Hustle, Loyalty, Disrespect
John Cena the human being seems like a cool guy.
I have no inside knowledge of this, as I’ve never met John Cena and, barring extremely improbable circumstances, never will. I’m basing my opinion off of his collective body of work. Interviews, charity work, and interactions with his fans have all led me to believe that John Cena is a pretty remarkable human being. And I’m not alone. He has over 5 million fans on Facebook, almost half a million twitter followers, and he is the face of World Wrestling Entertainment.
Yet despite a positive attitude, impressive physique, and exceptional charisma, he struggles to win the approval of the fans he adores so much. In two weeks, he’ll participate in the 27th annual Wrestlemania emanating from Atlanta Georgia. It will be his 7th straight year in the main even, and his 6th straight year of either getting a mixed reaction, or being booed out of the building outright.
My question is why. Why do men hate John Cena so much? Theories are presented constantly, from his refusal to return to a widely popular rapping gimmick, to being involved in a storyline that kept popular performer Chris Jericho out of the WWE for two years. He isn’t funny, he isn’t serious, he isn’t this, he isn’t that. There is a lot of talk of what John Cena isn’t, but that isn’t the problem. The problem is what John Cena is.
John Cena is wrestling like a heel.
Come get some…sympathy
Ever wonder why the good guys never go for the appendages? Or why the bad guy never limps to the ring, bandaged 20 ways to Sunday, hoping to gut it through his match? Why is it that every bad guy injury ends up working to his advantage, like Cowboy Bob Orton using a cast on his arm to knock out opponents during mid 80’s?
These things don’t happen because the fans want to see the bad guys beat up, they don’t want to see the bad guys in pain.
We buy our tickets to see the good guys give the bad guys what they deserve, but if you watch him limp around on a bad knee for long enough, or favor that arm that was slammed into the steel steps, you can’t help but sympathize with him on some level. Bad guys don’t get hurt because they’re not supposed to get your sympathy. They get beat up, embarrassed, humiliated, and sent running with their tail between their legs. The sympathy is reserved for the good guys. The good guys are supposed to be in constant peril, hanging on for dear life against the relentless assault of their cheating/lying/coward opponent. The good guy is supposed to dig deep and, with the deck stacked against him and preferably with a broken arm or two, vanquish the despicable villain after a glorious and crowd inspired comeback.
But it’s hard to make a comeback if you haven’t been anywhere. This isn’t a knock on the fact that Cena’s wins all the time. Hulk Hogan, for all intents and purposes, lost one match between 1984-1990 and remained just as popular as ever. He did this through his connection with the crowd who truly believed that THIS bad guy was the one who was going to stop Hulkamania. The Hulkster had done it before, but this guy was too big, too strong, too much to overcome, and when he did the crowd ate it up. This formula worked for so long because Hogan made it work. Hogan made it look like every time he stepped in the ring he was being beaten to death.
With Cena, that belief is absent. And with the absence of the perception of physical danger, or serious injury, then what is the point of cheering for him to make a comeback? John Cena is making it difficult to focus on the pageantry and spectacle of his matches because more times than not, he cannot perform the very important task of suspending the disbelief of his audience.
You can’t see me…selling.
At SummerSlam 2010, one of the WWE’s most important pay per views of the year, John Cena led a dream team of wrestlers into the main event to take on an invading group of upstarts known as The Nexus. It was arguably the most anticipated SummerSlam main event in 5 years.
The match was back and forth, with both sides having the advantage. The end of the match saw Cena alone against two Nexus members, leader Wade Barrett and Justin Gabriel. Two on one domination ensued with the exclamation point being Barrett performing a DDT, a maneuver where you are dropped on the top of your head, to Cena on the concrete floor.
For reference sake, the only other time of note I can remember a DDT being delivered on the concrete floor was between Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts and Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat in 1986. Steamboat was knocked out, received a concussion, and was out of action for months. So when the same thing happened to Cena, two thoughts immediately crossed my mind. 1) Nexus is winning this match and 2) I remember what happened to Steamboat, I hope John Cena is ok.
Sympathy.
