Cena during the build toward Night of Champions:

The smart money is on Sunday's match being far more competitive than the one that took place last month. The creative team has spent the past few weeks building Cena back up, and he was even allowed to get the upper hand on Lesnar to some degree on the go-home episode of Raw.

Making the match more competitive would increase the entertainment value, but it wouldn't advance the story as well as Cena getting squashed again would. If Cena is outclassed yet again at Night of Champions, then it will mark the first time in his career that he has faced true adversity.

It has been extremely difficult to care about Cena's character in recent years since all of his angles essentially end up the same way.

Seeing how Cena would cope with being second-best could add another dimension to his gimmick and to WWE programming as a whole. That can still be accomplished to some degree even if Lesnar doesn't win as decisively as he did at SummerSlam, so a Lesnar victory is paramount.

Cena Ignores Hustle, Loyalty and Respect

For much of his WWE career, Cena has lived by the three basic principles of hustle, loyalty and respect. That phrase is on his merchandise and represented by the hand signal that he flashes to his faithful fans. While all of that has worked well for him to this point, perhaps he will realize at Night of Champions that none of it can help him beat Lesnar.

Cena has had opportunities to ignore his ideals in the past but has always let his conscience get the best of him. Lesnar is a totally different animal, though, which means that Cena may have to do something different in order to beat him.

Heyman has tried to coax Cena into channeling his inner dark side over the past couple weeks. He claimed that doing so represents Cena's only chance to win at Night of Champions, and he even propositioned Cena to become a Heyman guy.

After clearly getting under Cena's skin, Heyman seemed quite proud of himself on Twitter:

Cena was able to resist doing something that he would regret, but perhaps Heyman's words will ring true in the mind of Cena at Night of Champions. That could lead to Cena taking advantage of a situation and cheating in order to beat Lesnar rather than losing honorably.

That could potentially lead to Cena aligning himself with Heyman, although Scott Fishman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel doesn't see that coming to fruition:

Cena breaking the rules doesn't necessarily have to endear him to Heyman or lead to a direct heel turn, however. That momentary lapse in judgment can be the first seed that will ultimately sprout into a heel turn at a later date.

The story would be a compelling one since Cena could have an internal struggle and try to run away from the reality of the situation. Putting the belt back on Cena for the 16th time isn't ideal in the eyes of many wrestling fans, but it could be effective if handled in the right manner.

Seth Rollins Cashes In

The presence of the Money in the Bank contract makes every WWE World Heavyweight Championship match that much more interesting. The result of one of the two combatants in the match winning is obviously on the table, but Money in the Bank represents an exciting wild card that can be pulled at any time.

Seth Rollins became Mr. Money in the Bank a few months ago, and while he tried to cash in a couple occasions, he was foiled. It has been quite a while since Rollins has even attempted to do anything, which means that it could be the calm before the storm.

If Rollins is going to cash in at Night of Champions, then the only truly logical scenario would involve Cena beating Lesnar. After that, The Beast Incarnate could ruthlessly destroy Cena, which would open the door for Rollins to run out and exercise his contract for an automatic shot at the world title.

There might be quite a few disappointed people in the crowd and watching at home if Lesnar loses to Cena, but Rollins cashing in would be a great consolation prize. It could also set the stage for a Rollins vs. Cena feud, which would feel fresh and interesting.

As evidenced by this tweet courtesy of Rollins, he still very much intends to ascend to the top of WWE in the near future:

WWE might be best off waiting and saving Rollins' cash-in for WrestleMania XXXI or some time thereafter, but Lesnar's schedule might impact the decision-making process. If Lesnar won't be available for the next pay-per-view or possibly even beyond, then WWE could be reluctant to keep the title on him.

Lesnar as champion is something that is new and different, but the same could also be said of a Rollins title reign. It is difficult to say with certainty if he is ready to be the top guy, but he definitely has the skills to be a success.

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