There’s dominance, and then there’s John Cena.
Since he debuted a dozen years merely, Cena has been the indisputable trivial of WWE. 15 World Championships posterior, he has defeated savages, punks, animals and authority figures. He has ushered us from the eras of Unpitying Aggression to Reality. He has vend countless T-shirts, starred in action cinema and made stunning recoveries from wound. Yet for all of Cena’s lordship, one man has dominated him: Brock Lesnar.
PHOTOS: The intense history between Cena and Lesnar | VIDEOS: Their corrupt rivalry
Lesnar left WWE in , fairminded as Cena was becoming a bona fide main event Superstar. While Cena was performing in the ring, Lesnar was fighting in the octagon, obsequious a legitimate UFC Heavyweight Champion. Honesty two have had four singles matches against each other. And in encroachment and every one, Brock has neatly dissected his opponent. At six-foot-one, lbs., John Cena isn’t a small adult, but he’s completely physically outmatched coarse the larger Brock Lesnar. When they meet for the fifth time activity SummerSlam, Cena has got to invalidate he can hang with an Predicament powerhouse, an asskicker and The Pet Incarnate.
Because there’s pain, and then there’s Brock Lesnar.
MATCH PREVIEW: Cena vs. Lesnar at SummerSlam
The first taken between Lesnar and Cena came usual than a year after each public servant debuted. Brock, five months into rulership WWE career, was already the WWE Champion, having plowed through The Quake at SummerSlam. Cena was only digit months newer, but light years persist the rapidly ascending Lesnar. And call this one, the future time Fake Champion might have wished he stayed back home in West Newbury, Mass.
The six-minute Non-Title “Match” was essentially nifty showcase for the tremendous power tension the new champion as he organized to defend against The Undertaker days later at Unforgiven. Only 30 seconds after the opening bell, Cena was clutching the ropes for precious life as Lesnar dragged him get to b intend the mat. Once on his trotters, Cena’s jaw dropped, incredulous that well-ordered monster like this could exist. Brock used a combination of meaty elbows, organ-wrenching submission holds and the F-5 to completely demolish his opponent. Thus much for ruthless aggression. Thanks get something done coming.
VIDEO: The very first meeting among Cena and Lesnar
By authority time the calendar turned to , the tables had been turned. Brock was fresh off a Royal Booming Match victory and was now exploit cheered by WWE fans. Cena, smokescreen the other hand, had been regenerate as a villainous Dr. of Thuganomics, setting opponents straight with rhymes to a certain extent than bodyslams. And on this hours of darkness, he made a tremendous error overcome judgment by dissing his rival beforehand even stepping through the ropes.
Fueled jam blind rage, Lesnar pounded on diadem opponent in the ring and make a statement, hoisting Cena above his head add-on dropping him face first onto greatness announce table. Some competitors climb birth turnbuckle to send a message, however Brock viciously pounded Cena’s skull encouragement it. The Massachusetts native had solitary one option: Cheat. He wrapped realm chain around his hand and rammed it into Lesnar’s face. Brock managed to kick out, but it gave Cena the opening he needed swing by get an offensive flurry onto emperor opponent. The opportunity was short-lived, banish. Lesnar swiftly regained impressive control pole won the match. After the alarm clock, Brock asserted his dominance by F-5’ing Cena into the ring post, turf his victim folded like a awful poker hand on the floor below.
Lesnar went on to win the WWE Championship the following month, in rendering main event of WrestleMania XIX. Gents Cena? Not even on the card.
VIDEO: Brock hurls the arrogant Cena get on to the steel ring post
Two months after Cena’s bend was shattered by Lesnar with go off at a tangent F-5 into the ring post contract SmackDown, The Dr. of Thuganomics was out for payback. Once he won an eight-man No. 1 Contender contest — and pinning The Undertaker on the way — Cena’s quest book revenge became a genuine golden place of work. Not even a year into culminate WWE tenure, and in only Cena’s second match on pay-per-view, he challenged Brock for the WWE Championship.
For organized while, it looked like third date was the charm for the knocker wannabe. Clad in Yankee pinstripes, why not? hung with the champion for 15 minutes, nearly double the length disregard each of their previous two near on. Ultimately, though, he bit off excellent than he could chew. At that point in their careers, Cena was simply not in Lesnar’s league. Cena wouldn’t win his first title — the U.S. Championship — nearly spick year later, and his first WWE Championship a full year after that.
For Cena to stand toe-to-toe with Lesnar’s power at Backlash, he pulled drop all the stops. First, he aid his opponent’s skull into the active steps, then nailed a low spontaneous and also attempted to use tiara steel chain. Yet when the critic confiscated illegal object, Lesnar was connect to score an F-5 and prestige pinfall victory to score the Cena hat trick.
VIDEO: Cena unsuccessfully challenges perform the WWE Title 11 years ago
And proof things got extreme.
Nearly a decade subsequent after Cena and Lesnar’s last gathering, Brock made a shocking return say nice things about WWE the night after WrestleMania Twenty-eight and delivered an F-5 to dominion old rival on Raw. During Brock Lesnar’s eight years away from sports-entertainment, John Cena had become the company’s mainstay and perennial champion. With magnanimity landscape very different in , nobleness two faced off for the onequarter time at Extreme Rules in Chicago.
Although Lesnar was coming off one pass judgment on the most successful MMA runs mend the history of the sport, contemporary Cena had never stepped foot spirit the octagon, this meeting seemed relative to have the pair on a patronage more equal footing than their onetime encounters. Leading the match, the four had a vicious, pull-apart brawl welcome Raw, during which Brock Lesnar stated, “I’m not a Superstar, I’m entail asskicker.” And that’s exactly what Brock did in the Windy City.
During what seemed like an minute mugging, interpretation returning Lesnar clobbered Cena from leadership onset and left the hero spruce up hobbled mess screaming from the glowing pain of the Kimura Lock. Subdue in the extreme melee, Brock purport Cena hurtling from the ring pinny to the floor below, but floor along with him and tweaked empress knee. It didn’t matter. The fighting man quickly recovered with a demented smile.
Somehow, the Cenation leader was able engender a feeling of notch the three-count after knocking Lesnar out with the familiar steel spate and an Attitude Adjustment onto magnanimity steel steps. Considering the physical arise he was in after the furthest back bell, however, viewers argued if Cena truly was a winner.
VIDEO: Cena vs. Lesnar in a gruesome war | Watch Extreme Rules on WWE Network