WWE Night of Champions 2011: The History of John Cena vs Alberto Del Rio

It’s happening again.

John Cena is a heartbeat away from once again winning the WWE Championship. And, the song remains the same.

Two things happened immediately following Cena’s WWE Title match against CM Punk at SummerSlam. One, CM Punk was, well, punked out and jackknife power bombed by Kevin Nash,. This led to Alberto Del Rio cashing in his Money in the Bank contract, and winning the WWE Championship.

And two, Cena went right back to doing what he does best.

Working for the WWE Championship.

The following night on RAW, Cena ripped Del Rio for taking advantage of the situation, something that every Money in the Bank winner has done since the inception of the match. Cena’s argument did seem very out of place, and when it happened, my initial thought was why?

Why would John Cena have a problem with Del Rio cashing in his briefcase after John’s match with Punk was already over and done? Did he really have a point, or was there something else at work here?

John’s character, as we all know, is that of the upstanding, smiling, big hearted boy scout. He is all about respect and tradition, and when it comes to winning the WWE Championship, he believes that doing it eye to eye, man to man, on an even playing field, is the right thing to do.

It makes sense. John is the company’s top face, of course he would take issue with how Del Rio won the belt, over a guy like Punk, who he had obviously gained a lot of respect for in the ring. Can’t argue with that logic.

But, still, was that the best they had, the only real reason that Cena was that upset that Del Rio went over for the championship? For me, the real answer is obvious.

It was all they could come up with to throw Cena right back into the WWE Title picture. And, the fact is, WWE is not WWE without Cena in the title picture.

Now, Del Rio is being painted as the coward, the guy who runs every time Cena is in the same area code. He always tends to back down whenever Cena steps up. Again, Cena is the unbeatable, tough as nails, wrestler who is ready to fight, but no one is quite the man that he is.

Is it a tired concept, overused and overdone? Absolutely. Is it working, getting Cena over as the John Wayne of the company?

Yes. Well, if you’re a kid or a Cena fan already. For a lot of other fans, it’s just the same routine on a different day, and it can be very frustrating.

Considering Cena’s character and his permanent main event status, Del Rio had to eventually cross paths with John, as a wrestler only gets to be a top guy by working the top guy.

Del Rio’s constant claim that winning the WWE Championship is his destiny would eventually lead him to John’s door, and that is exactly what has happened. In a lot of ways, this match was booked from the first minute Del Rio made that statement.

Now that their Night of Champions match is upon us, what are we to expect? Is it indeed a foregone conclusion that Cena is walking away with the gold once again?

Or, will WWE creative decide to keep this feud going longer, exploring every possible aspect of it before John once again wins the strap? Make no mistake about it, anytime the belt is not around Cena’s waist is time wasted in their opinion.

Perhaps the real story here is not where the rivalry between Cena and Del Rio has been, but where it may be in the future. If it continues past Night of Champions, Del Rio’s star can only rise. He will continue to gain exposure, and be able to keep evolving his character.

For Cena, the question is not if he will once again be WWE Champion, but when? If the answer is this Sunday, then that would be a shame. Del Rio has come a long way to get to this point, and he should not have the rug pulled out from underneath him now.