John Cena vs. Baron Corbin: Best-Case, Worst-Case Scenario for WWE SummerSlam

WWE SummerSlam will prove to be a crossroads for Baron Corbin as he faces John Cena at the marquee event.

Corbin has faced the likes of Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler and Kalisto on pay-per-view, but this clash with Cena is a whole other world. The spotlight will be brighter. The stakes will be higher. The match will have a greater impact on the direction of The Lone Wolf's career.

After a confrontation last week ended with Cena slamming Corbin through a table, the two met again on Tuesday's SmackDown. Afterward, the show's general manager, Daniel Bryan, set up a match between them for SummerSlam.

The 16-time world champion will now face the current Mr. Money in the Bank on Aug. 20 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

For Corbin, this match marks an opportunity of a lifetime. He not only gets a spot on WWE's second-biggest event of the year but stands across from the man who has been the face of the company for a decade. And clashes with Cena have been known to elevate or sink rising stars.

Worst-Case Scenario

Corbin is clearly on his way up the SmackDown ladder.

His journey has been up and down thus far, but now The Lone Wolf is settling into a prime position. As Matt Wilansky of ESPN.com wrote: "With the briefcase in hand and an upcoming date with Cena, Corbin's finally starting to feel like main event material."

A one-sided loss to Cena will derail that to a degree.

We have seen emerging heels sputter after failing to take down WWE's golden boy. Shortly after his defeat to Tensai, WWE repackaged the powerhouse as dance-happy Sweet T, one-half of Tons of Funk.

Ryback never sniffed the main event scene again after losing to Cena. Rusev is just now beginning to move back up the ladder after running into a wall named Cena in 2015. 

Corbin joining that list would be a waste.

WWE has made a clear effort to make him a key part of the New Era. It has sold him as a young, dangerous talent. Getting clobbered by Cena and failing to recover would hurt that process.

Credit: WWE.com

A loss is one thing, but to be made to look like a blundering goon is another.

The situation would be even worse if somehow Corbin puts the Money in the Bank briefcase on the line at SummerSlam. Cena would then jet to the WWE title picture while Corbin's ticket to the top would no longer be in his grip.

Best-Case Scenario

They don't call Cena "Big Match John" for nothing. Few guys have been able to turn it on when the lights are brightest like him. 

The best situation for both men here would be if they produce one of SummerSlam's show-stealers, if the minimal build to their bout ends up not mattering as they tear it up in the Barclays Center.

Corbin hasn't had his magnum opus yet, but clashing with Cena may change that.

The folks at the Shoulders Up podcast noted the potential of Cena giving The Lone Wolf a match to remember:

Cena did that throughout his United States Open Challenge in 2015 against everyone from Zayn to Cesaro. For Corbin, he has to hope to have a standout match in that vein at the very least. A decisive win on top of that would be even better.

Cena's last several SummerSlam opponents have beaten him at the event and gone on to be bigger stars as a result—Daniel Bryan, AJ Styles, Seth Rollins.

Whether Corbin wins or loses, if he looks like a million bucks against a top guy in a big spot, his stock will rise. A victory he can brag about for weeks would be a major bonus. Either way, he will charge ahead with added momentum, and SmackDown will have bolstered one of its soon-to-be cornerstones.

That would be an excellent return for a midcard match added to the card shortly before SummerSlam arrived.