John Cena Should Lose to Brock Lesnar at Royal Rumble

John Cena is heading for a major clash with Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at next month's Royal Rumble. If WWE bookers are smart and sensible enough to look at the bigger picture, Cena should lose.

Understandably, few fans seem excited about the Lesnar-Cena match in Philadelphia. It's just not an appetizing prospect. It's been done too many times before. People want to see new, fresh faces and new, dynamic programs in the main event scene, which are experiences this angle is simply not providing.

It's hard to see the match—their fourth on pay-per-view since Lesnar returned in 2012—being a big draw or bringing in new subscribers to the network in droves.

Credit: WWE.com

However, that doesn't mean that WWE will be unable to salvage anything from this pay-per-view match.

By scripting Cena to lose, the company can make Lesnar significantly stronger heading into the WrestleMania 31 extravaganza.

Lesnar has burst through practically every hurdle in his path over the past year. To the amazement of fans, he ended the Undertaker's legendary winning streak at WrestleMania earlier this year. He then absolutely brutalized Cena at SummerSlam, making him look like a jobber en route to winning the title.

If he crushes Cena again at the Royal Rumble, he will undoubtedly be regarded as the most dominant heel monster WWE has ever seen. The wrestler who puts a stop to his reign of terror will instantly be a big star.

Credit: WWE.com

Per reports (from F4Wonline via WrestlingInc.com) earlier this year, the former UFC star is penciled in to take on rising babyface Roman Reigns at the Santa Clara event.

Presumably, this will be where Lesnar puts Reigns over clean.

WWE obviously has a lot invested in Reigns—virtually no one else on the roster has been as protected as strongly as he has been. Naturally, it will want to make Reigns look as good as possible at its biggest show of the year.

There's no better way to do that than to have him defeat Lesnar and take his belt. Reigns should be the one who finally brings the fight to the champion and gives him a taste of his own medicine. If that can't get him over with the fans, nothing will. 

Credit: WWE.com

There's also the rather glaring fact that Cena, already the most famous star in the company, doesn't need the title again. Scripting him to win next month wouldn’t accomplish anything.

Indeed, all it would do is hinder WWE programming; Lesnar would look decidedly weak for losing at the Rumble, and Reigns would be cast adrift with no meaningful direction or program.

Considering Reigns is already facing some big problems—he's struggling to find a true connection with the fans and has had one or two mediocre interviews—this is the last thing he needs. A massive win at WrestleMania is necessary for him.

Lesnar should absolutely defeat Cena in January and head into WrestleMania with the belt. Strange as it sounds, Reigns' future may very well hinge on it.