14. "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands" - Monday Night Raw, April 28
The feud between John Cena and Bray Wyatt was one of the hottest of the first-half of the year. John Cena's superhero-esque persona was tested repeatedly by a manipulative Superstar hell-bent on proving to fans that his entire good guy image was nothing more than a charade, a lie told to them by Cena and the so-called "machine." Every week, Wyatt cut passionate promos, sermons almost, about Cena. He even played mind games in an attempt to crack the franchise player, One of the most memorable attempts came on the April 28 episode of Raw, just six days before Wyatt and Cena were slated to do battle inside a steel cage. With Cena in the ring, the lights dimmed and when they came back on, the ring was surrounded by children in black robes, their faces shrouded by the same lamb mask worn by Erick Rowan. They sang "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" as a horrified Cena watched on from inside the squared circle. Chants of "this is awesome" rained down from the stands and, in fact, it was awesome. It was one of the coolest instances of WWE Creative's insistence on surrounding the Wyatt character with theatricality, something that would prove both beneficial and detrimental in the months that followed. Still, it is difficult to erase the images of the children, the same children that Cena fought so hard to inspire, brainwashed by Wyatt.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
