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Whether you're a long-time fan or new to the world of WWE, this video is packed with insights and highlights demonstrating why John Cena's US Open Challenge was one of his best runs and a defining moment in Cena's illustrious career. From surprise opponents and thrilling matches to revitalizing the US Championship, Cena's open challenge brought a new level of prestige to the title.
You can also visit our site: https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe
#johncena #samizayn #kevinowens #wwe #wrestling #sportskeedawrestling
Play now to find out - https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe/brainbuster-wwe-player-guessing-game
Whether you're a long-time fan or new to the world of WWE, this video is packed with insights and highlights demonstrating why John Cena's US Open Challenge was one of his best runs and a defining moment in Cena's illustrious career. From surprise opponents and thrilling matches to revitalizing the US Championship, Cena's open challenge brought a new level of prestige to the title.
You can also visit our site: https://www.sportskeeda.com/wwe
#johncena #samizayn #kevinowens #wwe #wrestling #sportskeedawrestling
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SportsTranscript
00:00John Cena.
00:16He was the face of WWE for well over a decade, and remained a main event player for a majority
00:21of his active in-ring career.
00:26However, there was an interesting phase in his career that was established and it really
00:31set his status as a WWE veteran, but also one that could showcase new, young, up-and-coming
00:38WWE superstars.
00:39Yes, we're talking about John Cena's United States Open Challenge.
00:46Let's get into it.
00:47This is Sportskeeda Wrestling.
00:48I'm Kevin.
00:49Let us know what you think of this period of John Cena's career in the comments below.
00:53Before we talk about how it all started, let's get into how Cena, who was a super
00:58big star at the time, became the United States Champion in the first place, a mid-card championship
01:04which felt out of the realm of what he was doing.
01:08Following the 2015 Royal Rumble, Cena started to feud with the then United States Champion
01:13Rusev, who was undefeated at the time.
01:17The Bulgarian brute also defeated Cena at the Fastlane Premium event and was riding
01:22high in his success.
01:24But then Mr. Hustle, Loyalty, and Respect did not give up and challenged Rusev for the
01:30championship at WrestleMania 31, a big stage and interesting one for Cena to challenge
01:37for a title that, oddly, had been away from him for years.
01:41It was only something he was really associated with in the early years of his career.
01:46This was the place where Cena finally won the United States Championship after 10 years.
01:51He had held the championship before in his career in 2004, but at the time, he was really
01:55a rookie trying just to make a name for himself.
01:58This was a completely different circumstance, but now he was certified as a main event star
02:03and had him holding the US title, instantly making it feel more interesting.
02:09Where were they going with this?
02:11Even though Rusev had been a monster champion during his tumultuous reign, it still carried
02:17the air of a lower card championship, or something that would really just be a championship
02:22you did before you went up to the Cena level where he was around the world title all the
02:27time.
02:28In the following episode of Money at Raw, Cena introduced the United States Open Challenge.
02:33The idea was simple.
02:35Each week on Raw, Cena would defend his title against any wrestler willing to step up and
02:41challenge him for the title.
02:44How idealistic.
02:45How very John Cena.
02:47And his first opponent was Dean Ambrose.
02:51Despite the two meeting in the ring a few times before, the post-Mania audience was
02:55ecstatic about what ended up being one of the best WWE television matches in quite some
03:02time.
03:03The match was exciting, and Ambrose pushed Cena to his limits, setting the tone for this
03:08high-caliber match series that would follow.
03:11It wasn't just about someone in a new scenario with Cena, but it was about Cena wrestling
03:16in new styles and in an exciting way.
03:20Cena wanted to prove himself as a fighting champion.
03:23He had done this before, but this was different.
03:25He was showcasing a unique, different, deeper aspect of his wrestling ability.
03:31He faced a diverse array of opponents, from rising stars to established veterans, each
03:36eager to prove themselves against one of the biggest names in WWE.
03:41This open challenge not only showcased Cena's resilience, but also provided a platform for
03:46other talents to shine.
03:47Additionally, Cena also successfully defended the United States title against Rusev in a
03:52rematch at the Extreme Rules event in a Russian Chain match, and at Payback in an I Quit match.
