WrestleMania 31 marks the first time that John Cena hasn't been amongst the top four matches on the card since 'Mania XX. Fittingly, Cena would capture the United States Championship in 2004 from The Big Show, just as he would from Rusev as 'Mania 31. In essence, Cena's career has maybe come full circle. The man is taking up much more of a role outside of the main event scene, at least for now. Pitting one of the most instantly recognisable names against Rusev at WrestleMania was a shrewd move, and even though focus will inevitably turn to the fact that Cena now holds the US Title, he did do everything in his power to make his opponent look like a true equal throughout their feud. The real story here isn't that Cena finally vanquished the big Bulgarian, it's that Lana served to cost her man the match, which softens the blow somewhat on Rusev's job. Let's not forget that Rusev convincingly beat Cena at Fast Lane in February, and didn't exactly lay down 100% clean here. There's still a lot of mileage out of this rivalry, even post-WrestleMania.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
