Though it wasn't a one-sided 16 suplex affair, the rematch between WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and challenger John Cena at Sunday night's Night of Champions event was a true gladiatorial contest and thus provided the most compelling in-ring watch of WWE's 2014. In Lesnar presenting himself as the indefatigable fighter and Cena not giving up though still somewhat flummoxed as to how to stop Lesnar's onslaught, it was a fight that delivered in it's complexity as well as in its in-match action. Add in Seth Rollins' near cashing-in of his "Money in the Bank" briefcase for a WWE World Heavyweight Championship match versus the seemingly beaten Lesnar, and it was as close to perfect as pro wrestling can get. Lesnar's run with the championship has been a tremendous mix of hyperbole and unique presentations of not so much pro wrestling, but more pro fighting. In Lesnar versus Cena being as pure of a fighter versus pro wrestler match presented in a legitimate-seeming format as ever before, it worked. Lesnar's fighting now just barely trumping Cena's wrestling was the story on Sunday night, and certainly opened the door for Cena, or possibly Roman Reigns or another wrestler, to stand a chance of eventually ending Lesnar's reign. In watching a monster become a man, it's a traditional wrestling story mixed with more than enough reality to make it truly captivating and worthy of a contest that deserves "Match of the Year" status.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
