John Cena to Defend World Heavyweight Title in Fatal 4-Way at Battleground PPV

Wednesday, 2 July 2014

John Cena to Defend World Heavyweight Title in Fatal 4-Way at Battleground PPV

WWE wasted little time in figuring out John Cena's first title defense. He'll put the WWE World Heavyweight title on the line in a Fatal 4-Way match against Kane, Randy Orton and Roman Reigns at Battleground. The match was announced Monday night on Raw:

The Authority is clearly stacking the deck against Cena, since Kane is in the match to help Orton win the title, much as he tried to do in the Money in the Bank Ladder match last night.

With regard to Reigns, putting him in the match is likely a part of WWE's grander plan to make him one of the biggest stars in the company. He's yet to be in a place where he can be the world heavyweight champion, but looking good in title matches will help build his credibility so that down the line he can be a worthy champion.

WWE is pretty much treading water with the title until Brock Lesnar comes back. He's almost certainly going to be a part of SummerSlam, and after breaking The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak, challenging for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship is his only logical jump.

If fans have to sit through a predictable "John Cena overcomes insurmountable odds" main event to make a Lesnar title run happen, they'll likely take that trade.