04:00In the next few weeks, his US Open challenge was answered by Stardust, Bad News Barrett,
04:06Kane, and he had great bouts with each of them.
04:09Then, on the May 4th episode of Money in Raw, the show took place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
04:15The anticipation was high when everyone wondered who would step up and answer Cena's Open
04:21challenge.
04:22Cena was waiting in the ring, and then suddenly, WWE Hall of Famer and Canadian legend in Canada,
04:28Bret Hart, he hit the ring and came out, and the Hitman was left in shock.
04:34However, Bret Hart wasn't there to compete.
04:37He was there to introduce Montreal's own Sami Zayn, who was then part of NXT, which
04:42was blowing up at the time.
04:44The crowd erupted in cheers for their own countryman in Zayn, and made his main roster
04:51debut into something highly memorable, creating a surreal environment as he prepared and entered
04:58the ring to take on John Cena in his first match on the main roster.
05:03What a scenario, right?
05:05What an environment.
05:06In his excitement, though, Zayn dislocated his shoulder while engaging in the audience
05:13during his entrance.
05:15Reflecting on the incident during an episode of the New Day Feel the Power podcast, Zayn
05:20discussed the unfortunate injury, and he said,
05:23I didn't really know what happened at the time because it happened so fast.
05:27I think it popped out and popped right in right away, so quick that there was almost
05:31some denial.
05:33Despite the injury, Zayn gave a gutsy performance and ended up wrestling for over 10 minutes
05:39with a dislocated shoulder against Cena.
05:42Although he lost the match, he earned a standing ovation from his hometown crowd.
05:48He entered that match like a big superstar and left like a made one.
05:54It was the first time that people truly began to understand the significance of what Cena
05:59was doing with the US Open Challenge concept and providing opportunities for talents to
06:05get elevated.
06:06How could elevating emerging superstars create unforgettable moments and also keep you on
06:12your toes as to who was going to get that opportunity next?
06:16And the next was Neville, another NXT standout who showcased his high-flying abilities during
06:22his match with Cena and further cemented the Open Challenge's reputation for consistent
06:27over-the-top technical spectacles.
06:30Yes, John Cena, a technical wrestler, yeah, he only has 5 moves, crowd can shut up.
06:36The next week on Raw on May 18th, to the surprise of everyone, the NXT Champion Kevin Owens
06:43would answer the challenge.
06:45But instead of going for Cena's US title, Owens got involved in a promo battle with
06:50Cena and he declared that he didn't need to accept the Open Challenge as he already
06:55had the NXT Championship.
06:57He also declared that they would fight eventually, but it would be on his terms.
07:02Owens then delivered a quick gut kick to Cena, followed by a devastating pop-up powerbomb.
07:08Standing tall over a lifeless John Cena with his NXT Championship held high, Owens made
07:14a powerful statement, especially as someone who was within the WWE ranks but felt like
07:20an outsider on the main roster.
07:22It was a moment that signaled great things were in store for the prize fighter.
07:27Very few can claim that they laid out Cena in their television debut in front of many
07:33people, and Owens is one of the select few who can boast that achievement.
07:38A match between the two was announced for the Elimination Chamber event, but it wasn't
07:42for the United States Championship.
07:44In a shocking turn of events, Owens defeated Cena in the middle of the ring.
07:50No shenanigans, no outside interference, he beat John Cena clean.
07:57The victory was monumental, imagine all the Cena Sucks crowd reacting to that, yeah, think
08:04about that, as it was an extremely rare thing for a debuting wrestler to defeat a top star
08:10like Cena in their first major match.
08:14You might argue that this should have been for the United States Championship, but it
08:19was a topic for another video.
08:22Owens was now one of the hottest stars in WWE right out of the gate.
08:27A few weeks later, he lost his NXT title to Finn Balor and was officially on the main
08:32roster.
08:34Owens would continue to feud with Cena and face the franchise player at the Money in
08:39the Bank event, and this time it was for the US title, and many fans believed this would
08:44be the moment that KO would capture it from Cena.
08:47However, the match concluded with Cena emerging victorious, evening the score.
08:53Despite the loss, Owens wasn't finished.
08:56He attacked Cena after the match, delivering a vicious pop-up powerbomb on the ring apron,
09:02leaving a lasting impression.
