I’m a sucker for stories where the past-his-prime veteran recaptures the magic one more time. Tiger Woods winning one more major in his 40s, movies like For Love of the Game — they get me every time! One of the great things about WWE is that sometimes, we’re treated to that. And on a Sunday night in New Jersey, John Cena delivered a performance that reminded everyone why he is the greatest of all time.
Cena And Rhodes Tear The House Down
Everything that was wrong with the Cena-Cody Rhodes WrestleMania 41 match was rectified at SummerSlam. This match, a street fight for the WWE Championship, had everything. Going in, I thought the street fight stipulation was there to protect Cena in the match. Wow, was I wrong.
Cena took insane bumps through tables, into barricades, into the crowd, into announce tables, and more before finally being pinned. You could tell that this match meant so much to him. It did to Cody Rhodes, too. Rhodes was holding back tears while embracing Cena after the match. It was clear that John Cena wanted his last match as champion to be one for the ages. It brought back childhood memories for many fans watching live on Peacock or Netflix. Even I, a notorious “Cena’nuff” kind of guy, was engaged and pulling for Super Cena. My co-host on a live YouTube watch-along, a lifelong Cena fan, admittedly had all the feels during this epic.
It’s clear now why Cena did the sudden face turn on Friday Night SmackDown. He wanted this moment so badly. Both John Cena and Cody Rhodes are proud professionals. And it’s clear they heard the feedback on their WrestleMania match. I would bet anything that a conversation was had between the two about tearing the house down at SummerSlam. To do so, Cena threw caution to the wind and performed like he had zero Hollywood commitments to worry about.
The heel run had an incredible start. After that, it mostly didn’t work for me, but this match really, really did. It wasn’t a technical 5-star masterpiece. But it was really, really fun. Cena’s words on Friday night came true. The winner was every WWE fan watching last weekend.
Where Does Cena Go From Here?
Sunday’s main event carried a sense of finality. I was left wondering what’s next for Cena now, as he still has four months left in WWE. That question was quickly answered when Brock Lesnar’s music hit and the Beast Incarnate returned to WWE for the first time since the 2023 SummerSlam. WWE reportedly kept Lesnar’s return under wraps by hiding him from almost everyone and bringing him in under the cover of darkness.
I really don’t know what to think about all this. While I can appreciate a shocking return as much as anyone, was anyone asking for another Brock Lesnar run? They were clearly trying to recapture the 2012 moment where Lesnar returned to F5 Cena on the Raw after WrestleMania in 2012. Like that moment, it will set up another match between them.
That said, it’s 2025, and it’s basically impossible to separate the art from “real life”. Brock Lesnar has been named (but not accused) in the lawsuits brought against Vince McMahon. Part of me thinks it’s disrespectful to the victims to bring him back, especially when it’s just for the shock value. From a pure wrestling standpoint, I’m sure they’ll have a fun, crazy match at Clash in Paris. But Cena probably only has 3-4 matches left — did anyone want one of them to be against Brock Lesnar? Aside from the gross feeling of it all, I’d rather see Cena elevate younger talent now that his run as champion is over.
That Other Huge Moment
Did anyone believe that Seth Rollins was really injured? After CM Punk defeated Gunther to win the World Heavyweight Championship, WWE tried to swerve us one last time. Rollins came out with the G.O.A.T of WWE, Paul Heyman, and was limping on crutches while he told Punk to enjoy the title while he could and that he would be coming for Punk as soon as he was healthy.
Rollins began hobbling to the back, stopped, dropped the crutches, and the ruse was revealed. After shedding the cast, Rollins sprinted to the ring with the Money in the Bank briefcase and cashed in on a vulnerable CM Punk. Punk put up a bit of a fight, but a Stomp from Seth Rollins was enough to seal the deal.
The new champion has said many times that he’d never allow Punk to hold the title. As a fan of good storytelling, I always like it when we realize that WWE has been telling us what would happen the whole time.
The match with Gunther was grueling, and it made CM Punk an instantly sympathetic figure after Rollins cashed in. I look forward to seeing a build to Punk getting revenge and finally capturing the title for real. It’s easy to envision Rollins refusing to grant CM Punk a shot at the belt, forcing Punk to win the Royal Rumble and challenging Rollins at WrestleMania 42.
Let’s give Gunther his flowers, too. He’s due for some time off (rumors say to get his nose fixed), and Gunther has been a true MVP in WWE for the past three years. He brings legitimacy to any belt he holds, and his vicious style in the ring brings a level of realism to his matches that other bouts sometimes lack. Here’s hoping he’s back soon.
The Best Of The Rest
- Cena’s face turn on Friday Night SmackDown is so much better after seeing the SummerSlam match. I thought it was a bit corny and rushed on Friday. Now, I feel better about it.
- The triple threat match for the Women’s Championship was simply outstanding. Naomi continues to shine in this push, and her father playing her out to the ring on guitar was awesome. Rhea Ripley and Iyo Sky never miss in the ring together.
- I love everything Dominik Mysterio is doing right now. The match against AJ Styles was a wonderful tribute to Eddie Guerrero and a lot of fun.
- If you like utter insanity, you probably loved the TLC match for the Tag Team titles. I sure did. It showcased the strengths of each team, and everyone got to have their moment. It’s a dangerous match that shouldn’t happen more than once a year, but it was a blast.
At Least They Tried
- Weird things sometimes happen in the ring, but it was so painfully obvious that Lyra Valkyria’s hand came out of the zip ties in her match against Becky Lynch. Then, we saw her frantically put it back in them. It took me out of the match. It’s unfortunate because the match was solid otherwise.
- I’d love to see Drew McIntyre in meaningful matches that don’t involve celebrities or influencers. I can’t be the only one who thinks he’s one of the absolute best talents WWE has.
- Tiffany Stratton retaining over Jade Cargill was a bit confusing for me. Hopefully, that will make more sense as the fall storylines start to come together.
- The Monday Night Raw after SummerSlam was just OK. I was hoping for more of a “Raw after WrestleMania” feel.
WWE Power Rankings
These aren’t about who’s the best — it’s about who had the best week in terms of performance and fun factor. Feel free to disagree.
- John Cena
- Seth Rollins
- Naomi
- Dominik Mysterio
- CM Punk
- Jelly Roll
- Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss
- The Wyatt Sicks
- Cody Rhodes
- Brock Lesnar
