WWE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH
Winner: John Cena via STF submission
Rating: ****
As you could imagine, a very slow-paced and methodical match from Cena and Henry. The question early was, can John Cena get Mark Henry up for the Attitude Adjustment? Stupid question – he's lifted the Big Show; once you see that a dozen times, other feats of strength become less impressive. So I was happy when Cena hoisted up the big man and delivered his patented finisher. The rest of the match could then focus on what it takes to put away the World's Strongest Man, not a silly wrestling move that everyone knows can be done. Good decision.
I liked Henry tapping out. It's something you don't see very often. The end of the match almost gave off the impression that this was Mark's last ride. Does he retire? We'll see what Raw holds.
If by this point in his 11-year long WWE career you are still saying John Cena can't wrestle, just go watch Ring of Honor and leave the rest of the world alone. Cena has taken Mark Henry and Ryback to good matches in the last three months of pay-per-view. He's also the best showman on the planet. Check out the on-camera crowd in the front few rows during this match. Most of them started out cheering for Henry, who got a crazy reaction during his entrance. By the end, as per usual, everyone was begging Mark to tap out.
Good match. Not great, but it definitely lived up to my expectations, given how consistently enjoyable Mark Henry has been throughout the past two years. If you thought he was actually going to win the title, you're a fool for getting bent out of shape about it. Like who you want, hate who you want, but let's be realistic. The last five WWE Championship matches at SummerSlam all involved either John Cena, CM Punk, Randy Orton or Triple H.
