WWE superstar John Cena's decline very obvious with loss to debutant Kevin Owens

At WWE's event Elimination Chamber on Sunday, every adult's most hated wrestler John Cena lost to debutant Kevin Owens - clean.

Owens, who previously wrestled at WWE's developmental territory NXT, pinned Cena clean in the middle of the ring following a move he calls the 'Pop-up Powerbomb'.

Owens is also the reigning WWE NXT champion, and this was his first match on the WWE's main roster.

Clearly, Owens, who seems to possess much potential, is being tipped for a mega push. He has charisma, he is capable in the ring and on the microphone, and has established an instant connect with the adult WWE fanbase.

On Sunday at Elimination Chamber, Owens, who is caricatured as a villain, earned chants of 'Fight Owens Fight' from the adults in the crowd. Many spectators also wore the newly released Kevin Owens merchandise - a t-shirt which simply says 'KO'. 

It is a very big deal for a new superstar to beat John Cena without any 'cheating'. However, in the last few years, Cena's defeats have become more frequent. 

First, he lost to CM Punk at Money in the Bank 2011, a match that was hyped tremendously by Punk's impending exit from the WWE, and because the adult fanbase was entirely behind Punk. At Money in the Bank in Punk's home town of Chicago, Cena was virtually booed out of the building, and then lost the WWE title to Punk.

Then at Wrestlemania 28 in 2012, John Cena was cleanly pinned by The Rock, in the latter's hometown of Miami. 

Fast forward to 2013 and Daniel Bryan defeated (an injured) John Cena for the WWE Title at the Summerslam event. Bryan used a move called the Running Knee to pin Cena clean much to the delight of the crowd. This was really a watershed moment as the focus shifted firmly away from Cena as the top face in WWE for the first time in over 8 years.

The lowest point of this decline (before the Owens defeat) came at Summerslam the following year, when a returning Brock Lesnar (a former MMA champion and WWE mega star in his own right) beat Cena in what was essentially an extended squash match. The depicted ruthlessness of Lesnar's assault on Cena and the entirely one-sided contest shocked many in the professional wrestling world, but it became clear that Cena would no longer be the only top man in WWE.

The tipping point has come in the form of a defeat to newcomer Kevin Owens. Wrestling dirtsheets (which often predict the outcome of matches and where wrestling fans aggressively discuss the industry) were not prepared for a Kevin Owens victory. Most predicted a clean Cena win, albeit in a tense match.

Interestingly, Cena still sells the most merchandise of all WWE superstars by a considerable margin. He still remains the most loved wrestler among children and female fans. However, it seems WWE has recognised that John Cena as a character has become stale, and as his injuries have multiplied, his future is more bleak than ever. Perhaps the shift in attitude is also the result of the ever-increasing power of COO Triple H in the company.

Whatever the reasons, it's time for the adult fans to begin rejoicing. And the kids may soon have to find a new superhero.