John Cena coming to the rescue of Hulk Hogan last edition of "Monday Night Raw" after Brock Lesnar interrupted the WWE Hall of Famer's birthday party was more than a build-up for this Sunday's "SummerSlam" event.

It was the passing of the torch.

"To me, I've been around for a long time and I've done a lot to help this business, but it fails in comparison to what John Cena has done," said Hogan to the "Busted Open" satellite radio show. "In my opinion, John Cena is the greatest WWE champion of all time."

Hogan, the WWE icon who put the company on his back, carrying it to great mainstream heights in the 1980s as its top face, was celebrating his 61st birthday last Monday with old friends and foes such as "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Ornorff, Jimmy "Mouth of the South" Hart, "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash before he was interrupted by Lesnar.

A world of pain was likely headed Hogan's way despite not backing down from "The Anomaly" before Cena slid under the ring and prevented Lesnar from leaving a trail of brittle Hall of Fame bones scattered all over the square circle.

A long time ago, that would have been Hogan's role, saving allies such as Hillbilly Jim or Randy Savage from the likes of King Kong Bundy, the "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase or the Iron Sheik. With a mantra of telling kids to say their prayers and eat their vitamins, Hogan was that real-life, flesh-and-bones superhero who preached to his young fans to say their prayers and eat their vitamins, no different than Cena telling his young supporters about the importance of "hustle, respect, and loyalty."

Cena would have been beloved in the 1980s era of the WWE. There were clear distinctions as to who were the "good guys" and who were the "bad guys" and the fans took to it.

But times have changed. So has the industry.

The WWE's "Attitude Era" and Paul Heyman's Extreme Championship Wrestling changed the viewing habits of old-school wrestling fans, making traits like "hustle, loyalty and respect" less respectable to "Attitude" audiences that wanted to see "Stone Cold" Steve Austin drink "Steveweisers," throw both middle fingers in the air, and live up to his "Austin 3:16" philosophy of whipping someone's ass. The mantra that made Cena a global superstar goes over the head of fans who went nuts when The Rock theatened to leave an opponent laid out in "Smackdown Hotel" -- located on the corner of Jabroni Drive and Know Your Role Boulevard.

What these fans fail to realize is that Cena is what's best for business no matter how much they loathe to admit it.

Yes, I understand these fans get extremely angry when Cena "Hulks Up" and once again defies the odds to win his bouts with his alleged five-moves skill-set, much like Hogan used to do back in the day (In Cena's defense, he usually performs at the level of his opponents. Watch any of his matches against CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and Cesaro. He pulled off a Hurricarana on Punk, cut the guy a break).

And, yup, fans cannot stand that Cena is such a sappy superhero, whose face is all over Fruity Pebbles boxes across America.

But is that not the type of positive qualities you would want for your kids to look up to? Do you really want your darling little ones following Bray Wyatt's buzzards? Is a guy whose nickname "The Lunatic Fringe" the guy who you want your child modeling himself after? Or an "Apex Predator?"

In a world where children are bombarded with so much overflow of information -- via the internet and hundreds of channels on cable -- that makes it difficult for a parent to filter everything, is not "hustle, respect, and loyalty" admirable traits to teach a child?

Cena's mantra has translated into dollars and cents for the WWE, with the champ usually hovering in the top three as far as merchandise sales, if not top of the heap. In arenas around the country, no one sells more gear for the WWE than Cena. No one. And his internet sales have not been shabby either, usually leading the pack in that area as well.

As angry as fans get about Cena holding the title after Bryan went down with a neck injury, who else on the WWE roster are you going to have holding the championship that is guaranteed to sell tickets and move merchandise for the WWE? CM Punk is not coming back (fans need to move on -- he is gone. Retired. Enjoying life without the bumps and bruises that come with a hectic WWE schedule. You all need to move on).

Bryan was much-needed new blood, as far as WWE titleholders, but his injury has him out of action potentially until the "Royal Rumble." And while it would be great to give a new face on the roster the oppoortunity to be the "face of the WWE," who is really ready for that role?

Roman Reigns? Reigns has the look, but are his mic skills up to par with Cena? (Don't lie to yourself, even if you hate the current WWE World Heavyweight champ.) Can he move a crowd like Bryan?

Seth Rollins currently holds the Money In The Bank (MITB) suitcase -- a tell-tale sign of big things to come for the ex-Shield member. And his skill-set in the ring is impeccable. But can he sell tickets and merchandise for Vince McMahon like the current champion?

Bray Wyatt, who has come a long way since he debut as Husky Harris as part of The Nexus stable and is easily one of the best young talents both in the ring and on the microphone, is an intriguing possibility. But is the "Eater of Worlds" and the "Man of 1,000 Truths" going to do 400 Make-A-Wish Foundation appearances like Cena does, despite his busy work schedule and obligations?

With Bryan hurt and Punk retired, that leaves us with familiar names, much to the chagrin of fans still living in the "Attitude Era." Let's be frank, Kane is not holding the title any time soon. Randy Orton was a viable option and had a decent run in 2013 feuding with Bryan, but the time was right to have a different titleholder after ending Part 2 of "The Age of Orton."

As much as fans hate to hear it, Cena was the only logical choice to replace Bryan and head into "SummerSlam" -- the company's second biggest show behind "Wrestlemania" as the champion. He moves merch and tickets more than anyone on the roster. And money is deciding factor in this industry.

Fans angry about the WWE's choice need to either accept it or just stop watching. "The Attitude Era," much like a certain Straight Edge Superstar, are long gone. They are not coming back. At least in the WWE. So why not just sit back and enjoy "SummerSlam" rather gripe about it on Twitter after paying $9.99 for the event?

Which brings us to "SummerSlam's" main event, with Cena defending against Lesnar. Fans may not like the options, but barring Rollins cashing in his MITB suitcase at the end of the show, the night will end with either Cena yet again walking away from another PPV with the title or another part-time celebrity champion. Some fans complained when The Rock came in and held the title depite being away filming movies for most of his title reign. Lesnar is not likely to be doing the Hollywood circuit anytime soon, but considering the limited dates on his contract, Lesnar would still be a part-time champion.

Which leaves Cena as the common sense placeholder champion until Bryan returns to the ring. That's just what's best for business, whether you like it or not.

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