"John Cena's U.S. Open Challenge" Appreciation Thread

[GD]

Not only has John Cena made the United States Championship matter again, his U.S. Open Challenge has served as a platform for fresh matches and quality content on Monday Night RAW which has been plagued with a rather stale main event / upper mid-card scene.

Feel free to appreciate the concept in this thread :wave:

[Rammsteinmad]

Yeah! His matches since doing this open challenge have been pretty great! And it's giving a lot of young guys an opportunity to "test the waters" in the main event.

If anything, the only thing I don't like about it is how everyone is kicking out of the AA these days. I know it makes the match more epic etc, but if everyone's kicking out of it on a weekly basis, it won't really mean shit.

[Ruien]

I agree. Feels like he is going to be getting a new finisher soon for his bigger matches.

[Stickman]

The problem with it is you know Cena wins

[Dukelorange]

I think it's pretty good. He's giving a lot of new folks some much needed shine. I think that Cena will lose the title on RAW to a young gun,

But think about it. A lot of the guys that Cena is wrestling would have either not have been wrestling for the title, or not have wrestled each other at all because they were on different levels of status.

Plus, the majority of these segments have been of high quality, which is great.

Come to think of it, this is pretty much what Ky idea was with Zack Ryder getting the title by fighting the authority and turning it to a type of TV title to ensure that he would always be on TV and use it as another bridge to get NXT stars to the roster. E.G. he loses the title on NXT to Tyler Breeze, so he comes up to the roster.

[road doggy dogg]

I love it. I really do think it's one of the better parts of Raw. It's basically a no-strings-attached reason to have a decent-good match on Raw, and gets some guys air time that they probably wouldn't have gotten elsewhere. Sure, we all know "LOLCENAWINS" but like someone else said it's a good barometer to see where these young guns fall.

Plus it gives Cena, one of the company's hardest workers and most loyal employees, a very relevant and great storyline to work with without shoehorning him into the title scene.

Wins all around imo

[Blonde Moment]

I love it but you know I would love hearing this more the Raw after Payback when Cena Issues his challenge.
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[Big Vic]

Indifferent because we know Cena won't lose before the PPV.

[Anybody Thrilla]

Right, but AFTER the PPV, it becomes the hottest shit on Raw. It already is, even though we KNOW he's going to win. After Payback, he'll definitely continue the challenge, and we'll be swimming in a sea of opportunity.

This is the kind of thing that gets me excited for the future of the business. Great idea. John Cena is the fucking man. I can't even boo him anymore.

[Anybody Thrilla]

Also, notice how he doesn't get the "YOU CAN'T WRESTLE" chant anymore? Dude's a beast.

[road doggy dogg]

I love storylines that embrace the "competitive" aspect of the sport. The whole storyline is about guys who think they have a chance to compete against an established superstar, and you get matches that you normally "shouldn't" be seeing in a wrestling program. (i.e. Cena "should" only be feuding with fellow main-eventers, etc). The whole thing just feels like it is flipping the accepted routine on its ear because it's not just Sheamus or Orton or Rollins or whomever challenging Cena because they are of a similar stature.

[Anybody Thrilla]

Amen to that, and it's also elevating everyone who challenges, as they're able to at very least 'hang' with Cena in a match.

[Big Vic]

Right, but AFTER the PPV, it becomes the hottest shit on Raw. It already is, even though we KNOW he's going to win. After Payback, he'll definitely continue the challenge, and we'll be swimming in a sea of opportunity.Cena's whole "If I lose I won't request a rematch" has me thinking he will lose.

[Anybody Thrilla]

That's a fair point. I forgot about that. This is the first time in a while where I really will be pulling for Cena to win...unless Rusev carries on the same challenge, but I'm not sure if that would have the same mystique to it.

[Clerk]

Haven't watched RAW in a month. Who tf is the steroid dude? Nevin?

[Anybody Thrilla]

Fuck off, Clerk.

[Lock Jaw]

It has been pretty rad. Cena has been spot on in his role, putting over the title, putting over the challenge, putting over his opponents, putting in some great matches.

