3 reasons why Finn Balor and not John Cena should've challenged Roman Reigns at SummerSlam
It's great that WWE pulled out all of the stops for this year's SummerSlam to make it feel like a WrestleMania by bringing in several big names like Becky Lynch, John Cena, Goldberg, and Brock Lesnar.
But the way that WWE got Cena on the card to face Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Title was weird. They gave Finn Balor a title shot and then bizarrely had John Cena steal it from him during a contract signing segment.
The Cenation Leader would fail at defeating The Tribal Chief, and now WWE is re-running the Balor and Reigns feud from before. But given that Cena's arrival and departure have had seemingly no bearing on anything, perhaps WWE should've done things differently.
Here are three reasons why Finn Balor and not John Cena should've challenged Roman Reigns at SummerSlam.
#3 Finn Balor deserved a title match, and it made no sense in terms of storyline how it was taken away from him
Having Baron Corbin fail and then John Cena ultimately succeed in signing the Universal Title contract during a chaotic segment may have seemed fun. Still, on reflection, it made no sense. Aside from the obvious issues with how contracts work, that is.
Doing something like this at Finn Balor's expense was needless, and such a weird way to get to the John Cena vs. Reigns match we all knew was happening.
Cena also isn't the type of person who completely steals an opportunity from someone else. As much as it was a way to stick it to Roman Reigns, it also trampled all over Finn Balor for no good reason.
Roman Reigns, who had refused to give Cena a title opportunity, also just went along with it after the 16-time World Champion signed the contract. No decent wrestling heel would accept that's how things are after they occurred in such dodgy circumstances.
#2 Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns at SummerSlam would've made their feud feel better going forward
There's an argument to be made that Balor shouldn't have got involved with Reigns at all while Cena was on the scene. Many feel WWE should've waited to have The Prince challenge Reigns until after SummerSlam, but they didn't.
By teasing Finn Balor vs. Roman Reigns at SummerSlam, WWE really should've followed through on that promise, especially if the plan for Reigns after the big summer show was to continue a feud with The Prince.
The Tribal Chief could've used underhand tactics to get a victory at SummerSlam, leading to Balor bringing back the Demon character or the mean streak he displayed during his return run in NXT.
That would make the events of the previous episode of SmackDown this week, presumably, the future feel more meaningful than what we've got now.
#1 With Finn Balor facing Roman Reigns, John Cena could've wrestled someone else
John Cena coming in and wrestling Roman Reigns only to lose and disappear was, whilst a big match and definitely exciting at the time, in hindsight a total waste of time. Especially as many didn't believe John Cena was going to win.
Instead, WWE could've had Finn Balor face Roman Reigns as teased and then used the Cenation Leader to wrestle someone else to add another marquee match to the SummerSlam card. WWE could have put Cena in a spot that matters with his limited appearances and impending departure.
John Cena vs. Karrion Kross or Money in the Bank holder Big E would've been great matches to have at SummerSlam, especially if the former WWE Champion is beaten soundly by a rising star.