The Next Big Feud

On the April 2^nd RAW Brock Lesnar returned to WWE.
 
In the final segment of the show John Cena came to the ring to talk about his loss to The Rock the previous evening. Fans berated him with loud boos as he assured them that the loss wouldn't cause him to lash out at them, as many (according to Cena) had predicted it would. He said he would work his way back to the top (even though he's still there and isn't going anywhere anytime soon) and regain the respect and trust of everyone who believed in him. Touching, no?
 
Cena then turned his attention to 'The Great One', requesting that he come to the ring so that the two could shake hands and Cena could show that he's a gracious loser. But he didn't get The Rock. He got Brock Lesnar.
 
Lesnar received a thunderous ovation from the Miami crowd, who had been chanting "We want Lesnar" moments earlier. That chant gave way to a more simple "Lesnar" chant and then "Holy shit" as 'The Pain' paced around the ring before climbing inside while ‘The CeNation Leader’ did his best to look confused and perplexed in the ring.
 
With the fans still roaring their approval the former three-time WWE champion stuck out his hand to Cena. The handshake was accepted, only for Cena to be yanked up on to Lesnar’s shoulders and get planted with an F5. RAW went off the air with Lesnar standing over Cena.
 
With that one segment WWE closed the door (for now) on Rock and Cena's rivalry and got 'The Champ' started on something new. It's a great move. A match between Cena and Lesnar has far more potential to attract pay-per-views buys than does a rematch between Cena and The Rock.

How do you ensure a wrestler gets a babyface reaction? Have them attack John Cena

Cena is a logical choice for Lesnar’s first opponent. Not just because of the money that can be earned or Cena's status as the promotion's leading man, but because there's an interesting story to be told in a feud between the two. They started in the company at around the same time and while Lesnar left to pursue first an NFL career and then a UFC career Cena stayed put and became the face of the company. That was a role originally intended for Brock Lesnar.

Lesnar and Cena are, in a way, contemporaries, having started their WWE careers at around the same time. Yet they’re also very different people, with Cena loving the fans and the life of a WWE Superstar and Lesnar being a guy who likes his own company and fresh challenges.

Much can be made of the success each man achieved on their chosen path and I’m sure it will be in the months to come, both by WWE’s impressive marketing machine and the men themselves in interviews. Cena is once again going to be presented as the company man who sticks around through thick and thin while Lesnar is likely going to be portrayed as the ingrate who left at the first opportunity, leaving the company high and dry. To extent that’s all true, certainly true enough to form the basis of a wrestling feud. Although it should be pointed out that one of the key reasons Cena is so loyal is that he has nowhere else to make a living.
 
I'm guessing a Cena v Lesnar match will main event SummerSlam. Another year-long build seems unlikely at this point: Lesnar is apparently going to be making two or three appearances per month, which is far too regular to be able to keep him and Cena apart for a year.
 
There are also plenty of other fresh opponents for Lesnar to get to. He never had a televised match with Triple H during his original run with the promotion, and hasn't interacted with Randy Orton since ‘The Viper’ became a genuine star. Meanwhile CM Punk and Daniel Bryan both rose to prominence long after ‘The Pain’ left so they're both on the fresh opponents list too.
 
Then there’s a singles match with The Undertaker. While the two have clashed before (feuding extensively in the autumn of 2003) they have never clashed at WrestleMania. Lesnar challenging ‘The Phenom’s’ Streak would be a huge deal and would nicely feed into the former UFC champion being presented as an ingrate. It could even form the basis of the match, with Lesnar saying that he wants to end The Streak to destroy a WWE legend.

That’s an early prediction for WrestleMania XXIX. For now though we have the Cena v Lesnar feud to look forward to. With ‘The Pain’ portraying a very serious character and now having a background in mixed martial arts I’m hoping he can bring out the serious side of Cena. If anyone can force Cena to take a feud seriously, it’s Brock Lesnar.