John Cena suffered a decisive loss to Brock Lesnar at WWE Wrestlepalooza. In the opening match of this past Saturday’s premium live event, Lesnar defeated the 17-time world champion in under 10 minutes, a result that left many fans questioning the booking decision, especially with only five dates remaining on Cena’s retirement tour.
According to a new report from Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, the decision for Cena to lose in such fashion was largely Cena’s own call, rooted in his wanting to elevate other talent as his legendary career comes to a close. Meltzer detailed the unselfish mindset of the future Hall of Famer. “There’s no plan for a rematch. I don’t wanna say it was John’s idea, but what I was basically told is, John is very unselfish, and he knows on the way out, he wants to make people. He wants to make big stars. So he felt that was… it’s his call. And that was his call,” Meltzer reported.
He added, “A lot of guys, when they’re on their way out, their call is to lose and to put the other guy over. And that was John’s call. At the end of the day, it’s Paul Levesque’s call, but if John says that, it’s not like Paul Levesque’s gonna go, ‘No no no, you have to win.’ Especially when Brock is the one staying and he’s the one leaving, and whatever they have planned for Brock.”
The decisive victory for Lesnar, in his first match in over two years, is intended to re-establish him as a dominant force in WWE and set him up for a major program moving forward. Meltzer speculated on what could be next for “The Beast Incarnate” following such a significant win. “They got to put them against Cody Rhodes, or somebody like that, right? I mean, if you’re going to beat John Cena, who, if you beat John Cena, you got to set him up for him up for something big.”
For John Cena, the loss marks another stop on his farewell tour, which is scheduled to conclude at the end of the year. He is currently advertised for the upcoming WWE Crown Jewel premium live event in Perth, Australia, on October 11, though his opponent for the show has not yet been announced.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit F4WOnline.com with an h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
