Good news and bad news: The good news is, The Shield have finally been defeated. The bad news is, not only did it take a technicality for the NXT alums to suffer their first loss in a Six-Man setting, but they seemed to have willingly taken the defeat for the sake of decimating John Cena. The men in black’s opponents for the night were the same as a couple of weeks ago — Cena & Team Hell No — but there was one twist to their latest bout: The match would be contested under elimination rules.

The twist seemed likely to even the odds better, but it was Cena & Co. who found themselves at a disadvantage when their numbers thinned before The Shield’s did. Cena nearly rallied to win the match after Bryan & Kane were tossed, trapping Dean Ambrose in the STF before he was swarmed into the Triple Powerbomb. The attack came after tag title challengers Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns had already been eliminated and technically cost The Shield the match, but the NXT alums seemed more than willing to pay the price. Cena’s night went from bad to worse in quick measure afterward when Ryback emerged from the locker room, striking The Champ in his injured foot to give himself one final leg up (literally) on Cena before Extreme Rules.

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Yes, John Cena is hurt, and last week did him no favors. But as The Champ himself said in the opening moments of Monday Night Raw, anyone who thinks a gimpy Achilles heel will keep him from defending the WWE Title against Ryback at Extreme Rules hasn’t been paying attention for the last 10 years. Unfortunately for Cena, Ryback seems to be operating on a higher level than the crazed Cro-Magnon Cena takes him for. Because, when Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero invited the “Human Wrecking Ball” out to powwow on a stipulation for the title match at Extreme Rules and Cena deferred, Ryback vowed to exploit both Cena’s literal and metaphoric Achilles heel, his refusal to ever back down. Looking less to defeat Cena than to humble him before his fans, Ryback placed The Champ in a stipulation he promised would make the wounded champion regret he didn’t back out of the bout when he had the chance: a Last Man Standing Match.

Although the victory was his, Ryback looked like he’d have extra problems to contend with when The Shield made their presence known. But while Bryan was quick to join the fracas, Ryback vacated the ring and only re-emerged when John Cena appeared to even the odds. With the scales balanced, Bryan, Cena and Ryback were able to drive the NXT alumni away … but Ryback wasn’t above punctuating his point from earlier in the evening. Having exploited Cena’s heroic tendencies and lured him into the open, the big man clobbered The Champ with a chair and left him down, an ominous display that proved Ryback, with his unique combination of brains and brawn, may just rule yet.

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The Champ is here, and he brought some friends with him. Just hours after an appearance on “Today,” John Cena came to Columbus with three guests of honor trailing behind him: a trio of Make-A-Wish kids who were named honorary WWE Superstars for the evening. With the WWE Universe cheering them on, Cena introduced the WWE Universe to their three newest heroes — Jacob “The Eliminator” Larson, Nicholas “Nick The Stitch” Santillo and “Lightning” Logan Parks. Judging by the reaction of the WWE Universe to their debuts, it sounds like they’ve got big things to look forward to in the WWE family.

Three champions, one injured ankle and three tolls of the bell: Not even the tip-top trio of the WWE Champion and WWE Tag Team Champions could stop The Shield’s winning streak, as the “Hounds of Justice” made mincemeat of Team Hell No and the wounded John Cena in their second Six-Man Tag Match in as many weeks, keeping their undefeated streak alive. Despite a lingering injury to his Achilles tendon, Cena was game from the start in the epic contest, though the tag champs were hesitant to tag him in thanks to his injury. Kane (whose fury over his brother’s beating nearly got the trio disqualified at one point) eventually summoned Cena in a last-ditch effort, but The Shield would not be denied, and it was Roman Reigns who ultimately struck the hobbled Cena down with a spear for the three-count.

But Cena’s evening wasn’t done, as Ryback (who had supposedly left the building) quickly made his way to the stage to stare Cena down, daring him to rally in time for their WWE Title Match at Extreme Rules, or better yet, daring him to back out.

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Always one to take the biggest risks, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley rolled the dice yet again on Monday when — chair in hand as insurance — he attempted to reason with a Superstar who has proved increasingly unreasonable of late: Ryback. Foley has had words of wisdom for the young Superstar before, but the big man responded with bile, jettisoning Foley’s weapon and daring the Hall of Famer to make a move. Foley seemed ready to oblige until John Cena came to the aid of The Hardcore Legend. Even the WWE Champion couldn’t dissuade Ryback from a potential fight, but the arrival of The Shield temporarily turned the two foes into allies. With the help of Foley’s discarded chair, Cena and Ryback forced the “Hounds of Justice” into retreat. But The Champ wasn’t about to let Ryback walk without some measure of comeuppance, launching him skyward for an Attitude Adjustment that left Ryback fuming on the mat, with the clock between their epic collision ticking slowly to zero.

