WWE No Mercy 2016: 3 Reasons John Cena Should Win
By Mike Janela
2. Dean Ambrose and A.J. Styles Will Be Fine
Alright, but doesn’t a John Cena win immediately neuter A.J. Styles, just as The Phenomenal One finds his footing as first-time WWE champ?
That’s the beauty of the Triple Threat match: the outcome can protect anyone.
Recall Seth Rollins’ win at Wrestlemania 31, when the high-flying CrossFitter stole the belt from human mastodon Brock Lesnar. He did it not by beating Lesnar, but by pinning Roman Reigns in an impromptu Triple Threat match after cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase. That outcome did nothing to diminish Lesnar’s reputation as destroyer of planets, gave Rollins the strap, kept Reigns in the main event scene, and everyone left happy.
Same principle applies at No Mercy. Despite only owning the belt for a month, Styles can lose it without suffering. Have Cena pin Dean Ambrose while Styles is incapacitated in some way and you give Styles the same benefit Lesnar enjoyed. Styles never loses the match, the Triple Threat stipulation was unfair to the champ, and now A.J. has a grudge to settle and a storyline to carry for however long he needs.
Styles fashioning himself Cena’s heir apparent as Smackdown’s marquee name would only receive added juice if he feels he unjustly lost his belt to WWE’s golden boy.