Alright, let’s talk about digging back into that Mark Henry versus John Cena clash from Money in the Bank 2013. I decided to fire up the network the other day, specifically looking for this one again.
First thing I did was just sit back and remember the whole setup. Man, that fake retirement speech Henry pulled off on Raw? Still gives me chills. I remember watching it live back then and totally buying it. Hook, line, and sinker. Seeing it again now, knowing the outcome, you can really appreciate the performance he put in. Just brilliant stuff. He had everyone, including Cena, fooled.
Getting Into the Match Itself
So, I finally hit play on the actual pay-per-view match. Settled in, wanted to see if it held up to my memory. The story was simple, right? The pissed-off veteran, feeling disrespected, Henry, wanting one last shot against the top guy, Cena. Classic wrestling.
Watching it unfold, I focused on how they worked together.
- Pacing: It wasn’t a super fast-paced match. It was methodical. Henry using his power, trying to just dominate Cena. Ground him down.
- Psychology: You could feel Henry’s frustration and Cena trying to figure out how to overcome the sheer size and strength difference. Cena did his usual ‘never give up’ thing, which worked against a monster like Henry.
- Key Spots: I remembered Henry catching Cena mid-air, stuff like that. Watching again, those power displays still look impressive. Henry really came across like an unstoppable force for large parts of the match.
Cena sold the beating pretty well, I thought. Made Henry look like a legitimate threat to take the title. That’s important. You need to believe the challenger has a real shot, even against Cena back then.
The Finish and Final Thoughts
The ending came, Cena managing to get the STF locked in for the win. Predictable? Maybe. But it felt like the right conclusion to their story at that point. Henry had his big moment with the speech and the build-up, got his main event title shot, looked like a beast, but Cena ultimately survived. That was Cena’s role back then.
So, after watching it all again, what did I take away from this little practice session?
Main takeaway: The build-up with that retirement angle was way stronger than the match itself, but the match wasn’t bad. It served its purpose. It told the story it needed to tell: the monster veteran trying to finally grab the brass ring from the established champion.
It was a solid chapter in both guys’ careers around that time. Henry got a main event spotlight fueled by probably the best promo work he ever did. Cena added another monster challenge overcome to his record. Yeah, good session revisiting that one. Definitely worth remembering for Henry’s performance leading up to it.
