The Last Days Of Heel John Cena

Calling the hirsute A-Train a "wookie" was far from John Cena's sharpest barb, but it was an invitation for the SmackDown fans to get on his back along with the rocket that had firmly been strapped. Especially when, following a defeat to Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit, he planted the future Performance Center coach with an F-U.

WWE smartly booked Cena to beat Rey Mysterio the following week. Not only was Mysterio perhaps the purest of pure heart babyfaces on offer to fool fans into thinking their new favourite might still be a villain, but it was also a valuable victory. Though mired in some Cruiserweight oblivion, Mysterio was still a megastar and far from an easy scalp.

Cena had earned the audience's love, but this ensured he'd earned their respect. Which was necessary after what followed; batting back Paul Heyman's slimy offer of a spot on Brock Lesnar's Survivor Series team, Cena took a brutal sh*tkicking from the group of giants - kickstarted, appropriately, by A-Train. The fans clamoured for him to reject their offer, and pined even more for him to make a comeback against the collection of monsters.

The following week, he thrived in a new version of his old role, proving his value to a cynical Chris Benoit as they scored the win in the evening's main event against The Big Show and Brock Lesnar. Benoit and Survivor Series team captain Kurt Angle might not have trusted him, but they saw his value there and in their eventual victory.

Everybody else - Vince McMahon included - did too. Angle, Benoit, Lesnar and others were right there for the right now, but 'The Champ' was here for good.