10 Wrestling Matches That Were NOTHING Like You Expected

6. John Cena Vs. Brock Lesnar - WWE SummerSlam 2014

John Cena The Undertaker
WWE.com

Brock Lesnar had already brutalised John Cena at Extreme Rules 2012. This was a violent rated R massacre in a glossy PG WWE ring, shocking in context and out of it; Lesnar opened Cena the hardway in the the most beautiful sort of ugly pro wrestling encounter. Cena was in the lion's den, grimly struggling to remove the thorn. He did, with about one move, in what was a baffling and tiresome result - but ultimately, Lesnar was established as a monster in the aftermath. And then the Triple H feud happened.

We didn't expect a closely-contested affair two years later, but then, we didn't expect Lesnar to squash Cena in the manner he did.

Even now, as he recedes into a part-time role, the memories of the extent to which Cena was protected remain as vivid as his ugly sort of ugly technicolour gear. Spooky kids; sardonic talk show hosts; interferences; interferences; interferences; interferences; interferences; interferences; Big Show heel turns; Big Show heel turns; interferences: Cena did not lose cleanly.

At SummerSlam 2014, Cena lost in the most conclusive main event result in WWE history. John Cena. Brock Lesnar terrorised the man with German suplex after German suplex, his five moves of doom no match - literally - for Lesnar's one.

We've seen the nadir of the act, but in 2014, it was minimal masterpiece of character rebuilding.

 
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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential 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 former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current 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!