The minute John Cena returned to WWE right after Roman Reigns successfully defended the Universal championship at Money in the Bank, it was clear Cena vs. Reigns for that same title was the plan for SummerSlam on Aug. 21, 2021, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s a big money match for an event the company is treating like a second WrestleMania.
It just wasn’t clear how we would get there, especially after Reigns refused an initial challenge, then accepted a different one from Finn Balor. WWE even promoted a contract signing for Reigns vs. Balor at SummerSlam.
So what gives?
About that...
Signed, sealed and delivered! @JohnCena @WWERomanReigns @HeymanHustle #UniversalTitle #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/OYuEL9SdHm
— WWE (@WWE) July 31, 2021
Paul Heyman protested, but Adam Pearce and Sonya Deville decided Cena simply writing his name over Balor’s and then signing it above that was good enough for them. It will indeed be Reigns vs. Cena.
With apologies to Balor, who was taken out of the picture here by Baron Corbin, who is struggling so badly to figure out his life he was planning to write his own name in just so he could earn main event money. Cena foiled that, and this opens the door for a Balor vs. Corbin program.
Not much of a consolation prize, but what can ya do?
The updated SummerSlam match card:
- Roman Reigns (c) vs. John Cena (Universal championship)
- Nikki A.S.H. (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Rhea Ripley (Raw women’s championship)