09:04Now the rivalry was personal, but in the meantime, Cena continued his US Open challenge, and
09:10Cesaro, the Swiss Cyborg, answered the challenge and the two went back-to-back weeks with great
09:17matches.
09:18For many years, Cesaro was said to be one of WWE's most underrated athletic performers
09:23who could be given an opportunity, and now was the time to showcase his talents.
09:28In his first match on July 6, the Swiss Superman displayed his remarkable power, deadlifting
09:35Cena into a suplex from the ring apron.
09:38That's full body strength, there's very few people that could pull that off.
09:43Both competitors exchanged near falls, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.
09:48The match was filled with high-impact moves and dramatic, breathtaking moments.
09:54The match ended in a disqualification when Owens interfered, spoiling it all, attacking
10:00both Cena and Cesaro.
10:03Despite the finish, many believed that this was one of the best matches of Cena's career,
10:07and one that once again made someone else in the US Open challenge.
10:12I will be a little bit biased, I saw this live, and I kind of agree with that sentiment.
10:17As the match finished in a DQ, Cesaro once again stepped up against Cena's Open challenge,
10:23and this match was just as good as the first one.
10:27It was a marathon, lasting nearly 30 minutes, demonstrating both men's stamina and resilience.
10:33Cena eventually secured the victory with an attitude adjustment from the second rope,
10:39but not before Cesaro had pushed him to his limit yet again.
10:43Although he didn't win the US title, the matches with Cena elevated Cesaro's status
10:47within WWE.
10:49See where this is going?
10:51Following this, fans began to rally behind him, recognizing his talent and just unrelenting
10:55work ethic.
10:57The momentum that Cesaro gained from these matches carried forward, leading to more significant
11:02opportunities and a stronger position within WWE.
11:05Who says a wrestler cannot be elevated in defeat?
11:09Yeah, those people are not really paying attention, they're just saying someone got buried because
11:13they lost a big match.
11:15On the other hand, Kevin Owens faced Cena for the third time at the Battleground event.
11:20This was the final chapter in their rivalry, and this high-stakes, everything-on-the-line
11:25match, Cena and Owens delivered yet another thriller.
11:29Cena ultimately won the match, but he made Owens tap out.
11:33Ooh, yes, the personal one, which pissed off a lot of fans.
11:37Oh, how could you do that to Owens, he's our guy.
11:41He'd already made so many people in this angle, and Owens was still going to be Kevin Owens
11:45no matter what.
11:47Many of these same-jaded fans claim that this was the perfect time to put the title around
11:50Owens and establish him as the superstar that WWE needed, but for some reason, WWE thought
11:56it was better to keep it with Cena for a little bit longer.
11:59And the loss didn't hurt Owens in the long run.
12:02Look at what he achieved after that, winning the IC title, going on to the Universal Championship
12:07in the following year.
12:09After this match, Cena set his sights on WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins.
12:14It was time for the franchise player, the face of the place, to return to the main event
12:20title scene once again.
12:22But both Cena and Rollins had won their respective championships at WrestleMania 31, and while
12:28Cena had established himself as a dominant, truly fighting champion, Rollins was viewed
12:34as a weaker chicken shiz champion, cowering away from his opponents, using underhanded
12:40tactics and, you know, being a heel to keep the strap around his waist.
12:45It made sense to book the feud between the two in a unique scenario because, on the July
12:5027, 2015 episode of Raw, Cena defended his US Championship against Rollins.
12:57During the match, he suffered a broken nose at the hands of Rollins' knee.
13:02Yeah, it was pretty brutal, which ultimately required surgery.
13:06But Cena continued the match and went on to defeat Rollins.
13:10Yeah, he was still Super Cena.
13:13The sight of Cena's bloody, swollen face became an iconic visual, symbolizing his true
13:18grit and toughness inside the ring.
13:21Fans who previously were critical of Cena's perceived Superman persona were beginning
13:26to understand and appreciate him in a completely different way, adding layers of authenticity
13:31to his character for that crowd that simply was always against him but now was starting
13:36to see that maybe they were wrong all along.
13:38WWE capitalized on the incident, incorporating it into an ongoing storyline, and it became
13:44an important point for his feud with Rollins.
