The decision to bring the match forward to Fast Lane is
probably designed to make that show seem more worthwhile, encouraging Network
subscriptions and pay-per-view purchases. To a lesser extent it might be about
making the first edition of what is likely to become an annual event memorable.
And it should work. Cena v Rusev is a WrestleMania-level match, a big addition
to a B level card.
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| Fast Lane's a definite for Rusev and Cena. I'll think they'll go to 'Mania too. |
But just because it’s worthy of WrestleMania doesn’t
necessarily mean it will be good. Cena is capable of great matches but they
usually come opposite smaller, quicker men with a varied set of moves. Rusev is
bulkier than Cena and only has a handful of notable moves to him. He’s shown
himself to be able to turn out very good matches but, like Cena, he does his
best work opposite smaller guys. Basically neither man is an ideal foe for the
other.
On the plus side ‘The Bulgarian Brute’ has shown an above
average ability to sell and he’s improved a great deal over the last year. The
first point should ensure that there’s some drama when Cena’s on offence. The
second means there’s hope that Rusev will rise to the occasion and enter his
strongest performance yet because this match is where it counts.
Sadly match quality is likely to take a further hit with
the finish. It seems unlikely that a match would be moved forward from
WrestleMania (Michael Cole openly stated that it had been planned for the
bigger show) and have it end cleanly with very few alternative matches for
either man at ‘Mania. So a less-than-clean ending seems likely.
Reigns, Lesnar, Triple H, Sting, Rollins and Orton all
look to be tied up. In theory Cena and Rusev could work with Bryan or Ziggler
but in practice it’s unlikely. Cena v Ziggler would be too far a fall for Cena,
although that would free up Rusev for a match with D-Bry. A win over Bryan at
WM31 could really bolster Rusev’s standing as a heel juggernaut. Swapping
opponents, Rusev v Ziggler has happened several times before and would
therefore not feel like anything special. Bryan and Cena’s second pay-per-view
match would be a big deal, but it’s tough to see how they’d be positioned
opposite one another without a championship involved and with them both being
good guys.
A second Rusev v Cena encounter looks likely for
WrestleMania. There are a few ways they could get to it and only one of them is
appealing. The one good way would be to have Rusev defeat Cena completely
fairly at Fast Lane. Cena, unable to make excuses, would have to come out and
acknowledge that the best man won before pushing for a rematch, arguing that he
has something to prove to himself and the world. But we’re likelier to see a
double count, disqualification or perhaps even the referee throwing the match
out for general over feistiness. That would also create reason for a rematch
but it would do so in less dramatic fashion.
Cena losing would be the best thing for Rusev in the long
run. Even if he ended up losing a rematch he’d still have that win over Cena
and he’d still be able to say he defeated Cena before Cena defeated him. Rusev
could take a first loss at WrestleMania and bounce back from it if it was
handled correctly and he was booked to seek, and gain, revenge on Cena in a
deciding match at Extreme Rules. They could make it a gimmick match to avoid
Cena having to take another clean loss. A last man standing match maybe. He’s
good at those.
Of course, the ultimate scenario would be for Rusev to
defeat Cena at Fast Lane, accept a rematch at WrestleMania, and then beat him
again. Two back-to-back pay-per-view wins over Cena would make Rusev look
unstoppable to a savvy modern audience. In turn that would make him the ideal
initial challenger to newly crowned world champion Roman Reigns. And being the
first man to pin Rusev, after Cena’s failed twice, would keep Reigns looking very
strong indeed. That’s worth bearing in mind.
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