John Cena is starting his feud with Rusev. This was a likely feud for a while. Even before rumors and reports, it was a feud you could have just anticipated. Rusev was being kept strong. His undefeated streak stands. The WWE just loves creating situations like this to put over Cena. If this feud only lasts up to Fast Lane, that is one thing. If this spills over into Wrestlemania, which is a possibility, that is another issue. For the sake of discussion, let's say this is a feud that lasts a few months.
This would be the second year in a row that John Cena has feuded with an upper-midcarder for Wrestlemania. He feuded with Bray Wyatt last year. And it was very similar to what you have now. Bray Wyatt attacked Cena at the Royal Rumble last year. Issues going on at the time led to them killing the development of the feud for a few weeks. Cena and Rusev had a confrontation this past Sunday. Much like Rusev, Bray Wyatt was also protected and made to look strong heading into that feud with Cena.
Comparing Rusev now to Bray Wyatt then, I personally think this is a step down for Cena. Bray Wyatt did not have any title credibility then. And I will admit that Bray Wyatt is not as great in the ring as Rusev. But Bray Wyatt had his stable and a gimmick that made him look like some kind of demented threat. Rusev has a midcard title and a manager. His gimmick is really one of a foreign heel people are supposed to hate. He got a positive reaction from fans on Sunday, but that is really because of what was going on in that match. Aside from that, I just don't think he has been properly protected. He has had a few losses, although not by pinfall or submission. And he doesn't really look unbreakable. Bray Wyatt was not 100% undefeated back then, either, but he just seemed like he was better built. Rusev has looked very beatable against some guys. The WWE can try to spin it however they want, but this is not the biggest threat in Cena's career. He has overcome worse.
What about the United States Championship and Rusev's feud with Ryback? Cena will obviously not need a midcard title. Ryback winning it would be nice. But should that happen during or after Cena's feud with Rusev? You can have Cena help Ryback win the title. Problem is, that's the end of Rusev's undefeated streak. That is something they would want to give to Cena. Of course, they could have Rusev drop the title in some multi-challenger match and not get pinned. The problem with having Rusev hold the title until after he is done with Cena is that you could have some other guy holding it and defending it during that time and it could leave Ryback with nothing to do for a few months if he's left waiting for that feud to end. The midcard is not good these days. He could feud against Barrett. Either way, it would have been nice to bring proper closure to the feud between Ryback and Rusev before starting to tease Cena vs. Rusev.
John Cena is the top guy. It is Wrestlemania season. Does he deserve better than this? I have already said that I felt Rusev is a step down from last year's opponent, Bray Wyatt. Any other time of the year, it would be a great idea to have this kind of feud. If they wanted to have Cena be the guy to beat Rusev, I would have done it last month. But this as Cena's Wrestlemania feud? What else is there? They can try forcing him into the WWE title feud, but he is not the answer to that situation. The only feud I think he can fit in would be Triple H vs. Sting. It has been over a year since Sting's last match in TNA. He will be 56 by the time Wrestlemania gets here. Maybe for the sake of match quality, you would want to turn it into a tag match. Ease Sting into the action. John Cena and Sting vs. Triple H and his partner. Who? Ric Flair? Probably not. Shawn Michaels? That would be epic. How about Hulk Hogan? He has said he wants to wrestle one more match. A tag match would be safe. Just pair Triple H with a legend to go with Cena's legend. That is something worthy of a Wrestlemania for John Cena. And it still keeps him out of the title picture for the big event. And there is an obvious story there. Cena has had issues with The Authority in recent months. I think it would be better than Cena feuding with a guy that is not at Cena's level. Save that for any other PPV.
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