So Cena, presumably unconscious and probably concussed, is rolled into the ring. Justin Gabriel attempts a move from the top rope but Cena moves at the last second and pins him. Within 30 seconds, Cena has Wade Barrett submitting in the middle of the ring to seal the victory.
Regardless of who decided the move should be included, the message delivered by the last minutes of SummerSlam was crystal clear. A recently unconscious and concussed John Cena, standing in the middle of the ring smiling his million watt smile, didn't look like he had just survived a 30 minute war for his life. He looked as if he had just finished an intense workout where at no point his skull was smacked against a concrete floor.
Sympathy gone.
Five star knuckle shuffle
No disrespect to the incredible matches that he had with Shawn Michaels later in the year, but John Cena’s Last Man Standing match at the 2007 Royal Rumble against the Samoan Bulldozer Umaga is the best match of his career.
A week before Cena had been squashed, literally, when Umaga jumped off the top rope and sent both men crashing through a table. Cena was said to have a bruised spleen, and came to the ring with his abdomen heavily taped. What followed over the next 23 minutes was Cena trying to survive an ass-beating while every move in his arsenal was compromised because of his injury. Cena found a way to win that match, and it felt miraculous. It felt like we had survived a war with John Cena, and we were all different because of it. You could see it on his face. He was happy to make it out alive.
I thought it was a turning point in his career. Then, a couple months later during Wrestlemania 23, after Shawn Michaels had been working his arm for a good portion of the match, Cena made a comeback with his appendage miraculously healed. Reports afterward were that Michaels, regarded as the greatest of all time, was very disappointed post match. He wasn’t the only one.
Attitude adjustment
Thanks to my strikingly small frame, limited athletic ability, and strong aversion to repeatedly inflicting pain on myself, I’ll never be a WWE Superstar. And thanks to…well writing this, I’ll probably never get any kind of office job with World Wrestling Entertainment. This isn't angry ranting for attentions sake, but a genuine effort to help explain why one of the most valuable commodities in WWE history is not being used up to his potential.
To his credit, Cena takes all the booing in stride, knowing that any reaction is better than silence. The problem is that this reaction stems from something that exists at the core of John Cena the person. A man who makes you believe with his jokes and care free attitude that he is personally above fighting but still capable of kicking ass. John Cena is a man you bring to break up a fight, not a man you go to war with.
Still, isn’t that enough? Aren’t we supposed to prepare ourselves for conflict, but only engage if absolutely necessary? He is someone that I would encourage my children to root for, because he lives his life prepared physically for a fight that he only resorts to as a last option. I feel there is room for that side of Cena to come out, instead of coming across looking and sounding like a goofy aloof pacifist.
The conviction of his words is evident, but the direction is off target. John Cena deserves his stadium sized Wrestlemania pop. The problem is, as the last 6 years have shown us, he may never get it.
your right about alot of things but i feel that the 2 biggest things working against cena are his mic work and in ring ability. the wrestling fan of nowadays is alot smarter then the fan of yesterdays. during the 80's you had your larger than life wrestlers like hogan, savage, andre, warrior etc. where the appearance was more than enough to get over. it was simple good vs evil and lets face it you will NEVER hear a fan say how they enjoyed their in ring ability. usher in the early 90's and we got guys like hart, michaels, perfect etc. who could work a mic but more importantly could sell on their in ring ability. the late 90's gave us stone cold, the rock, DX etc. where the entertainment was like nothing ever seen in the industry but these guys could hold more then their own in the ring. they sold. and sold BIG. the industry saw an influx of wrestlers with the best technical wrestlers who also happened to know how to work the mic. and when you can work the mic, you work the fan. we got guys like kurt angle and brock lesnar whom both had the best physical attributes to the point that if you took the mic away, they would still entertain more than most. heroes were cheered. villians are cheered. heroes became villians and vice versa. the fan knows its all fake and staged like politicians running for office but theres a point where the fan sees cena and says, "i know this is fake, but me believing you can overcome and beat all these wrestlers with more talent in there pinky than with your 5 set move list.....even thats UNBELIEVABLE!" cena's stock dropped the minute he was drafted to raw and the 1st program he worked was against kurt angle. kurt angle....perhaps the best technical wrestler ever. what was wwe thinking putting cena up against angle. yes, angle lost twice before he left/was fired but by then fans worldwide couldnt see a guy with angles caliber lose to a guy like cena even if angle was the heel. angle said it best that monday night after the PPV when he said something in the likes of, "you might be champ, but in the ring im the real deal". fans stopped there stone cold "what?" towards angle and began to cheer and agree. then they throw edge in a tlc match against cena....are you serious? wwe needs to realize that cenas time is up and the time for change is now. turn him heel and then do the traditional heel saves face, heels members turn against him or put heel against an even bigger heel. will they pull the trigger? probably not since cena is a cash cow with families with children.
