John Cena Must Put Seth Rollins Over in Feud with Young Star

The role of veteran stars in wrestling should surely be to help build toward the future of the business, and as his in-ring career winds down, it's time for John Cena to start putting over some younger guys—with Seth Rollins being the first name that springs to mind.

Die-hard Cena fans could argue that their man is still a crucial part of the show and that it's too early to give up on him entirely. They could say that he's still one of the biggest stars on the roster. Valid points, sure.

But Cena is in his late 30s now and has fought several serious injuries over the past few years. WWE simply can't focus on him as much as it once did. It has to use whatever time the star has left to put over new people.

Credit: WWE.com

Rollins is the ideal candidate. He's one of the brightest young stars on the roster. He's been in tremendous form lately as a scheming, manipulative heel, and thanks to the Money in the Bank title shot, he is poised for a run with the belt in the next year or so.

Over the last few weeks, WWE has strongly hinted at a serious feud between the pair—Cena is still furious about Rollins' interference at Night of Champions, and Rollins seems to know he's probably going to have to go through him to get to the title.

And of course, it was announced on Monday's Raw that the winner of the Dean Ambrose vs. Cena match at Hell in a Cell will take on Rollins later in the show.

A long-term program between the pair makes sense, but only if WWE realizes it has to culminate in Rollins gaining a clean win over his foe.

Credit: WWE.com

A victory over Cena—at Hell in a Cell or somewhere else—would surely rocket Rollins to the main event scene and ensure his future stardom, while a high-profile loss would be disastrous for the former Ring of Honor performer's career.

Fans have seen what happens to midcarders who go up against Cena and fail to deliver.

The once-promising careers of guys such as Bray Wyatt, Wade Barrett and Ryback arguably haven't recovered from falling to Superman Cena. With Wyatt in particular, it really is astounding to see how far his stock has plummeted since he faced Cena in the spring.

Credit: WWE.com

If Rollins goes up against the former WWE champion in singles competition, he absolutely has to win—and solidly. Any other result would be too big a blow to his credibility. Fans wouldn’t be able to believe in him again.

Encouragingly, the SummerSlam main event in August—where Cena was absolutely obliterated by Brock Lesnar—can probably be seen as an indication that the bookers are no longer as paranoid about protecting their top star as they once were. They recognize now, at long last, that they aren’t going to be able to fully rely on him in the future. This is progress.

If Cena and Rollins do clash at Hell in a Cell, the younger star should be granted a strong win over his foe. It’s simply smart booking. Besides, it would be a genuine shame to see Rollins join the already depressingly long list of stars who faced Cena and had big pushes but ultimately couldn’t break through the thick glass ceiling.