13:46A title-for-title match was announced for Summerslam 2015, where both Cena's US title
13:53and Rollins' WWE World Heavyweight title would be on the line, making it an all-stakes
13:59end to the match.
14:01At Summerslam, they faced off in a thrilling encounter.
14:04The match was filled with high drama, near falls, keeping the audience on the edge of
14:09their seats.
14:10However, the way the match concluded disappointed a lot of people on both the casual and die-hard
14:16aisles of wrestling.
14:18The match ended in controversy when former Daily Show comedy host Jon Stewart, acting
14:23as special guest host of Summerslam, interfered and hit Cena with a steel chair, allowing
14:28Rollins to capitalize and secure the victory.
14:31Rollins walked away with both the titles, and a lot of people just asking, what?
14:37Now it made sense why WWE didn't have Owens beat Cena for the US title.
14:41They wanted to reserve the accomplishment for Rollins.
14:44He wasn't seen as a strong world champion, so holding both the WWE and US title gave
14:49him some different credibility.
14:51He continued to be a real cheating champion, and adding another title around his waist
14:57allowed him to be even more despised.
15:00That's what you need a villain to be, they aren't supposed to be loved.
15:04On the following episode of Raw, Cena confronted Jon Stewart, who explained that he had interfered
15:11to prevent Cena from tying Ric Flair's 16-time world championship record.
15:18In response, Cena delivered an attitude adjustment to the Comedy Central host, and then turned
15:23his attention back to Rollins, determined to reclaim his US title.
15:28And at Night of Champions, he got his title back after defeating Rollins, who put in double
15:33duty and also defended the WWE Championship against Sting that night.
15:38Following this, he resumed his open challenge for the title on Raw, and faced stars like
15:43Xavier Woods, Big E, Dolph Ziggler.
15:46The success of Cena's US Open Challenge seemed as though everything was building up
15:51to a big moment when Cena would drop the championship to someone in the midcard who needed that
15:59strong lasting push.
16:01He had already put over Owens and Rollins in different ways, but everyone wanted to
16:05see who could be made next by taking the title from Cena.
16:10Cena announced in Open Challenge the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, and to the surprise
16:15of everyone, Zeb Coulter, yeah you may know him as Dutch Mantell and you can check him
16:21out over on the Sportskeeda Wrestling WrestleBinge YouTube channel.
16:25He had previously managed Jack Swagger, and he came out and introduced his new wrestler
16:30where he was managing the returning Alberto Del Rio as the challenger.
16:35Del Rio had been absent from WWE for over a year, making his return a surprising moment.
16:42The crowd was startled by the surprise, and even more when Del Rio defeated Cena in just
16:507 minutes to win the US title.
16:53This turned out to be an odd decision in retrospect as Del Rio did not do much with the title
16:59and lost to Kalisto just a few months later.
17:01It just didn't feel like it did when Cena had it.
17:04The US title, this specific one that Cena had, never got the same respect it had when
17:10Cena had it.
17:12It just felt like a drop off.
17:15Cena decided to take some time off and pursue his other ventures, you know, making movies
17:19and binging commercials.
17:20And although you might argue that the end of Cena's US title reign was a bit underwhelming,
17:25this run was still remarkable overall, providing some of the best matches and moments of his
17:31completely historic career.
17:33Previously, those hardcore mainly male fans were tired of Cena always being in the main
17:39event spotlight, always being the modern day Hulk Hogan and getting the big win, but really
17:46only appealing to the women and younger children in the audience at the time.
17:50But after the US Open Challenge, that all changed.
17:54Those same jaded fans began to cheer him more, recognizing and appreciating his undying work
18:00ethic, his dedication to improving WWE overall, no matter how broad that statement may be.
18:09This period stands as a testament to Cena's ability to adapt and thrive in an ever-evolving
18:15world of professional wrestling, especially at the highest level in that genre that is
18:19WWE.
18:21Many wrestlers have attempted to replicate Cena's success with their own Open Challenges,
18:26which itself was something that's been done in wrestling.
18:29But did everyone ever do it the way John Cena did it?
18:34I don't think so.
18:35What do you think?
18:36Let us know in the comments below.
18:51And as always, I'll see you in the next video.