10 Dumbest WWE Match Finishes This Decade

8. John Cena Gets Visual Win On The Beast Before No Decision (Night Of Champions 2014)

John Cena Brock Lesnar Seth Rollins Night of Champions 2014 finish
WWE.com

At SummerSlam 2014, WWE took the unusual but welcome step of sacrificing its biggest star to the only man capable of moving the mainstream needle - Brock Lesnar.

It was a shocking and progressive match, one which tore up the conventional WWE storybook. There were no opening shine and heroic comeback spots here; Lesnar pulverised Cena in an elongated squash, erecting Suplex City in the process.

Fast forward a month, and WWE completely retconned the bravest decision they'd made in modern memory, and reestablished the boring status quo. Prior to Seth Rollins' failed Money In The Bank cash-in, Cena had Lesnar beaten in the middle of the ring, back-pedalling both men to the positions they were in before SummerSlam.

More infuriatingly still, Cena didn't need the equaliser. He was due to be transitioned into a role which would see him challenge for one of WWE's lesser titles. Being haunted by the humbling Lesnar had dealt him would have added an interesting wrinkle to his eventual pursuit of Flair's record, too.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick (Creative Writing BA Hons) is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over a decade of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential UK institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!