WWE star to repeat what he did 11 years ago in John Cena vs. CM Punk at Night of Champions? Exploring the possibility
One of the most iconic WWE Championship matches of the modern era saw Brock Lesnar destroy John Cena to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam 11 years ago. Their rematch, at Night of Champions 2014, was highly anticipated before Seth Rollins inserted himself into the clash of the titans.
Cena, on the cusp of avenging his humiliating loss, was stopped by Rollins. The Visionary's attempt to cash in his Money in the Bank contract was then foiled by The Cenation Leader himself. Instead of the now-common ref-bump finish, that match simply ended in a DQ. Rollins' cash-in, of course, never officially got underway.
Nevertheless, 11 years later, Rollins is again Mr. Money in the Bank. John Cena is again scheduled to headline Night of Champions against one of his greatest rivals in a world title match. The difference: Cena is the champion. In fact, the veteran is in Lesnar's position as the bad guy. Considering The Visionary's issues with Punk, he may attempt to cash in his contract during the championship bout.
Rollins has main evented WrestleMania against (coincidentally, both times in a Triple Threat Match) Brock Lesnar and CM Punk. Oh! And the man who got scre*ed over by Rollins and took the pin in those Triple Threat Matches is none other than Roman Reigns.
To allude to a famous quote, "If I had a nickel for every time these occurrences, well, occurred simultaneously, I'd have two nickels. This isn't a lot, but, weirdly, it happened twice, right?" So, given Rollins' issues with CM Punk and Cena's confidence that Seth Rollins would not cash in on him, what if Rollins decides to once again pull off a heist at Night of Champions?
In his quest to eternally become "Mr. Money in the Bank," he could cash in successfully and become the new Undisputed WWE Champion. A match-up with Cody Rhodes, or even Randy Orton, seems quite enticing for SummerSlam. However, it could be way too big a development for a Saudi Arabia show.
Rollins could cash in and fail to win the championship, too. However, is wasting the contract, especially when it belongs to Seth Rollins, a good idea? The most likely outcome would be similar to what happened at Night of Champions 2014.
The Visionary could distract or even attack Punk as he is on the verge of defeating John Cena. However, much like Elimination Chamber, Cena couldn't simply take advantage of the situation. Seth Rollins would have the backup of his goons to help him out in a potential cash-in. CM Punk could recover as Rollins stalks John Cena. He could help out his perennial frenemy to the disgust of The Visionary.
Could Night of Champions bring a stunning change of direction in John Cena's retirement tour and the other characters that inhabit WWE's main event scene?
The aforementioned moment might mark the beginning of John Cena's face turn as conflicting emotions arise within both Cena and CM Punk. This development could affect top names like Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns in different ways. Alternatively, even Reigns could make his return at the Saudi Arabia show to ally with Punk.
Rollins, forever the agent of chaos, keeps the world title scene unpredictable. CM Punk doesn’t have to lose cleanly, which protects his stock and sets up a possible rematch of some description. Cena could retain, but not without questions about whether he truly earned it, escaped once again, and, most importantly, what shade of grey he is currently trapped in.
Most of all, assuming that Cody Rhodes beats Randy Orton earlier in the night, his path to SummerSlam may take a drastic shift. With a sudden change in WWE's main event scene, no one knows whose loyalty lies with whom, and that includes the WWE Universe, too.
Could Night of Champions and the weeks that follow finally break something within Rhodes despite his King of the Ring win? Finally, what combination of Seth Rollins, John Cena, Cody Rhodes, CM Punk, and Roman Reigns will compete for the Undisputed WWE Championship at SummerSlam?
The questions remain endless, but with John Cena, CM Punk, and Seth Rollins all converging on the same timeline, it’s safe to say Night of Champions may go down as one of the most chaotic events of the year.
