7. So You Beat John Cena By Kicking Him In The Balls, Huh?
The last indefatigable tough guy that fought John Cena German suplexed him 16 times and beat the will to win out of John Cena. In doing FAR less than Brock Lesnar did to beat John Cena, Rusev's lack of a reaction from the Memphis crowd in getting Cena to quit in the Accolade on Sunday night comes from a deserved perception that Rusev (who is developing as an in-ring worker) actually isn't very impressive at all. A 300-pound heel that hides behind his manager's interference doesn't really do much insofar as instilling fear in the crowd that John Cena's 15 years of excellence are in trouble. Now if Rusev had hit Cena with a new power move - maybe a half-and-half suplex (or borrow Sami Zayn's throw into the turnbuckles) and maybe Cena escapes the Accolade - then hitting Cena with the belt could've made sense. Instead, we ended up with what should've been a powerful moment looking like a lame "pro wrestling" finish. Rusev deserved better.
Marcus K. Dowling
Contributor
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
See more from
Marcus