The news that John Cena has applied for divorce from his high school sweetheart and wife of 3 years is extremely sad and disappointing. The fact that this will probably get ugly before the end only makes things worse. We should all keep in mind that these are human beings we are dealing with, real people with real issues and emotions. It is never fun to have someone dig into your personal life and make outrageous guesses based on insufficient information.

With all that being said, it is in our nature as smarks to assume we know everything at all times. And with the knowledge that Cena's marriage is falling apart, things are slowly starting to make a bit more sense. The logical conclusion at Extreme Rules was for Lesnar to smash Cena's head in and emerge victorious. There has been a debate about whether Cena winning was actually the right thing to do, and I don't wish to rehash that here. I am more than willing to admit that, if done correctly, Cena winning could have been a very good story to tell.

And yet, John Cena defeated the mighty Brock Lesnar, although he did so while suffering a busted cranium and messed up arm. The "plan" was that Cena was going to get the victory, but would be stretchered off to protect Lesnar's heat. Which could have worked, up until Cena waved off the referee and cut the now infamous promo. He spoke about going away for a while and being damn proud that the match was in Chicago.

Why would Cena do this?

If you may indulge me for a moment, I do have a possible idea:

The original plan was for Lesnar to go over Cena. I think that was what they were building towards. If this were the blowoff match at SummerSlam, then it would make sense for Cena to win. The only reason Cena lost to The Rock at WrestleMania 28 was to make him winning seem like a big deal again. So that first win should have been saved until it was a big deal.

A match at Extreme Rules with three weeks of build up? Not a big deal.

Following the match, they could have chosen to continue the feud or spin them both off. However, Cena starts worrying about his failing marriage. He knows he is going to have to spend time at home to help repair the relationship. So he talks to Brock and Vince McMahon, and they work out a way for Lesnar to still look strong while Cena gets a going away victory.

So that's the match, but what about the promo?

Well, depending on your beliefs it was "SUPER SRZ SHOOT!" or "TOTAL WORK!~" but either case still fits into the premise. Cena thought that this would be his last time out in the ring for a while, and wanted to tell his fans (and his haters) that he loved them and will miss them. Lesnar hears this in the back, gets pissed, and starts throwing a temper tantrum. He had been kind enough to step aside for Cena to pick up the win, but this was crossing the line.

On the other hand, they could have planned it all out before hand. Lesnar through his fit to keep anyone in the back from getting suspicious as to why he was okay with Cena cutting the promo. No one else was aware what Cena was going through, and for Lesnar to be okay with being upstaged might cause people to start asking questions.

So if Cena was going away, why is he still here?

Well, the short answer is he filed for divorce. If he doesn't have to go home to repair the marriage, then he doesn't have to take a break. The Court received the petition May 1st, two days after Extreme Rules. That means within 36 hours of his promo, he had changed his mind. Or had his mind changed for him.

I've gone back and forth on what could have happened, but I believe it is one of two options

1) John Cena cuts his promo, Lesnar gets legit pissed, and he threatens to walk out. Vince, in turn, is furious at Cena for angering his $5 million dollar baby and demands that he stays while Brock takes a break. Cena is inherently unable to put his own needs before the company, and he returns the very next night to face off against John Laurinaitis.

2) John Cena cuts his promo, hears the reaction he gets, goes home, gets some sleep, and wakes up realizing that he cannot leave. He cannot turn his back on the fans that love him, so he is willing to turn his back on the woman that does. Vince is more than willing to welcome him back, orders a quick re-write, consistency be damned, and the injury angle is aborted.

Is this all wild speculation? Of course. But Cena had known his marriage was falling apart, and was reportedly miserable for months. It is not far fetch to think that this was running through his head while he was out there, giving what he had thought was his last show. He had been through enough matches to know when something is seriously injured and when it just hurts. And he is enough of a businessman to not take the mic unless he felt it necessary. Something was off with Cena that night.

And now we know what it might have been.