SUPLEX CITY: JOHN CENA EXPLAINS HOW TO "MAKE BROCK LESNAR LOOK DOMINANT
John Cena candidly explains the strategy behind his one-sided SummerSlam 2014 loss to Brock Lesnar: it was a sacrifice designed to establish Lesnar as an unstoppable force for future opponents like Roman Reigns.
John Cena has talked about the thinking behind his infamous match with Brock Lesnar at WWE SummerSlam 2014.
At SummerSlam 2014, John Cena defended his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Brock Lesnar. Lesnar dominated Cena in what became one of the most one-sided matches in WWE history.
After many trips to “Suplex City,” Cena lost to Lesnar’s F-5. Lesnar kept the title until the next WrestleMania, where he lost to Seth Rollins after Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank.
John Cena comments on his WWE SummerSlam match against Brock Lesnar.
In an interview with Bill Simmons of The Ringer, John Cena explained why he lost to Brock Lesnar the way he did at WWE SummerSlam 2014.
“I’ve been in many stories,” Cena said. “When you’re told, ‘I’m the good guy, you’re the bad guy. You have four minutes on TV, and the goal is to make John look unstoppable.’ The best way to do that is to bump around like crazy and lose.
“The Suplex City match with Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, after he beat The Undertaker, is a flip scenario. How do you follow someone breaking the streak—the most unbelievable thing in wrestling that many thought would never end—and this guy breaks it? How do we follow that?
“How do we make this guy, who won this huge thing, not look like a fluke? If I went out there and had a 50/50 match with Brock Lesnar—Lesnar can make anyone look great—but that wouldn’t help Brock, the story, or anyone.”
John Cena on the goal of the SummerSlam match
“The goal of that match was to get Brock Lesnar over on our most important, strong, and real story. If he can beat The Undertaker, he’s a beast. If he destroys John Cena, I want you to feel uneasy and wonder who can beat this guy.
“Then comes someone like Roman Reigns, who can finally do it. You use that SummerSlam match to make those moments happen.”
INSIDE LIV MORGAN’S CALCULATED PLAN TO CHOOSE HER WRESTLEMANIA 42 CHAMPIONSHIP OPPONENT
Liv Morgan claims a dream match with AJ Lee would "solve world hunger" as she weighs her WrestleMania 42 title shot options.
Liv Morgan has a wild sense of humour—she actually said that a match between her and AJ Lee would do more than just entertain fans. According to her, it’d solve world hunger. Seriously. In a recent chat with GQ Sports, Liv read a fan comment that said, “Her vs. AJ Lee would feed families,” and she took it even further: “We’d feed more than families. Like, world hunger would not be a thing.” When they asked how she pictured the match ending, Liv didn’t hesitate. “With me winning, obviously. But she’s a feisty one. Still, I’m putting my money on me.”
Fans have been dying to see Liv Morgan vs. AJ Lee ever since AJ returned to WWE last year. There’s a catch, though—rumour has it AJ Lee’s got a different WrestleMania 42 opponent lined up. And Liv? She’ll still be challenging for a Women’s Championship at the big event, but this dream match probably needs a little more time.
Liv’s still weighing her options for WrestleMania 42.
After she won the 2026 Women’s Royal Rumble, Liv told everyone at the PLE post-show that she’s not in a rush to choose her opponent. “I can pick any champion I want, and I don’t want to make some quick decision I regret. I’m taking my time. I’ll decide when it feels right and when I know who’s right.” She doubled down on that on RAW this week, saying she’s even planning to scope out SmackDown to see if she wants to go after Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship.
But if you’re looking for clues, Liv might’ve already dropped one—she ambushed Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer right after Stephanie defended her title against Raquel Rodriguez on RAW. Looks like Liv’s keeping her cards close, but she’s not shy about making a statement.
LIV MORGAN AND BIANCA BELAIR NOW JOINT FAVORITES TO WIN 2026 ROYAL RUMBLE
WWE hits Riyadh! Liv Morgan and Bianca Belair lead the betting odds as the 2026 Women's Royal Rumble takes over Saudi Arabia.
WWE Royal Rumble 2026 is coming up, and the women’s Royal Rumble is only in its ninth year—but you wouldn’t know it, looking at the lineup. The 30-woman battle royal feels as stacked as ever.
