WWE Needs a New Approach to John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar III

John Cena is on his way to yet another showdown against Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.  The 15-time champion and face of Vince McMahon's company will eventually step into the ring with The Beast Incarnate for the third time since SummerSlam, and fans are surely bracing themselves for this next big match.

But this time out, WWE needs something fresh for this rivalry.  The two men have waged war twice, and both times the crowd has gone along for the ride.  However, they may need to do more this time out.

SummerSlam was the first chapter of this saga, the return bout from 2012.  In that initial match two years ago, Cena got the win.  When he did, it surely sent shock waves through many of the WWE faithful.

The reason for that was because Lesnar practically dominated that match at Extreme Rules.  He mauled Cena and drew first blood in the opening moments of the bout.  He set the tone very early on, and fans knew that they were witnessing history.

Cena was going down; it was just a matter of time.

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However, Cena came back.  He once again found that extra momentum to fight through the pain and somehow will himself to victory.  The fans had gotten it wrong: Cena did what he does best and overcame the threat of The Beast.

But 2014's SummerSlam told a much different story.

Lesnar established himself very early once again and definitely seemed to have the match well in hand.  Fans watched, waiting for Cena's infamous comeback, only this time it never happened.  Lesnar destroyed Cena and left him for dead in the middle of the ring.

The crowd was left stunned at what they witnessed.  Cena had practically no offense whatsoever, no answer at all for Lesnar's onslaught.  The face of WWE was left defeated and without his championship.

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It was a night fans will never forget, an oddity for many because Cena just doesn't get manhandled in that fashion.  Lesnar absolutely dominated him, and even though Cena was soundly defeated, fans knew that a second match was sure to follow.

That match came at Night of Champions and was believed to be Cena's moment of redemption.

WWE's top guy had been off his game at SummerSlam, apparently unprepared for Lesnar.  He would not make the same mistake at Night of Champions.  This was his time to get back up, to right the ship once again.

Despite the way he lost at SummerSlam, Cena would have to answer Lesnar in the rematch.  He needed to find a way to overcome once again, and the only way to do that was to beat The Beast and take back the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.

But then Seth Rollins got involved, ruining Cena's chance at redemption and allowing Lesnar to retain the title in the process.  Once again, Cena did not have his comeback, and the belt remained around the waist of Paul Heyman's client. Cena was back to square one, and fans were left believing that the rivalry was over.

credit: wwe.com

But now here we are again: Lesnar vs. Cena for the third time, with the company's top prize hanging in the balance.  The question is: How will WWE sell it to fans this time?

The fact is that a new approach is needed.  Domination led to redemption, which leads to this new third chapter.  But what will the theme be? 

The truth is that many fans likely want no part of this match.  They have had their fill of this feud and may have decided that after Night of Champions, the time was right to move on.  Lesnar is the absentee champion, with Night of Champions being his last title defense.  Nearly two months later, he is presumably on his way back at some point, and Cena will once again be in his sights.

But fans have been at this point before.  They have played along and have been emotionally attached from one match to the next.  However, that is likely over.  Fans need a reason to tune into this rematch; they need a reason to care.

Cena and Lesnar's names on the marquee may not be enough this time to garner full crowd support.  Even the championship itself may not be enough to get fan interest up and keep it there.  WWE needs something new to sweeten the deal, a different approach to get the crowd back into this rivalry.

And if that approach is not found, then many fans will surely not be overly concerned with what happens.  There has always been an inherent amount of drama in Cena vs. Lesnar; they have an intensity that no other two guys have in the ring.  But that will probably not be enough this time.  

Fans need more, and WWE needs to give it to them.