10 Times The Main Event Was The Worst Match On A WWE Show
3. John Cena Vs John Laurinaitis (Over The Limit 2012)
Back in 2012, when CM Punk was at the peak of his powers and Daniel Bryan was picking up more steam with every passing week, the WWE booking committee sat down and concluded that what the fans really wanted to see was more of backstage figure and gravelly-voiced charisma vacuum John Laurinaitis.
As a heel authority figure, Johnny Ace had it nailed. He was annoying, officious, and genuinely sold the notion that he cared about upholding rules above all else. That’s fine for your weekly programming, but to put him into an endless feud with John Cena, and capping off an event with their blow-off... well, no one wanted to see that.
The match was daft and dull, and excruciatingly long. Cena, the babyface, spends 15 minutes tormenting a much older man who he could easily dispatch before Big Show appears for his biannual heel turn to gift Laurinaitis the win.
What’s worse, this card featured a match of the year candidate in CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan, a technical masterclass and red hot title match. WWE politics would prevail, but it’s no wonder Punk was gone in little over 18 months.