Ron Killings’s departure and return to WWE has been one of the biggest stories in recent weeks. He popped up on the June 13 episode of WWE SmackDown to attack John Cena two times during the episode. That led to a match between Cena and Killings set for an upcoming episode of SmackDown. While the match makes sense, it raises the question of how far Killings can go with this final run of his career.
A few short weeks ago, Cena needed less than five minutes to defeat R-Truth at WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event. It was a match that made sense for Cena’s retirement run. He and Truth have a storied history together, on opposite sides of the ring and most recently as a comedic act. But by defeating Truth in such quick fashion, WWE revealed just how much interest it had in telling this angle as a part of Cena’s final arc in the promotion.
Fast forward to where we are today, and there’s a rematch on the horizon. While he may be going by a different name, do not expect Killings to get some sort of surprise victory over Cena. Some fans online have hoped or pitched the idea of Truth being the man to retire Cena in December, then walking away on his own to retire as well. While that would be the dream scenario, it is as much of a pipedream as anything head in wrestling. WWE, especially Triple H, isn’t going to book Killings to upend what should be its biggest story this year.
Ron Killings versus John Cena should have more stakes
Ron Killings versus John Cena is set for WWE SmackDown, and just like the first time it feels rushed. There’s an opportunity to build some stakes between these two to correct the damage that was done from that Saturday Night’s Main Event contest. Imagine if that match was booked as a title versus career showcase. Give them more than five minutes to tell that story in the ring and Cena’s victory would have made more sense. Plus, it would have been a way to announce Killings’s time ending with WWE that would not have come with as much fan backlash.
However, WWE went the other way and now finds itself in this position. Fans want to see some success for Killings, but it is hard to predict how far he can go in today’s company. He’s not going to be slotted as a top champion in WWE. The main card picture on both shows doesn’t quite seem to be the right fit either. NXT wouldn’t work as well. Some called for him to go to TNA and pick up that championship, so perhaps Killings could be booked as the man to defeat Trick Williams on his way out of WWE and join TNA. It would be a seamless transition. But again, that would take consistent booking on WWE’s part and that just doesn’t seem to be the case for some performers.
John Cena versus Ron Killings is on the horizon. What does it mean? Only time will tell, but it is understandable why fans are raising their eyebrows in concern for what this match will bring.