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Ryback certainly didn’t mince words when he explained his attack of John Cena, so how did The Champ respond when he came to the ring to address the beast’s accusations against the 11-time WWE Champion? He simply called Ryback out. And although Ryback obliged Cena with an audience, The Champ didn’t let him get a word in. Cena slammed Ryback’s “highlight reel of excuses” and challenged the “Human Wrecking Ball” to put his money where his mouth is and take Cena on man to man. But alas, Cena wouldn’t get a chance to battle his old buddy one-on-one, because not only did Ryback wordlessly decline the offer, but The Shield also picked that exact moment to make their entrance. And though it wasn’t immediately apparent which man the “Hounds of Justice” had targeted, they soon made their intentions clear. With Ryback left untouched, the NXT veterans ruthlessly Triple Powerbombed Cena into the canvas and preened over the wreckage while Ryback turned his back on the scene, wordlessly leaving his former friend to the whims of his attackers.

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Having finally redeemed himself on The Grandest Stage of Them All, there was a new, elated purpose to John Cena in his first Raw as WWE Champion in nearly two years. Not only did he seem physically invigorated by the title gold around his waist (check out his championship dance, complete with a kick and a “heel turn”), but Cena also got down to business. He intended to celebrate his title win the only way he knew how: by defending it. It didn’t take long for a challenger to present himself. Mark Henry, emboldened by his defeat of the monstrous Ryback at WrestleMania, stalked to the ring and demanded an opportunity to challenge for Cena’s hard-won championship. One ruling from new Hall of Famer and reigning SmackDown General Manager Booker T later, and terms were set: Given that the injured Rock was unable to make good on his rematch clause, Henry would indeed get a crack at The Champ … provided he beat Cena one-on-one on Raw.

John Cena may have triumphed over his own personal demons at WrestleMania 29, but for a long time on Monday night, it didn’t seem like The Champ would be so lucky when he faced a very external foe in Mark Henry. Despite Cena’s dubious history on post-WrestleMania Raws, the 11-time WWE Champion was all smiles in the beginning (he even did a little dance). But The World’s Strongest Man quickly turned his mood sour, nearly planting Cena through the announce table. The Champ rallied and struck Henry down enough to earn a count-out win, but the former World Champion wasn’t done, planting Cena with a World’s Strongest Slam. Henry looked like he’d be happy to continue until Ryback came to the rescue and drove him back … moments before turning his attention to Cena himself. With no inclination to his motives, Ryback struck Cena down, chopping The Champ down with a Meathook Clothesline before leaving him — and the WWE Universe, for that matter — Shell Shocked as Raw faded to black, Cena’s championship reign suddenly mired in uncertainty just hours after it began.

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Finally, the time for boasts, for promises, for Q-and-A’s and point-counterpoints has come and gone, scattered to the winds of New Jersey like the last scraps of confetti blasted into the East Rutherford sky. Finally, the doubters have been silenced, the haters quelled and a restless heart given peace. Finally, redemption has come, because when all was said and done, when all the pyro smoke had cleared and the final count slammed to the mat, John Cena hoisted the WWE Championship for the unprecedented 11th time, having fought tooth and nail to defeat The Rock in a titanic clash the WWE Universe had only thought they’d see once in their lifetime. Victory did not come as simply as 1-2-3, though. The odds were stacked against the Cenation leader from the get-go, as the MetLife Stadium faithful rained boos down on him and lavished The People’s Champion — whose history in New York and New Jersey is long and storied — with praise typically reserved for visiting dignitaries. Adding to Cena’s woes, fate initially seemed to share the partisan mood of the crowd, handing The Rock the advantage early on in the match. Although Cena struck first, it didn’t take long for The Great One to seize control of the contest, halting the Cenation leader’s momentum and sending him scrambling outside the ring to regroup within the bout’s opening moments.

That trend continued well into their WWE Title Match at the 29th Show of Shows, as Rock’s initial burst of dominance led into a blunt-fisted beatdown of Cena’s torso, followed by a vice-gripped headlock to the redemption-seeking challenger. The strategy cut off Cena’s head of steam before he could even build to full power, threatening to derail his bid for redemption and leaving him looking, at least for a while, like he wasn’t sure what to do next. Cena’s hesitation, while unusual, perhaps shouldn’t have been all that surprising. The seeming finality of The Great One’s triumph over Cena in their WrestleMania XXVIII grudge match sent the 10-time WWE Champion into a tailspin from which he vowed — though not always convincingly — to recover from in 2013. But since staking his claim to The Brahma Bull’s WWE Championship, the Cenation leader’s dour body language and facial expressions had begun to take on an air of desperation in the weeks leading to The Show of Shows.Ironically, however, Cena was the first of the two Superstars to come within victory’s grasp, rallying from The Great One’s onslaught to execute the Five Knuckle Shuffle on the prone People’s Champion, reversing the People’s Elbow into the STF only moments later when The Great One was poised to reclaim the advantage. The Brahma Bull’s power saved him from Cena’s clutches, but the challenger’s apparent underestimation of his opponent’s resolve nearly cost him the bout again. Rock sprang up from the mat and slammed the stunned Cena with a Rock Bottom, but the Cenation leader kicked out. Not to be outdone, The Great One kicked out of Cena’s Attitude Adjustment moments later.

