Taking place this Sunday live from Atlanta, Georgia is indeed World Wrestling Entertainment’s Mania follow-up, Backlash. However, it’s not the show that I’ll be talking about in great detail here; rather, it will be one of the participants in the main event – a certain Mr. John Cena. After wrestling, perhaps, the best match of his life on Raw this past Monday, I began to think about “The Champ” in greater detail, how he is marketed, his actual in-ring ability and the like. Put simply what I’m trying to say is this – how bad is John Cena?

Five minutes in to the Wrestlemania rematch that headlined WWE’s Flagship program this week I said to myself, “What is with the constant mat wrestling holds? They’re pacing this match as if they were to go for an hour”. I expected fifteen minutes tops. So when HBK kicked Cena’s teeth in after approximately fifty-five, I came damn close to applauding my television screen. It’s rare that the ad breaks in a match actually add to the contest (normally they irritate me to no end), but every time J.R. spouted the words “we’ll be back!” I was so glad that the match was continuing. In the end it will be up there contesting for match of the year come December, and is certainly the best Raw match I can remember seeing in a long, long while.

Right, now that we’ve got my general level of marking out out of the way, let’s think about this one in a little more depth.

There’s no doubt in my mind that the match was built to put Cena over and perhaps silence the critics (and although I don’t believe I have bought into this, I will admit it did get my mind thinking), and maybe it was an all-HBK carry-job, but I think denying Cena’s effort here would be grossly unfair. Again his selling of the shoulder angered me; however, it was a far better job that his selling of the knee at Mania. He wrestled like he was desperate to beat HBK, disprove everyone who said he couldn’t do it again – it was fun to watch. And even despite a single thing from Edge and (obviously) Orton, it got me in the mood for Backlash, so it can be said that the bout was a monumental success on all counts.

Now I know people will be saying “Yeah, but it was against Shawn Michaels”, in some eyes this man is the greatest, most-entertaining wrestler to have ever graced the hallowed squared-circle. Truth? Why yes it is. But surely instead of using this as a way to berate the match, should we not use it as a way of giving kudos to the management and booking staff at WWE?

Cena is the most over guy in the company. Fact. Yes guys like Taker, Batista, Edge etc. garner the required reaction and no doubt spread a grin across the faces of backroom staff, but when he strides through the curtain Cena gets (some sort of) reaction from nigh on every single person in any arena. Be it a chorus of boos, loud cheers, girls screaming their appreciation, it doesn’t matter. He gets that reaction, every, single, time. And that’s why he’s in the main events. And so it is down to the creative team to cover up his inadequacies once the reaction dies down a little and Cena steps through those ropes, ready to lock up. So they put him against the one and only Heart Break Kid, Shawn Michaels, for just about one full hour of solid wrestling - a masterstroke rather than a reason to complain surely?

If you think about it this is what the booking staff has been getting progressively better at. Look at this year alone – (bare in mind these are my personal match ratings, I’m sure many of yours may differ) Cena vs. Umaga at the Royal Rumble, Last Man Standing - ****, Cena vs. HBK at Wrestlemania - ****1/4, Cena vs. HBK on Raw - ****3/4. If this isn’t clever booking then I’m afraid I don’t know what is. Cena, it has to be remembered, also had the match of the year last year from my point of view in a great TLC match with Edge (clocking in at ****1/2 itself). And whilst what I am saying here is that by using gimmicks or more established competitors will indeed help Cena, I don’t think you can discount his effort in these matches either. It does, after all, take two to tango.

To be honest, with the reactions he gets every week I don’t blame Vince and Co. for keeping Cena in the main events, and now that they’re booking him properly he seems to be having great matches every time he’s given the chance, in a bigtime situation. Am I saying that I like seeing him as champion? Hell no, but in a strange twist of fate that’s what keeps me watching, and that’s what will make me tune into Backlash this Sunday. Do I think he’ll lose? As a matter of fact no, I don’t, and while I will be annoyed (yet again) that the gold will stay around his waist, I’m sure it will be another great match to remember. And instead of looking at all the reasons as to why we should take away from the match, why don’t we look at it as a smart piece of business by World Wrestling Entertainment, and a smart way to book their main man – John “The Champ” Cena.

Let the complaints roll.

Gav (GavinNiven@AOL.com)