As WWE gears up for WrestleMania 31, a large question mark hangs over just which wrestler John Cena will face at the Santa Clara show.

Ideally, the bookers will realize that rising heel Rusev is the best possible choice of foe.

Granted, some fans might prefer a bigger star like Sting or Hulk Hogan to be Cena’s opponent. Look beyond the mere cheap thrill of a “big-time match,” though, and WWE writers electing to go with Rusev as a challenger has many more advantages.

For one thing, there is every chance that Rusev and Cena can deliver a sterling showing at the pay-per-view.

Rusev is improving all the time, he’s come a long way since he debuted at January’s Royal Rumble. Meanwhile, Cena remains as solid in the-ring as ever, despite his various injuries and physical issues over the years. They could easily churn out something very special.

Contrast this with Cena against Sting or Cena taking on Hogan at WrestleMania, where the in-ring action would probably be awful.

Both Hogan and Sting are too old to produce good matches anymore, and it’s almost certainly beyond even Cena’s abilities to carry them to anything decent. Booking Cena and Rusev would also help the company in the long term.