By Jon Cudo, PWTorch specialist

TRUE - JOHN CENA'S RESUME AS A TOP PERFORMER IS GROWING

The Extreme Rules match between John Cena and Brock Lesnar on Sunday showed that Cena is more than a WWE-created cartoon version of a wrestler. It showed that Cena should be considered as perhaps the greatest wrestling performer of all-time. In the last four weeks, he showcased a high-level classic WWE-style match on the grand stage of WrestleMania and followed it up with a brutal strong-style hybrid MMA/WWE style match that was unique, compelling, and an instant classic. In doing so, he significantly improved on his growing resume to support a claim as the all-time best performer.

In the last two years, his name has begun to be mentioned in the discussion with performers like Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and The Rock. His recent work adds a range in styles that Rock and Hogan never had and a growing record as a long-time top draw that is only exceeded by Flair and Hogan.

This is not to say that John Cena and the Super Cena character that drives many fans crazy is for everyone. However, to ignore his growing body of work out of spite is now starting to show a real naivety and lack of appreciation for what Cena has been able to accomplish.

It was clear that many fans in Chicago were won over by the Cena in the Brock Lesnar match/spectacle, and that is for good reason. That was an amazing performance by both men, one that we will be talking about for years.

FALSE - BROCK LESNAR SHOULD BE FEATURED ON TV

Since the end of the Monday Night Wars, many wrestling business analysts have been calling for top-tier matches on free TV to be scaled back. Not that they don't want to see PPV-quality main events, rather as a call to improve the overall business by making fans pay for top matches as they did for generations prior to Eric Bischoff's WCW Nitro plunge.

Of course, TV audiences still demand top matches, so the days of shows made up mostly of squash matches may be over, but that doesn't preclude WWE from pulling back in strategic ways...like they could with Brock Lesnar.

Lesnar showed Sunday night that he is truly a unique talent (noting here he's not a "Superstar"). His brutal, ruthless, and unhinged MMA-style blended with his ability to perform a worked match make him one-of-a-kind. Perhaps enough of a star that WWE can make the case his matches are simply too special to have on free TV. Or, too violent.

Lesnar provides WWE with a lever to test the theory that holding back matches and top talent from TV can help PPV buyrates. He might be the only talent who can make that work, but I know that I, for one, would pay for his next match after seeing what he did with Cena.

The other benefit is that WWE won't have to sacrifice half the roster to put him over while they build him up for feuds, or burn out matches with lame tag team combinations or handicap matches on the way to a PPV Main Event.

Brock is a special talent, and could be the perfect test case for some truly out-of-the-box promoting.

TBD - WORKING IS WORKING

Outside of the ring, John Cena's feuds with Brock and The Rock have been peppered with odd decisions, many of which could be explained if they were trying to create a worked shoot. Was Rock really mad that Cena called him out for writing crib notes on his arm? Did their Twitter war go too far? Did Brock storm out of Allstate Arena furious that Cena didn't stretcher out? Do they just hate each other backstage? In the end, I don't care. In both cases, their ability to deliver in the ring trumped these confusing and ill-conceived backstage storylines.

If WWE is trying to work the fans with these worked shoots, I don't think it's working. Or, is it? The WrestleMania buyrate was at an all-time high. Was that because fans thought Rock and Cena really hated each other, or was it because of the star power of Rock and Cena on the biggest stage ever? I would argue that the stars and setting added much more to the success of the PPV than any worked shoot element. However, WWE can argue otherwise (and they probably don't give my arguments the credence they deserve).

If they believe the worked "feud" between Rock and Cena drove the buyrate, then they can talk themselves into believing a "contract dispute" between Brock and WWE will draw even more. The
current structure of the Creative group probably creates the need to believe these stories are making the difference as well.

If WWE believes that working fans is working, then I suspect we will see much more of this. I will be watching and buying Brock's next match in hopes of seeing another spectacle classic, despite whatever silly People Power contract squabble they dress it up in. As WWE continues to mix and match these two different strategies, it becomes impossible to know and learn what's working for them.

Whether WWE can ever separate and determine what is really working remains to be determined.

***

Jon Cudo is the newest PWTorch specialist, presenting the "True-False-TBD" format. Jon has worked in the sports entertainment industry for over 20 years, including major league sports teams and Nike. He has been a life-long pro wrestling fan and has attended WWE, WCW, and ROH events in person, including backstage access at multiple events. He grew up in Minnesota and now lives in Cleveland. He runs his own business, www.GameOps.com, a website designed to connect sports teams and event producers with ideas and tools that will enhance the entertainment value for fans attending their events.

[ Cena Photo Credit: Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE ]

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