We’ve already got some big names confirmed, including former champions like Alexa Bliss and Asuka. And, you know how it goes—everyone’s waiting for those surprise returns. Last year, Charlotte Flair entered at No. 27, tossed out four people, and walked away with her second Royal Rumble win.
Honestly, Flair’s win didn’t really lead to much, but this time around, the field is wide open. That alone makes the women’s Rumble one of the most exciting matches on the card. With so many stars possibly coming back and no obvious challenger lined up for either main title, there’s no clear favourite.
Still, if you follow the backstage buzz and those little hints WWE likes to drop, you can start to see who’s got the best shot. Here are the five women everyone’s talking about as possible winners for 2026.
Charlotte Flair, looking back, Flair’s win in 2025 probably wasn’t the best move for her character. It didn’t do “The Queen” any favours, creatively speaking.
But she turned things around, thanks in part to an unexpected but really entertaining team-up with Alexa Bliss. Now, Flair’s one of the top stars in the division, so if she wins again—making it back-to-back and her third overall—it actually feels more earned this time.
Right now, she’s working in the tag division, but here’s the thing: there just aren’t a lot of clear challengers for Jade Cargill, the current SmackDown champ. Flair vs Cargill would be a legit dream match. If WWE can’t come up with something better, don’t be shocked if Flair wins another Rumble.
Becky Lynch, Some folks think Becky Lynch’s Intercontinental Championship win means she’s out of the world title picture for a while. Don’t count on it.
Raw’s Women’s World Champ, Stephanie Vaquer, looks set to hold onto her belt through WrestleMania. She needs someone credible to face, and Lynch is right there. She’s been doing great work, building up new talent like Maxxine Dupri and Lyra Valkyria.
A WrestleMania showdown with Lynch might be exactly what Vaquer needs to reach that next level. The Rumble win could set that up perfectly. Sure, there’s a chance someone like AJ Lee makes a surprise return and eliminates Lynch, but it makes a lot of sense for Lynch to go all the way and challenge Vaquer in Vegas.
Word is, Lynch was one of two big names WWE considered for a spot against Vaquer at WrestleMania 42.
Bianca Belair hasn’t wrestled since last year’s WrestleMania 42. She messed up her finger pretty badly, and it’s kept her out for months.
We haven’t heard much about a return, but she’s still one of the top betting favourites for the Rumble. People figure she’s probably close to being cleared, since she’s been gone so long.
Belair is a natural pick to challenge Vaquer, but honestly, she’d be an even better opponent for Cargill—her old tag partner. Cargill’s expected to keep her title through WrestleMania, so it just lines up: Belair comes back at the Rumble and wins the whole thing.
Rhea Ripley, as I said earlier, WWE considered two major names to face Vaquer at WrestleMania 42: Becky Lynch and Rhea Ripley.
Ripley might be the most popular woman in WWE right now. She’s a constant presence on Raw, and you can bet she’ll be front and centre at WrestleMania 42. Lately, she and Iyo Sky turned from rivals into tag champs, but apparently, WWE doesn’t plan for them to keep those belts all the way to WrestleMania.
That probably means Ripley and Sky will split up soon—maybe even during the Rumble, maybe a little later and on good terms. As much as their team has done for the tag division, both belong in singles competition.
Ripley’s clearly headed for a big match at WrestleMania, and another Royal Rumble win is the ticket to get her there.
WWE’s got big plans for Liv Morgan heading into WrestleMania 42. Honestly, it almost feels like a lock at this point—she just checks all the boxes for a Royal Rumble winner. She just came back; fans are wild about her, and she’s got the skills to back it up. Even though she’s technically a heel right now, crowds are cheering for her like she’s the hero, so a face turn might be right around the corner.
Plus, her Judgement Day group looks like it’s about to fall apart. If that happens and they handle it right, Morgan’s popularity could skyrocket even more. She’s already a key player in WWE’s women’s division, and making her the centre of attention seems like the smart move.
Fans have wanted her to win the Royal Rumble for a while now. She’s come close—runner-up twice—but this year feels different. This might finally be the year Liv Morgan gets her big win.