[2008-06-29-WWE-Night of Champions] Triple H vs John Cena

[Superstar Sleeze]

WWE Champion Triple H vs John Cena - WWE Night of Champions 2008

The NOAH-ification of WWE is strong in this match and that of course brings both pros and cons to this most hit but sometimes miss of a Clash of the Titans-style main event. It is nominally babyface vs babyface but with Cena's propensity to work underneath and HHH's history as a heel they fall into their natural roles quite easily in this match. The hook of the match is that if Cena loses, both world championships will be on Smackdown. 

I thought this was a very Greatest Hits style match where each opponent blends their stock highspots with the other opponent. Lots of good symmetry, which is key to a babyface vs babyface match.  There's enough wrinkles to keep this interesting. Pretty standard Clash of Titans opening with shouldertackles. HHH knocks Cena down twice and hiptoss, Suck It. The last part is prickly enough that Cena gets mad and snaps into it. He knocks HHH down and hiptosses him and Salutes his ass. Ok, so maybe not the most emphatic way to tell him to suck it, but it is Cena so it works. Cena tackles HHH and the brawl is on. Fisherman suplex. Cena goes for the shouldertackle early but HHH evades and Cena goes flying. We know Cena as the lovechild of Lawler and Misawa loves a short shine and an extended comeback. This sets up nicely for him. 

HHH focuses on the back. Backbreaker. Pretty standard stuff. I am glad he picked a body part even if I knew it was not going to lead to anything because it gave his offense focus. Cena does not die and is throwing big hammocks and seems to be making in-roads. HHH eats a boot on a fist drop attempt. This unlocks the ability for Cena to hit the shouldertackles and Protobomb, but he has not done enough yet for the Five Knuckle Shuffle and as HHH Kangaroo Kicks him off (thank you Russ Davis). HHH gets his standard High Knee and Facecrusher. Now HHH is unlocking his highspots because he is reacting Cena's going into finish mode. HHH goes for the Pedigree but thats too early and Cena hits the Throwback and the Leg Drop from the Top. This leads to Cena attempting STFU but HHH wriggling free. Both men have attempted their finish. Great symmetry and it builds that Greatest Hits/Clash of Titans. 

Cena goes for the Five Knuckle Shuffle again but he really impregnates that Five Knuckle Shuffle and HHH cuts off with the High Knee. Spinebuster! Again he goes to the Pedigree but Cena hurls him off and HHH takes the Harley Race bump over the top rope and sells an injured knee. This is the coolest part of the match by far. We almost never get to see Cena work on top and here he does. It is chop blocks, knee crusher to the stairs, wrap around the post. The best of the match is how hard HHH struggles to not be in the STFU. This was a violent struggle. It really speaks to something I feel passionately about and that is the drama should in applying the hold NOT in seeing whether or not someone will escape or tap. Cena switches to an FU but HHH flashes into a Pedigree, but that means he lands on the INJURED KNEE! 1-2-NO! Honestly if Cena slapped on the STFU right then and there, I'd go about ****1/2 on this bad boy. The time from HHH's bump over the top rope to the Pedigree on the injured knee was a five star stretch. 

Alas the match continued and while not horrible, it was excessive and overwrought. Lots of "epic" selling (read: lying around) and finisher trading. Still more hit than miss, just not as efficient as it could have been. My least favorite part of the match is HHH. Pedigree is the level the playing field spot, both down to 8 and Cena gets up and hits the FU. In a match where so much was earned, that felt like nothing. It was just another way to add symmetry right after Pedigree. I thought the punch exchange was much better than the typical New Japan strike exchange I thought they really threw bombs and Cena sold wicked well. Wild swing by HHH -> Protobomb -> Five Knuckle Shuffle they paid off the highspot! Hell Yeah! FU/Pedigree tussle leads to a real slick STFU transition by Cena. HHH looks done but as Cena has to reset to yank him away from the ropes HHH is counters into a Crossface. Cena hulks up into the FU but HHH counters into the Pedigree for the win!

As a match that was built around the finishes I thought the match was worked really well. It had everything you wanted from an epic Clash of the Titans match, babyfce va babyface, symmetry, big bombs and good pacing. Most of the highspots were earned. I didnt think the finish stretch quite hit the same fever pitch as that Pedigree on the injured knee, but it was solid. ****