John Cena Should Not Be in WWE World Heavyweight Title Picture at WrestleMania

John Cena’s upcoming WWE World Heavyweight Championship match against Brock Lesnar is being billed as their final battle. And while the pre-match hype is readily associated with their previous two matches, this is just as much of a final opportunity for Cena as a final battle.

With the babyface Cena chasing his elusive 16th world championship reign, part of the intrigue of the Royal Rumble pay-per-view is whether Cena will be successful in his final attempt to capture a world title for now.

In all likelihood, this will not be the case—and it shouldn’t be. Too many sacred cows will be slaughtered if Cena beats Lesnar: the 16 titles (currently an exclusive staple of Ric Flair), the diminishing of Undertaker’s streak, the dethroning of WWE’s biggest box-office attraction.

Not only should Cena lose to Lesnar at Royal Rumble, but he’ll also be better served staying away from any future world championship chases throughout the WrestleMania season.

The vast majority of Cena’s WWE career has been spent in the main event, especially at WrestleMania. But there’s a palpable feeling of a changing of the guard as WreestleMania 31 approaches. The developmental NXT product has had the most buzz of any WWE program since the launch of WWE Network, and alumni from that roster continue to have an influence at the top of WWE’s roster.

Just last year, Cena was booked opposite Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania XXX, an event that began with WWE’s three biggest stars of all time (Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock) challenging unproven WWE Superstars to seize an opportunity.

The Money in the Bank—which historically has almost guaranteed world championship success—is currently being held by Seth Rollins, while Roman Reigns is the current clear-cut favorite to win the Royal Rumble.

Nothing about WWE’s current product is conducive to Cena hanging around in the world title picture. In fact, Cena would have more value to WrestleMania as Rusev’s stiffest test—especially if the anti-American villain remains unbeaten by pinfall or submission.

Nobody realizes the importance of ushering in a new era more than Cena. He has spent countless promos demanding that up-and-coming talent go through him to get to the top, and he has been unselfish in his willingness to allow budding stars such as Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Wyatt to do just that.

Cena's role as a gatekeeper for the next generation should resume at WrestleMania 31. WWE is expected to hold WrestleMania 32 in the 100,000-seat AT&T Stadium, and it is becoming less logistical to book part-time stars for cheaper pay-per-views following the launch of the WWE Network. WWE needs homegrown stars as soon as possible, and Cena holds the key to that transition.

Cena’s final battle for a world championship in the near future should come at the Royal Rumble. But his battles against WWE’s future will be far more significant for the credibility of WWE’s largely unproven roster.

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