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When John Cena waltzed in to rain on Jinder Mahal's WWE Championship parade this past week on Smackdown Live to challenge the Modern Day Maharaja to a title match at WWE Summerslam 2016, we all thought that the Face that Runs the Place was going to get exactly what he wanted: A chance at breaking The Nature Boy Ric Flair's record of 16 World Championships.
Instead, what we got was a surprise announcement by Smackdown Live General Manager Daniel Bryan that Cena would have to face off against a certain Shinsuke Nakamura in a #1 Contender's match to determine who gets the right to fight Mahal for the WWE Championship.
This interesting development has not only given the WWE Universe a dream match to look forward to this week, it has also given us a chance to speculate as to how this match is going to play out and what the creative team has in store for the end. Which one of these two great superstars is going to get a shot at the ultimate prize in sports entertainment?
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So, without any further ado, here is our list of 5 possible finishes for the #1 Contender match between Shinsuke Nakamura and John Cena:
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#5 John Cena wins clean
It seems like John Cena isn't really primed to win this contest. If they wanted to give him a WWE Title opportunity one on one against Jinder Mahal, there is no reason to really involve Shinsuke Nakamura and make him eat a loss.
This would severely curtail The King of Strong Styles' momentum while bringing us back down to the same match that was originally announced by Cena last week. It is weak storytelling and doesn't make too much sense.
But, on the other hand, we have to keep in mind that this is John Cena that we're dealing with here. Sure, he might have gotten a little more generous with his losses to top stars over the past couple of years but that doesn't excuse his history of burying talent.
In my opinion, this would be the worst decision and could kill off all hopes of having Nakamura become the main event player we know he can be.
#4 It's a draw
While everyone is looking at this match as a dream bout between two of the top superstars in the company, you have to wonder if the WWE's creative team will want to protect their reputations by calling this one a draw.
It could be a double count-out or both men could beat each other up so badly that they can't make it to their feet to answer a 10-count from the man in the stripes. Either way, it's a possibility - although an unlikely one - that neither gets the victory.
This way, they can arrange a Triple Threat between the two men and Jinder to add some spice to the WWE Summerslam 2017 WWE Championship match. But, if they want to go down that route, perhaps our next point will be a better option...
#3 Jinder Mahal, The Great Khali and The Singh Brothers take out both men
I say this is a better option because it doesn't make sense story wise to punish Jinder Mahal when he was not involved in any way in John Cena and Shinsuke Nakamura fighting to a standstill.
Here, Jinder. A returning Great Khali and The Singh Brothers' involvement gives us a reason to legitimately make it a Triple Threat match and punish the Modern Day Maharaja.
With both The King of Strong Style and The Face that Runs the Place looking for revenge, it gives the WWE Universe genuine hope that the divisive WWE Championship reign of Jinder is fast coming to an end when WWE Summerslam 2017 rolls around.
In keeping with our previous point, this still protects the reputation of Nakamura and Cena and gives Jinder a lot more heat.
#2 Baron Corbin attacks Shinsuke Nakamura
If I could use one word to describe Baron Corbin these days, it is predictable. He loves to attack people when they have their backs turned to him. He's done it almost every one of his feuds and seems to do it week after week, regardless of his success on the previous try.
So, why would he do anything different this upcoming week on Smackdown Live, especially after losing clean to Shinsuke Nakamura this past week? It seems like the perfect opportunity for him to strike against his foe.
What this does mean, is that John Cena would be getting a shot at the WWE Championship and this is just a way to build heat on The Lone Wolf and extend his feud against The Artist.
#1 Shinsuke Nakamura wins
Well, this seems to be one everyone is predicting and it makes a lot of sense. Shinsuke Nakamura beats John Cena to set a WWE Championship match against Jinder Mahal.
The King of Strong Style defeats the Modern Day Maharaja at WWE Summerslam 2017. And, Baron Corbin then cashes in on Nakamura to become the new WWE Champion. It has good storytelling and it would give Nakamura a huge boost - first by winning against John Cena and second by becoming WWE Champion, even if it is short lived.
My money's on this being the outcome.
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