A Clash of Titans in the World of Professional Wrestling
Introduction
The WWE Championship match between John Cena and Chris Jericho at SummerSlam 2005 is a significant moment in professional wrestling history—the clash occurred at the MCI Center in Washington, D.C.
By this point, Cena was still relatively wet behind the ears as one of the elite-level guys, having only won the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania 21. This was his first foray as the defending champion in one of the Big Four PPVs. Who better to guide him through it than Y2J?
Background
The match’s storyline was relatively tepid, and 20 years on, it sounds lamer than it did then. After being traded to Monday Night RAW, John Cena was subject to Eric Bischoff’s ruling. The former WCW booker took Umbridge with Cena, stating that his style and persona were ‘unfit for a champion’.
Bischoff’s disdain for Cena’s persona hinted at a more profound preference for rock over rap. With his rock and roll-themed persona and undeniable charisma, Jericho seemed like Bischoff’s ideal champion. His style and flair were a stark contrast to Cena’s rap-influenced image. However, the storyline remained thin despite Jericho’s musical alignment and magnetic presence.
Bischoff’s bias appeared more as a superficial disdain than a genuine preference, reducing what could have been a compelling narrative into a simplistic conflict. This limited the depth of the feud, making the animosity less about the competitors’ actual talents and more about a surface-level clash of styles.
Never mind. These two could provide entertainment with pure bell-to-bell action without an elongated narrative.
The Match
The bout started with Jericho leading the charge, taking an early offence against Cena with the basics, Irish whips, dropkicks, etc. At one point, Jerry Lawler refers to Cena as a ‘would-be Eminem’, which infers the destain that talent had for him in the back.
Five minutes into a 15-minute match, Cena starts to attack, only to be thrown out of the ring. At this point, it’s clear that Y2J is doing much of the heavy lifting in this match. At the halfway point, Cena has yet to make any impression on Jericho – when a superplex from the top rope leaves both men on the floor.
After a two-count, Cena begins to use his four moves in moderation, only for a modified bulldog to take him down. After that, a missed Lionsault from Jericho starts a fantastic series of chain wrestling, resulting in a Walls of Jericho that was eventually broken.
Jericho retakes charge with some pompous taunting, only to run into a signature clothesline from Cena. John’s wrestling ability comes into question as he punches his opponent here and uses a simple sidewalk slam before looking for the 5-knuckle shuffle. The street fight manoeuvre is reversed as Jericho locks in another wall. It’s an elongated submission hold, where Cena reaches and reaches until he gets the ropes.
Then, the inevitable happens. Cena catches Jericho after he talks to the ref and hits the FU. Then it’s 1-2-3. Cena wins a match he never really got going in, and the WWE Championship is seemingly worthless at that point.
Conclusion
Jericho was injured after this match with a broken back, having carried Cena throughout the evening. This was another attempt to get the new champ over with older audiences on a big stage. Did it work? The match was good, had a proper finish and ultimately showed off both guys as top performers.
The problem was that it didn’t feel like a title fight. Jericho can surely enhance talent; he’d been active and had his significant runs in the company by now – but does he have to do it for WWE champions? He certainly shouldn’t have had to, yet given the hype of John Cena’s height, WWE needed Jericho to do the job. Chris Jericho’s net worth wasn’t a concern for the company at this juncture.
The booking staff acknowledged that this didn’t feel like a main event by having it on before the World Heavyweight Championship match (the second-tier title at this point) and even the Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels match. It is better than many of Cena’s 2005 matches but not as good as some John Cena movies.
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