As their battle progressed, the two Superstars abandoned all pretenses and cued up the heavy artillery, tossing signature maneuvers at each other in the hopes of keeping the other down. For a moment, it seemed like Cena had the advantage again when Rock nearly fell victim to the same hubris as his opponent last year, attempting Cena’s Five Knuckle Shuffle and running straight into Cena’s waiting arms for an AA. The Cenation leader later used the same history to his advantage when he suckered Rock into another AA after faking him out with a façade of the same People’s Elbow endeavor that cost him the bout last year. Victory would not come so easily at the cost of The People’s Champion, though, and the barrage raged on with epic aplomb. With dogged determination and steely resolve, the two combatants traded Rock Bottoms, Attitude Adjustments and more than a fair share of People’s Elbows to no avail. On and on they went, with no clear victor in sight … until, suddenly, one emerged.

To the audience at home and the record-breaking crowd at MetLife Stadium, it wasn’t immediately apparent what was the catalyst of Cena’s ultimate deliverance from the personal hell of WrestleMania XXVIII. Perhaps The Rock finally let his guard down. Perhaps Cena was just a bit stronger, a bit bigger, a bit faster and a bit more determined than the man who clawed his way from an eight-year hiatus in Hollywood to reclaim the WWE Championship. Perhaps, like so many quests for redemption, it came down to the tiniest bit of luck. Whatever it was, The Great One attempted a fourth Rock Bottom and Cena, sensing opportunity, writhed free of the maneuver. As the WWE Universe held its collective breath, Cena jettisoned The People’s Champion into the cool New Jersey sky with an Attitude Adjustment. A three-count later and redemption was his. The bout — and Rock’s reign — was over, but the evening was not yet, as Cena recovered from the initial shock of his victory to share a heartfelt, private exchange with The People’s Champion in the ring. In the ultimate gesture of sportsmanship, Cena yielded the spotlight one final time to his potentially greatest foe, saluting The Great One as he strode back to the locker room in defeat. Proving himself as gracious a loser as he is a champion, The Rock ceded the final moments of WrestleMania 29 to the triumphant new champion. Quite simply, John Cena has finally beaten The Rock. But, of course, next comes the question that every man must face when he scales his personal mountaintop

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The WWE Universe fully expected John Cena, left as a life-sized splatter across the mat last week following the receipt of a Rock Bottom, to face down WWE Champion (and reigning box-office hero) The Rock and exact retaliation when Raw rolled into the nation’s capital six days before their WWE Title bout at WrestleMania. But with his do-or-die bid for redemption just a few nights away and tension at an all-time high, Cena went against the grain and elected to take the high road with The People’s Champion. He eschewed physical comeuppance from last week and a repeat of last year’s crude war of words for a simple but impassioned address to the WWE Universe. “The People’s Era will remain,” Cena said. “The WWE Universe will remain. But the mighty Rock will experience failure. … I will shock the world.” As they say, ’nuff said.

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Quid pro quo, WWE Universe: With less than two weeks until their epic WrestleMania rematch, WWE Champion The Rock and John Cena got together for an informal Q-and-A from a foursome of WWE Legends: Mick Foley, Dusty Rhodes, Booker T and Bret “Hit Man” Hart. The back and forth — moderated by Jerry “The King” Lawler — started respectfully enough, but that was before Rhodes made the suggestion that the WrestleMania opponents “take them gloves off” and stop with softball questions. That proved to be the final push the opponents needed, and escalating tensions led to a challenge from The Rock: “You wanna prove me wrong at WrestleMania, prove me wrong. Better yet: How ’bout you prove me wrong right now?”

With the journalistic integrity of the Q-and-A compromised, chaos ensued as Cena got in Rock’s face and The Great One threw hands against his challenger, countering an Attitude Adjustment into a Rock Bottom that rattled the lecterns and left the Hall of Famers speechless. Clearly, The Rock is ready for WrestleMania. Whether Cena can rise to the challenge is the only question (and answer) that matters.

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PITTSBURGH — When one is on the road to redemption, it makes perfect sense that the path would lead through Prime Time. John Cena came to the Steel City to expound upon the significance of his personal Road to WrestleMania, but the 10-time WWE Champion found his heartfelt moment interrupted by The Prime Time Players, who derided the Cenation leader and insisted he find a better use for the WWE Universe’s precious time. Cena, in a surprising turn of events, agreed. It must be said, though, not in the way the tag-team stalwarts probably expected, because Darren Young soon found himself in a match against the No. 1 contender to The Rock’s WWE Championship. Even with Titus O’Neil cheering on Young in the Afro’d guise of his alter ego, “Pancake Patterson,” Mr. No Days Off found himself at the mercy of the Cenation leader, eating a Richter-scale-adjusting Attitude Adjustment that led to a victory for Cena.

Also John Cena took some time to grant some wishes you can check out the photos in our gallery.

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