Seth Rollins Holds His Own in Overbooked Tables Match vs. John Cena
When a Tables Match was the announced stipulation for a contest between Seth Rollins and John Cena, WWE's intent was quite clear to the jaded eye.
In a match with no disqualification, where a winner is determined once the loser falls through a table, this was designed for each competitor to leave on relatively equal footing. Following outside interference from four different individuals and two finishes, WWE awkwardly accomplished just that.
While the chain of events leading to Cena's eventual win over Rollins hurt the match's quality, the events helped both Superstars, namely Rollins.
At one point, it was ruled a draw, as Cena and Rollins simultaneously went through a table. And while Rollins was assisted with cameos by J&J Security and the Big Show, Cena needed the returning Roman Reigns to ultimately defeat the Money in the Bank winner.
Cena was a heavy favorite against the upstart Rollins, but getting there was far from a sure thing. Even prior to the overbooking, Cena and Rollins were engaged in a competitive match highlighted by Rollins' athleticism. Rollins' stock was improved by appearing in a pay-per-view match against WWE's top star to begin with, and it was far from damaged with a loss.
Since Cena's No. 1 contender status was on the line, he was in a must-win position. Cena was the more desperate competitor, while Rollins was playing spoiler. His aspirations to take away Cena's title shot at Royal Rumble with nothing to gain for himself made him almost as big of a heel as winning would have.
Coming close to defeating Cena with heel tactics only helped him grow as the promotion's top villain. Even with a loss, Rollins still holds WWE's most opportunistic championship with the WWE World Heavyweight Champion set to return.
Moving forward, Rollins won't be known for losing to Cena in a match with storylines more noteworthy than the result (e.g. the return of Reigns). Rollins' profile will be raised as a traveling No. 1 contender poised to strike.
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