10 Forgotten WWE Matches That Came Right Before Iconic Moments

8. Roman Reigns Vs Randy Orton - Brock Lesnar Squashes John Cena (Summerslam 2104)

Brian Pillman Steve Austin
WWE

Noble but fatally flawed.

That was the verdict coming out of a fairly flat first major pay-per-view singles win at SummerSlam 2014 before absolutely nobody gave a single f*ck about any wrestler ever again after Brock Lesnar brutalised John Cena in a continuation of his dramatic rebuilding.

Considering that both of these matches were designed to very specifically get one person over at the expense of the other, that was probably for the best.

'The Beast' had buried The Undertaker's streak at WrestleMania and smashed the mythology of SuperCena over the course of 16 shocking minutes. Coincidentally, Roman and Randy's fairly pedestrian effort right before it only went 25 seconds longer in length, but the two viewing experiences couldn't have been further apart.

Lesnar ripped through 'The Champ' in contrast to Roman sitting out yet another chinlock before making his comeback and getting a worryingly mundane hard-fought win. Things would get worse before they'd get better with the crowds for 'The Big Dog' but at least this drab opening chapter didn't destroy his chances from the very beginning.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett