WWE No Mercy 2017: John Cena Must Win Clean at PPV

A look at why John Cena must defeat Roman Reigns cleanly at No Mercy when the two meet for the very first time in singles action.

The biggest takeaway from this week’s Raw was John Cena and Roman Reigns’ fourth-wall breaking promo. The back and forth verbal dual focused on topics like being rejected by the crowd and proposed heel turns. In the midst of it all, Cena literally buried Reigns underneath a pile of trash talks and catch phrases. While it might seem like a bad idea, it’s indeed best for business.

There has never been two superstars as polarizing as Cena and Reigns. The former has earned the respect of the fans by way of some stellar matches. Reigns however, has been on the business end of some crazy heat despite putting on great performances every time he walked into the ring. Creative has tried everything possible to get the fans to like Reigns. However, their most outlandish attempt might yield the best results so far.

By having Cena, who has often been blamed for burying talents in the past take it up a notch to Reigns, creative might indeed turn a few fans his way. Donald Wood of Bleacher Report certainly seems to agree with this idea.

"On the surface, acknowledging Reigns’ biggest weaknesses may hurt his character, but it may actually help him win over many of his critics in the long run. Many wrestling fans who hate Reigns also hate Cena, and by having Cena verbally bury Reigns, some fans will take The Big Dog’s side against a veteran Superstar who could be pulling out his “golden shovel” once again."

While even they suggest that Reigns should eventually come on top at No Mercy, I feel much indifferent to the idea. For once, No Mercy isn’t one of the notable PPVs WWE has to offer. Reigns’s defeat of John Cena should be a moment celebrated as such. It is indeed a passing of the torch moment in the WWE. As such, it should come at Royal Rumble or even WrestleMania. Seeing as WWE is still adamant about having Reigns face Lesnar at WrestleMania 34, this year’s Royal Rumble would be a good place for this to happen.

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As such, Cena must continue to verbally trash and bury Reigns in the weeks to come. Then, when the time comes at No Mercy, he must proceed to trash Reigns. John Cena must put on the Super Cena cape once more. He has to take everything Reigns throws at him. More importantly, Cena has to best Reigns at every corner. He must visibly over-power Roman Reigns. Reigns’s defeat at the hands of Cena must come so cleanly that it humbles Reigns.

The company must then proceed to portray a visibly shaken Reigns who questions his own faith. Roman Reigns has been booked like a Juggernaut. For the first time in his career, Reigns must doubt himself. He must then look to redeem himself by starting from the very bottom again. Finally, just in time for Royal Rumble, he could challenge Cena once. Creative ought to add some kind of stipulation to this match as well.

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In addition, a move like this would ensure Reigns is still on track to face Lesnar. Also, it opens the door for a SmackDown Live superstar to win the rumble and main event WrestleMania. A redemption storyline as stated above would also help to get the fans to rally behind Reigns. What are your thoughts on this?