John Cena vs. Batista? Not so fast

At the conclusion of Raw last night, John Cena inadvertently punched Batista, which led to an exchange of blows before they were pulled apart.

Could that physical confrontation be setting up a match between the two WWE superstars at SummerSlam next month? It’s possible, but I have a hard time believing that is the case.

There has been speculation that the long-term plan was for Cena versus Batista to headline WrestleMania XXIV this past March, but Cena’s injury necessitated a change in direction. And when Batista was drafted to Raw last month, the move immediately sparked talk of a match between the two at next year’s WrestleMania.

A Cena-Batista match on the biggest show of the year makes sense because it’s one of the few marquee match-ups in WWE that hasn’t been done. That’s why I can’t see WWE giving that match away this early in Batista’s move to Raw. Then again, I didn’t think the Triple H-Edge match would happen as fast as it did.

If last night’s pull-apart was just a tease and WWE is indeed planning to hold off the inevitable match until WrestleMania, the challenge will be in keeping them apart for the next eight months.

The other intriguing aspect of a Cena-Batista match is the question of whether it would be a babyface versus babyface match or if one of them would turn heel. The conventional thinking seems to be that Batista eventually will turn – and he has looked a bit heelish as of late – but I still think a Cena turn would be a big shot in the arm for business in WWE. The crowds have been behind Cena as of late, which means it’s the perfect time to turn him.

One thing for certain about Cena and Batista coming to blows last night is that WWE again came up with an ending that no one saw coming.

Other thoughts on last night’s show:

The curious booking of CM Punk’s world heavyweight title reign continues. In a title rematch from The Great American Bash against Batista last night, Punk either gained or lost credibility, depending on how you look at it. On the one hand, he dominated the match, but Batista was weakened by a chokeslam from Kane immediately before the match began. Batista eventually rallied and the announcers again put over how he was about to defeat Punk.

I wouldn’t say WWE is totally burying Punk, because he isn’t backing down from anyone and he is holding his own against bigger (in size and status) opponents. And the bottom line is that he is still the champion. If I had to guess where this is headed, I’d say that Punk will keep retaining the title on flukes before eventually scoring a clean win over a top star. The question is whether the fans will already have given up on him by that point. …

It looks as if Chris Jericho no longer has to worry about fans cheering for him as a heel. His brutal attack on Shawn Michaels at the Bash struck a nerve, and he followed it up with an excellent promo last night that got him a lot of heat from the crowd. I really liked the part where he talked about returning to WWE and not being embraced by the fans. That’s actually somewhat true, as it seemed like fans were happy to see him come back, but perhaps not as much as he and WWE had hoped. …

Speaking of good promos, Punk has shown that he can do them, which begs the following question: Why didn’t he get more opportunities to talk before now? …

Batista has been booked very well over the past few months. He’s become a Triple H-type babyface – a fan favorite who is obsessed with being the best and isn’t interested in making friends. Somewhere along the way, Batista had become too much of a traditional babyface (remember the lovefest between him and Rey Mysterio?), which made him a less interesting character. …

It was nice that JBL limped to the ring and Cena had his elbow bandaged, but I think they should have done even more to sell their injuries from Sunday’s parking lot brawl. I won’t bother asking how Cena didn’t even get an abrasion after being “grazed” by a speeding car last week. …

It’s great that WWE is trying to give Ted DiBiase Jr., Cody Rhodes and Cryme Tyme a rub by having them involved in the JBL-Cena feud. However, having Cena do a double FU to finish off DiBiase and Rhodes isn’t doing them any favors. …

I don’t know what to say about the Santino Marella-Beth Phoenix liplock, but I’m betting that wherever this angle is going, it will be entertaining. It will be even better if it leads to Marella winning some matches. …

It’s hard to get overly excited about the return of D-Lo Brown, but I always thought he was a decent mid-carder. …

Hacksaw Jim Duggan is a heck of a nice guy, but I personally don’t care to see him wrestle anymore. Judging by the crowd reaction when he said he was thinking about hanging it up, however, I must be in the minority. …

It looks like Jerry Lawler is going to team with Duggan to face DiBiase and Rhodes. I’d rather see Lawler in the role than Hardcore Holly, but it still bothers me from a continuity standpoint that Holly has not sought revenge for Rhodes turning on him. …

Paul Burchill really needed that pinfall victory over Kofi Kingston, even if it did occur in a tag team match. …

Kelly Kelly had a good match with Phoenix and continues to get better in the ring. She is well on her way to becoming WWE’s “it girl.” Actually, she may already be there.

Source: weblogs.baltimoresun.com