Seth Rollins' Tables Match vs. John Cena Is Major Step Toward Megastardom

Seth Rollins found a Sherpa in John Cena to lead him on a journey to megastar status.

The biggest bit of news to come out of Monday's Raw is that Rollins will face Cena in a Tables match at the TLC pay-per-view in Cleveland. In an opening segment that stretched on for far too long, the anonymous Raw general manager announced this new match. It instantly became the biggest bout on the card and the most significant one in Rollins' solo career.

Cena's star power, WWE's ongoing support and Rollins' penchant for masterworks in the ring signal that this upcoming clash will be a launchpad for Mr. Money in the Bank.

Rollins is already WWE's top heel, even without the world title and while competing on a roster that also includes Brock Lesnar. He is on his way to achieving more than that, to becoming the kind of centerpiece that Cena has been for so many years.

Battling Cena is key to him reaching that pinnacle.

Stardom is Built on Signature Matches 

Trace back Steve Austin's rise to the top of WWE. His charisma and popularity thrust him in that spot, but so did memorable matches. Chief among them is his WrestleMania 13 battle with Bret Hart.

It didn't matter that Austin lost that night, left out cold with blood smeared across his brow. He connected with fans in that bout in a way that sent him charging forward. He looked like a main eventer against The Hitman in an instant classic.

A showdown against Chris Jericho aided Cena's career early on.

Cena had debuted just a month prior. A near-win against Kurt Angle allowed him to grab the audience's attention. His battle with Jericho at Vengeance 2002 followed, the first of many signature matches for WWE's current franchise star. 

The quality of Cena vs. Jericho and Austin vs. Hart gave WWE the confidence to keep pushing those emerging talents.

That's the kind of opportunity that now awaits Rollins. He and Cena have shown fantastic chemistry in previous clashes, their styles meshing together like complementary gears. 

It's likely to be TLC's main event thanks to Cena's stature, and because of both who is opponent is and where this bout is destined to be on the card, it will be Rollins' biggest singles match.

A great performance here, win or lose, forces WWE to consider giving Rollins similarly big at-bats. Delivering a Match of the Year candidate to close out a year in which Rollins has already produced so many stellar outings sends him into 2015 with armfuls of momentum.

Cena Remains the Benchmark

Cena often talks about how the future has to go through him. He's right. To become king, you have to take out the king.

One either falls back down the ladder after facing Cena or keeps moving upward. For men like Ryback, a feud against Cena is high point of a career arc, a brief touch of the sun before tumbling back into the midcard.

For some, though, Cena has been the gateway to greatness.

CM Punk's 434-day title reign doesn't happen without him first feuding with Cena in 2011. It was that rivalry that transformed him from star to megastar. Just like Sting facing Ric Flair in the '80s and Ultimate Warrior colliding with Hulk Hogan in the '90s, working against the top guy put Punk on a new tier.

Daniel Bryan's career peak, knocking off Triple H, Batista and Randy Orton at WrestleMania 30, followed the bearded warrior's SummerSlam victory over Cena. Before Dolph Ziggler captured the World Heavyweight Championship from Alberto Del Rio, he faced Cena in TLC 2012's main event.

Credit: WWE.com

It's Rollins turn to battle the golden boy in hopes of some of his shine rubbing off on him. 

Rollins doesn't have to win at TLC to stride toward an even higher position. Crafting an unforgettable match is more important.

He enters this matchup with the Money in the Bank contract in hand and a series of main events already on his resume. Facing Cena adds to a fire that has been burning for months.

Continued Opportunities 

WWE clearly believes in Rollins. The company has seemingly been unsure if it wants to push either Bray Wyatt or Cesaro. They have both slid up and down the card throughout the year.

Rollins' trajectory, meanwhile, keeps pointing upward.

Credit: WWE.com

If his Tables match is TLC's final bout, that will mark the third consecutive main event for Rollins and his fourth overall in 2014. Add a Money in the Bank win back in June and Rollins' forcing himself into the Cena vs. Lesnar match at Night of Champions, and it's obvious how high the company is on him.

As much momentum as Ziggler earned at Survivor Series, The Showoff doesn't have a dance partner at TLC yet. He's likely to be facing Luke Harper again, which, as entertaining as it should be, is not on the same level of being on the marquee against Cena.

Rollins is ready to take advantage of his latest chance on center stage, especially after Vince McMahon's remark on Steve Austin's podcast about the current roster not being ambitious enough.

Expect Rollins to come out of TLC a bigger star, regardless of the result. His track record says he will make this something special.

When he is grinning at his newly won WWE World Heavyweight Championship, his momentum at an all-time high, we'll look back at his match against Cena as a pivotal moment.