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WrestleMania in Hollywood is less than a week away, and the excitement levels are through the roof. Both nights of WrestleMania are stacked with excellent matches that fans are ecstatic to see. WWE has championship matches set and legends returning to the ring. They’re even bringing back the Hell in a Cell match for their biggest event of the year. Triple H has done a phenomenal job putting together his very first WrestleMania as head of creative.
One match that fans are especially looking forward to is John Cena vs. Austin Theory for the United States Championship. This match has been expected for quite some time. Austin Theory is a near replica of John Cena when Cena was starting in the company. Theory made his WWE main roster debut at just 22 years old. In the three years he’s been on the main roster, Theory has done pretty well for himself. He’s won the United States Championship twice and even won the Money in the Bank briefcase. Although he lost the briefcase in an embarrassing fashion, he recovered quickly from the loss. He’s been an excellent United States champion and has helped make the title more prestigious than it has in years.
But if we want to talk about somebody who has made the United States Championship feel important, look no further than John Cena. Cena is arguably the greatest United States Champion of all time, and it may not be close. He is a five-time United States Champion and has some of the most memorable runs with the belt in WWE history. Not only has Cena added prestige to the United States Championship whenever he held it, but he also used his run to put over other WWE superstars.
John Cena’s open challenge run is one of the best championship reigns in recent history. He competed against and put on stellar matches with some of the biggest names in the company, as well as superstars who would never get championship opportunities. Some of these superstars include Sami Zayn, Wade Barrett, Cesaro, Dean Ambrose, Kevin Owens, Stardust, Zack Ryder, and Neville.
At WrestleMania, John Cena can become a six-time United States Champion. The question is: will he actually beat Austin Theory? Cena is clearly the better wrestler and a more prominent name to hold the championship, but he isn’t a full-time superstar anymore. Austin Theory is on weekly television trying to make the title more prestigious while Cena is away filming movies. It wouldn’t make sense to have a returning John Cena defeat one of WWE’s up-and-coming superstars. Especially after the whole Money in the Bank fiasco, Theory can’t afford another significant loss like this. But you should never say never in the world of professional wrestling.
Let’s act like John Cena does beat Austin Theory at WrestleMania and becomes the new United States Champion. This would mean that Cena would at least become an active wrestler for the time being and become a regular part of WWE television. If Cena wins the championship this weekend, he needs to go back to having open challenges every week. This run would be different from the first, considering Cena is more of a legend now than eight years ago. Cena would use his star power to go up against some of the best young talent on the roster and make the championship feel much more valuable.
Just imagine John Cena having matches against superstars like Johnny Gargano, Chad Gable, Matt Riddle, Drew McIntyre, and Finn Balor. Those matches would be unbelievable. What if he faced off against the returning AJ Styles, the debuting Bron Breakker, or Carmelo Hayes? Those matches would be incredible, and whichever superstar defeats Cena for the championship would be presented as a star.
I am not opposed to John Cena winning the United States Championship if it meant putting over other superstars and giving them a platform to showcase their talents. On the other hand, I believe Austin Theory beating John Cena is a better long-term decision. If Theory is going to be one of WWE’s next big stars, he must defeat Cena at WrestleMania. It would be the biggest win of Austin Theory’s career by far. A win over Cena would wipe any doubt from fans’ minds that he could be a star in the company.
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