10 Losses That Must Happen At WWE SummerSlam 2016

4. John Cena

Randy Orton SummerSlam 2015
WWE.com

While Roman Reigns’ spell away from the main event is almost certainly temporary, John Cena appears to be taking a permanent vacation. Having recently had his Live Event appearances slashed, reports suggest that Cena is finally starting to wind-down his pro-wrestling career. He remains the biggest name in the business, but his name value will be relied-on less and less often, and by all accounts, John Cena will no longer act as a barrier to other wrestler’s success at the highest level.

AJ Styles, meanwhile, has taken to the WWE style like a duck to water. Coming off a career-best run in NJPW, The Phenomenal One made a huge splash upon debuting in this year’s Royal Rumble, and has put on a stream of excellent WWE PPV matches since joining the company. Coupled with the excellence of their Money in the Bank match and Cena’s own penchant for delivering world-class big stage performances, Cena vs. Styles has legitimate Match of the Year potential.

Given Cena’s apparent downswing, he needs to take the pinfall on Sunday night. AJ is fast-approaching 40-years-old, and if he’s ever going to be WWE Champion, the company need to pull the trigger on him sooner rather than later. He can’t afford the career-derailing John Cena loss that has hit the likes of Bray Wyatt and Rusev in the past, and there’d be little point in pushing Cena as his appearances become increasingly few and far between.

Though history suggests otherwise, expect a star-making victory from AJ Styles this weekend.

Channel Manager
Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.