Todd Williamson/Associated Press

After getting thoroughly dominated by Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, John Cena put forth a stronger performance but still wasn't able to walk away with the WWE championship.

Cena won by disqualification after Seth Rollins interfered in the match, leaving Lesnar the champion at the end of the night.

The WWE Twitter account had the news:

Rollins then attempted to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase but was denied by Cena:

WrestlingINC.com broke down what it means moving forward:

During the lead up to Night of Champions, Cena attempted to prove he was worthy of another match against the man who handed him the beating of his life. Cena destroyed Bray Wyatt and was defiant in the face of criticism from Triple H. Cena even had to deal with constant verbal barbs from Paul Heyman.

Lesnar's advocate attempted to prey on any lingering doubt following Cena's emphatic loss at SummerSlam. Heyman claimed that Cena would have to channel his inner demons in order to truly have a chance against his client.

When Cena was reluctant to embrace it, Heyman was very matter of fact about Cena's Night of Champions prospects, according to WWE Universe on Twitter:

He challenged Cena to go to a deep, dark place and embrace his distorted vision of WWE's marquee star, but Scott Fishman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel is one of many who simply can't fathom Cena ever turning his back on the fans.

Heyman even warned Cena on HeymanHustle.com that challenging Lesnar once again could essentially spell the end of Cena's run in WWE.

"Martyrdom does not guarantee immortality," Heyman wrote. "Bluntly, it guarantees the opposite. Martyrdom only offers death. In this case, the death of John Cena's dream of proving himself anything but inferior to my client, the reigning defending WWE Heavyweight champion of the World, Brock Lesnar!"

Heyman has proven to be prophetic during Lesnar's most recent run with the company—most notably his prediction that The Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania would come to an end—as Lesnar continues his reign at the top after Night of Champions.

Many were reluctant to embrace Lesnar as WWE World Heavyweight champion due to his status as a part-time wrestler. There was plenty of backlash when The Rock held the title from Royal Rumble to WrestleMania XXIX in 2013, and there was some concern that fans would react similarly to Lesnar.

With that said, there is something special and transcendent about Lesnar as champion. Even though he hasn't appeared every week, he has brought a certain aura to the top spot. The same can't be said for Cena because he has already been champion so many times previously.

Now Lesnar moves on to Hell in a Cell, where he will once again defend his title. It remains to be seen if Cena will get another shot at the championship.

Although it may not be ideal to be without a world champion on television periodically, there is little doubt that it is more intriguing than the alternative. Cena is a guy who WWE can and will always be able to count on, but much of the fanbase is tired of the status quo.

WWE has a world of possibilities at its disposal with Lesnar as world champ, and there is a certain amount of excitement involved with predicting what he might do next.

Had WWE put the title back on Cena, it would have robbed fans of what could is an intriguing angle. Cena essentially never loses two big matches in a row, so we will see how his character handles true adversity.

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