John Cena’s Booking At ‘WWE Battleground’ Will Determine AJ Styles’ Match At ‘Summerslam

Since returning to SmackDown Live from his hiatus after WrestleMania 33, John Cena has renewed his old rivalry with Rusev heading into WWE Battleground. Cena will face The Bulgarian Brute in a Flag Match this Sunday at the event. WWE officials believed it was a better idea for him to feud with someone like Rusev at ‘Battleground’ rather than throw him into an intense rivalry the moment he returns to WWE programming.

There is a lot of speculation regarding the booking of John Cena vs. Rusev at WWE Battleground. Most fans are expecting Cena to walk out of Philadelphia with the American flag raised high, but a big win for Rusev is also being rumored by the WWE Universe. Under normal circumstances, the result of the match would not matter that much, but the powers that be have a big decision to make regarding the finish of Cena vs. Rusev.

With WWE Summerslam only a few weeks away, WWE officials are finalizing the card for the event over the next few days before the PPV, so the finish of the match between Cena and Rusev at ‘Battleground’ actually has a great deal of importance in determining the card for the biggest party of the summer. In particular, it’s expected to impact AJ Styles’ opponent and challenger for the United States Championship for the event.

There is some speculation that John Cena will move into another feud at ‘Summerslam’ if he defeats Rusev on Sunday. The rumor is Cena could challenge AJ Styles for the US Title at the event because the two shared a stare down recently on SmackDown Live. However, Cena losing to Rusev wouldn’t hurt him because their match won’t be determined by pinfall or submission and it would set up a big rematch for them next month.

For AJ Styles, he’s being rumored to defend the United States Title against John Cena if he defeats Rusev or Shinsuke Nakamura at WWE Summerslam. Nakamura and Styles have a history, and it was teased at WWE Money in the Bank that their paths will cross again. WWE officials are trying to give them the biggest stage possible for their rematch. Aside from the grandest stage of them all, WWE Summerslam is the best option.

Some fans may have written off the Flag Match between John Cena and Rusev at WWE Battleground, but it should have a significant impact on the creative plans for the United States Title Match heading into WWE Summerslam next month. The powers that be simply need to decide if they want to pull the trigger on Styles vs. Nakamura now, or if there is another big match to add to the Cena vs. Styles feud at WWE Summerslam.

[Featured Image by WWE]