10 Times Great Wrestling Was Ruined By Bad Writing

10. John Cena Vs. Brock Lesnar (Extreme Rules 2012)

John Cena was Brock Lesnar’s first major target when he returned to WWE in 2012. Going straight to the top of the food chain, Lesnar destroyed WWE’s biggest star with an F5 on his Raw comeback and looked set to go on an almighty tear.

The match was booked for Extreme Rules, and all signs pointed to WWE preparing Lesnar for a huge monster run. He dominated the lead-up to the match, and was comfortably the most over person in the company. Logic would dictate that he’d set himself up for his forthcoming push with a huge win over WWE’s franchise player, but WWE went in the opposite direction.

It was an outstanding match, and the duo put each other through an insane amount of punishment. Lesnar dominated much of the match: it wasn’t quite as one-sided as their eventual clash at SummerSlam 2014, but it wasn’t far off. The booking was absolutely perfect… until the last minute or so. Cena fired-up, downed Lesnar with an FU on the ring stairs, and that was that: after 8 years away from WWE, Lesnar was defeated by Cena.

It left everyone who’d witnessed it in a state of confusion. While the loss didn’t destroy Lesnar’s aura completely, it was a needless gutting of the incredible momentum he’d built since returning.