He has become the highlight of RAW.

RAW usually has a few decent matches, but usually I struggle to care about some of them, even if they are good matches, because they don't really mean anything or have any reason to be happening. With these being title matches, I am instantly invested in watching them. Even if I know that Cena isn't going to be losing it at the time.... but I do think that his eventual loss will come at a RAW and not at a PPV, so I am getting myself ready to mark out for that and to see who does it.

[road doggy dogg]

I will be severely disappointed if, at whatever point they decide to take the title off Cena, it does not happen during one of these Raw matches. I hope they don't make this whole affair fruitless at the end.

[Emperor Smeat]

US Open Challenge has been great. Would be better if they held off from announcing Cena's ppv plans early but the matches themselves have been some of the best stuff on RAW recently.

Only concern is the WWE dropping the ball after Cena loses the title since whoever beats him needs to have that strong of a push Cena is getting right now. Can't have all that hard work being undone with the post-Cena reign(s).

[Simple Fan]

I like it, its like having a TV title, only more prestigious.

[Big Vic]

They should have made it be a true US Open challenge and have them play tennis for the title :shifty:

[Anybody Thrilla]

Fuck off, Savior.

[Wishbone]

Love it. It's really made the U.S. title seem relevant compared to past years. Hell, I care more now about the U.S. title than I do about the IC title and that's something that hasn't been the case in... Actually I'm not sure that's ever been the case for me.

[SlickyTrickyDamon]

The problem with it is you know Cena wins

Yeah, but it's keeping him away from 16.

[Mercenary]

Yeah! His matches since doing this open challenge have been pretty great! And it's giving a lot of young guys an opportunity to "test the waters" in the main event.

If anything, the only thing I don't like about it is how everyone is kicking out of the AA these days. I know it makes the match more epic etc, but if everyone's kicking out of it on a weekly basis, it won't really mean shit.

Well Cena is getting old

[GD]

If anything, the only thing I don't like about it is how everyone is kicking out of the AA these days. I know it makes the match more epic etc, but if everyone's kicking out of it on a weekly basis, it won't really mean shit.

I cannot agree with you more. The move will eventually lose its importance like the Walls of Jericho or the Liontamer :shifty:

Shout out to SlickyTrickyhttp://i.imgur.com/1b4hpi9.gifon!

[#1-norm-fan]

Yeah it's awesome. The constant AA kickouts really need to stop but that's become a problem across the board. Finishers as a whole aren't really over anymore.

[Anybody Thrilla]

The RKO stays over, somehow.

[#1-norm-fan]

It does... And now that I think about it, not a lot of people kick out of it. It gets teased a lot but usually when he hits it, the match is over. Moreso than most finishers it seems.

[Anybody Thrilla]

I was at Raw on Monday, and people were seemingly salivating to see it. One of the loudest chants of the night by far.

[Asmo]

It's definitely a high-point of RAW these weeks. And i know this sounds a bit too kayfabe-ish, but without the AA, it'll necessitate Cena to develop new moves. Case in point, that jump-stunner thing he's done a couple of times.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I've appreciated the work from Cena, but I'm in the camp where I feel that the timing is a bit off given the feud with Rusev. I think they should have moved Rusev away immediately and not had this thing drag in the traditional sense.

[DAMN iNATOR]

Yeah it's awesome. The constant AA kickouts really need to stop but that's become a problem across the board. Finishers as a whole aren't really over anymore.

That and making it look even more weak by having Cena end matches with it while "running on fumes", I.e. seemingly barely able to somehow counter or reverse whatever move into a .5-1 second AA where he just falls into the pin and just happens to keep his opponent down with it on the 2nd or 3rd try.

Just comes off as really hokey.

[Nicky Fives]

I want it on every show though.... no main event Tag Matches for Cena, only accepting these challenges and then PPV matches vs. Rusev or whoever he is feuding with....I want him to defeat pretty much everyone on the roster until he is "upset" by someone (easy way to make someone from NXT)