WWE Champion The Rock vs. John Cena
Winner: New WWE Champion John Cena
Finally, the time for boasts, for promises, for Q-and-A’s and
point-counterpoints has come and gone, scattered to the winds of New
Jersey like the last scraps of confetti blasted into the East Rutherford
sky. Finally, the doubters have been silenced, the haters quelled and a
restless heart given peace. Finally, redemption has come, because when
all was said and done, when all the pyro smoke had cleared and the final
count slammed to the mat, John Cena hoisted the WWE Championship for
the unprecedented 11th time, having fought tooth and nail to defeat The
Rock in a titanic clash the WWE Universe had only thought they’d see
once in their lifetime.
The odds were stacked against the Cenation leader from the get-go. The MetLife Stadium faithful rained boos down on Cena from the second he made his entrance and lavished The People’s Champion with praise typically reserved for visiting dignitaries. Fate initially seemed to share the partisan mood of the crowd. Although Cena struck first, it didn’t take long for The Great One to seize control of the contest, halting the Cenation leader’s momentum and sending him scrambling outside the ring to regroup within the bout’s opening moments.
That trend continued well into their WWE Title Match at the 29th Show of Shows, as Rock’s initial burst of dominance led into a blunt-fisted beatdown of Cena’s torso then a vice-gripped headlock of the redemption-seeking challenger. The strategy cut off Cena’s head of steam before he could even build to full power, threatening to derail his bid for redemption and leaving him looking, at least for a while, like he wasn’t sure what to do next.
Victory would not come so easily at the cost of The People’s
Champion, though, and the barrage raged on with epic aplomb. With dogged
determination and steely resolve, the two combatants traded Rock
Bottoms, Attitude Adjustments and more than a fair share of People’s
Elbows to no avail. On and on they went, with no clear victor in sight …
until, suddenly, one emerged.
To the audience at home and the record-breaking crowd at MetLife Stadium, it wasn’t immediately apparent what was the catalyst of Cena’s ultimate deliverance from the personal hell of WrestleMania XXVIII. Perhaps The Rock finally let his guard down. Perhaps Cena was just a bit stronger, a bit bigger, a bit faster and a bit more determined than the man who clawed his way from an eight-year hiatus in Hollywood to reclaim the WWE Championship. Perhaps, like so many quests for redemption, it came down to the tiniest bit of luck.
Whatever it was, The Great One attempted a fourth Rock
Bottom and Cena, sensing opportunity, writhed free of the maneuver. As
the WWE Universe held its collective breath, Cena jettisoned The
People’s Champion into the cool New Jersey sky with an Attitude
Adjustment. A three-count later and redemption was his.
The bout — and Rock’s reign — was over, but the evening was not yet, as Cena recovered from the initial shock of his victory to share a heartfelt, private exchange with The People’s Champion in the ring. In the ultimate gesture of sportsmanship, Cena yielded the spotlight one final time to his potentially greatest foe, saluting The Great One as he strode back to the locker room in defeat. Proving himself as gracious a loser as he is a champion, The Rock ceded the final moments of WrestleMania 29 to the triumphant new champion.
Quite simply, John Cena has finally beaten The Rock. But, of course, next comes the question that every man must face when he scales his personal mountaintop:
The odds were stacked against the Cenation leader from the get-go. The MetLife Stadium faithful rained boos down on Cena from the second he made his entrance and lavished The People’s Champion with praise typically reserved for visiting dignitaries. Fate initially seemed to share the partisan mood of the crowd. Although Cena struck first, it didn’t take long for The Great One to seize control of the contest, halting the Cenation leader’s momentum and sending him scrambling outside the ring to regroup within the bout’s opening moments.
That trend continued well into their WWE Title Match at the 29th Show of Shows, as Rock’s initial burst of dominance led into a blunt-fisted beatdown of Cena’s torso then a vice-gripped headlock of the redemption-seeking challenger. The strategy cut off Cena’s head of steam before he could even build to full power, threatening to derail his bid for redemption and leaving him looking, at least for a while, like he wasn’t sure what to do next.
Victory would not come so easily at the cost of The People’s
Champion, though, and the barrage raged on with epic aplomb. With dogged
determination and steely resolve, the two combatants traded Rock
Bottoms, Attitude Adjustments and more than a fair share of People’s
Elbows to no avail. On and on they went, with no clear victor in sight …
until, suddenly, one emerged.To the audience at home and the record-breaking crowd at MetLife Stadium, it wasn’t immediately apparent what was the catalyst of Cena’s ultimate deliverance from the personal hell of WrestleMania XXVIII. Perhaps The Rock finally let his guard down. Perhaps Cena was just a bit stronger, a bit bigger, a bit faster and a bit more determined than the man who clawed his way from an eight-year hiatus in Hollywood to reclaim the WWE Championship. Perhaps, like so many quests for redemption, it came down to the tiniest bit of luck.
The bout — and Rock’s reign — was over, but the evening was not yet, as Cena recovered from the initial shock of his victory to share a heartfelt, private exchange with The People’s Champion in the ring. In the ultimate gesture of sportsmanship, Cena yielded the spotlight one final time to his potentially greatest foe, saluting The Great One as he strode back to the locker room in defeat. Proving himself as gracious a loser as he is a champion, The Rock ceded the final moments of WrestleMania 29 to the triumphant new champion.
Quite simply, John Cena has finally beaten The Rock. But, of course, next comes the question that every man must face when he scales his personal mountaintop:
Comments
Post a Comment