WrestleMania 32: 12 Booking Steps For John Cena vs. Roman Reigns

Everything since the beginning of this program has led to this match. Both men have scouted each other, have trained for months, and are both ready to give this match their all. Most importantly for Cena, he knows all of Reigns’ moves and has a counter ready for it. However, Reigns reveals in a promo before the match that he has ‘something special’ reserved for Cena.

Throughout the match, Reigns  targets specific parts of Cena’s body. Reigns uses maneuvers and strikes that target Cena’s right pectoral area, his neck, and his right arm, and especially his right elbow, which are all places where Cena has suffered serious injuries.

After enduring Cena’s offense, Reigns begins using his own signature and finishing moves. When those fail, he reveals what he had planned for Cena: a submission hold that takes advantage of Cena’s injury history and targets those body parts: The Nagata Lock III.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rni4QUfChK8

Reigns drags an exhausted Cena into the middle of the ring and applies this hold, putting considerable pressure on Cena’s surgically-repaired body parts. Doing so would present Reigns as a smarter wrestler who understands wrestling psychology and his opponent’s history, and is willing to injure his opponent to achieve his dream. Moreover, by playing up Cena’s injury history, getting locked in such a submission hold would rally fans behind Cena, making the finish more exciting.

In the end, Cena’s whole ‘Never Give Up’ mantra would finally meet its match, as John Cena would tap out to Roman Reigns’ new finisher.

Instantly, Reigns’ star power would skyrocket, as he would become the only person to make John Cena tap out since Cena’s main event ascent. The match would end with such decisive finality that Reigns would be established as a bona fide main-eventer, taking John Cena’s spot as the face of the WWE.