WWE Is Devaluing Finishing Maneuvers with John Cena vs. Kevin Owens Feud

John Cena defeated Kevin Owens for the second-consecutive pay-per-view, and he only needed five finishers to do so. 

Eight finishing moves were used in total during the match, and seven of them were either broken up or resulted in a nearfall.

This has been a theme in the otherwise entertaining series of matches between Owens and Cena. With every match, WWE puts less value on the finishing moves in favor of a more long-term payoff. The logic behind this isn't completely flawed, but finishing maneuvers lose their purpose each time they fail to end a match.

Fans are slowly being trained to wait until multiple signature moves are employed before getting truly emotionally invested in a finishing sequence. In time, this will make them numb to much of the match, and the novelty of an otherwise powerful move will die.

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Finishers need to matter @WWE . all this false finisher stuff is redundant... #WWEBattleground

— *6foot7* (@_Droopy34_) July 20, 2015"

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One of these days WWE will have a main even that doesn't consist of a bunch of sequences of the guy kicking out of the other's finisher

— Armond WakeUp (@armondwakeup) July 20, 2015"

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Not a fan so far. It's WWE being "Indy" your turn/my turn spots, no selling (by both) & repeated finisher kick outs #Battleground

— LoW SuperStar Paul (@y2stump) July 20, 2015"

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What's the point of a finisher? @WWE

— Justin Collins (@JustinCIII) July 20, 2015"

Fans must perpetually suspend their disbelief to truly appreciate any great angle, match or gimmick. But they're only willing to cooperate so much before things begin to fall apart.

If WWE does not protect the finishing moves that help define its top stars, the matches will begin to seem more like stunts and less like competitions.

Many nuances separate WWE from the various independent wrestling promotions around the country. WWE's more simplified approach to a wrestling match, with fewer high-impact moves in a given contest, adds value to finishing maneuvers that are able to stand out.

But all three matches between Owens and Cena have been dominated by these moves. They've been so bastardized, both Cena and Owens have kicked out of the Attitude Adjustment, and Cena couldn't even put Owens away with this move from the second rope.

If Cena and Owens were to face off again, fans would expect several Attitude Adjustments, Pop-up Powerbombs and STFs before the end of a match. This defeats the purpose of a finishing move and instead lumps it into the same category as any other hold.

Alfred Konuwa is a featured columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @ThisIsNasty and subscribe to his weekly wrestling podcast.