ReplyDeleteThe ineffectiveness of Cena's moves is what contributes to his lack of sympathy. How are we supposed to believe that dropping a fist on the face of someone is supposed to be a tide changer?
ReplyDeleteThat being said, comparing work rate by generation doesn't give us the answers we need. Hogan and Warrior were awful, during a boom. Hart and Michaels were amazing, and business was bad. Rock and Austin had the charisma and the work rate, and business was never better.
Cena doesn't need to be the best worker in the company to improve his character. I also think a heel turn would be rash. If you can make more money off of him being a better face, then why not do that BEFORE turning him heel against the NEW face of your company?
And in his defense, he's doing his job. I'm sure he was booked to bounce back from the DDT on the concrete like it was performed on a trampoline, but those are the moments that make it hard to get behind his character as a good guy.
So, what are you trying to say here? You hate Cena? You love Cena?
ReplyDeleteI like Cena, but I hate what's being done with him. The consensus opinion since FOREVER has been to just turn Cena heel, but I think there is still money to be made from him as a face. His character and writing need adjustment, and his ring work only needs a tweak because he is CAPABLE of selling and selling well. Cena should turn heel when there is a top level babyface waiting to take over for him. Then Cena can spend his twilight years hearing the boos before the last face turn pre-retirement.
ReplyDeleteThe question is....has Cena been in the main event too long?? WrestleMania after WrestleMania Cena has fought for either the WWE or World Title. What has it been, since 2005 or something that Cena has fought for one of those titles at WM?
ReplyDeleteIs it time for someone else to take a turn?
It's easy for us to say 'someone else should get a turn', but this isn't a business that can be based on arbitrary decisions, especially at Wrestlemania. If a guy is getting it done, like Del Rio, he'll get a shot. So far, despite his deficiencies Cena is still so over that he DESERVES the main event spot at Wrestlemania every year. Again, Hogan was on top for 6 years. Granted with TV and the like exposure is different, but Cena is a better worker than Hogan. There is no reason he cannot continue to be on top with minor character changes that will please everyone.
ReplyDeleteWell, take someone as Austin. WWE's biggest money and ppv draw. How long was he on top? 1998, 1999, 2001 only. Granted he was injured in some of that time frame but still, even he knew when to step down.
ReplyDeleteAustin was only on top for that long because his advanced injuries. Also look who WWE had coming down the pipe. Lesnar, Angle, Jericho was still a main event player, HHH was on top of his game...there were pieces to put into the main event that replaced Austin.
ReplyDeleteThe main event picture is grim in WWE right now. What young person will step up to be the top babyface in the company when Cena goes down?
You have a lot of good points and there isn't anything I can argue with.
ReplyDeleteWell thought out and written piece. It was a nice read.
Thanks RD, your check is in the mail.
ReplyDeleteAwesome!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to buy a pack of Juicy Fruit with it.
See kids, it pays to sell out.
ReplyDeleteProbably not what you wanted to hear, but I loved the Worf mixtape..
ReplyDeleteWell a compliment is a compliment I suppose.
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, I thought it was well written and pretty much fully agree.
ReplyDeletei have to say, I don't follow wrestling enough anymore to really know about Cena, but I have to say it sounds spot on.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting Russ. With the whole Linda McMahon senate campaign, they had to clean up a lot of the 'edginess' that has been the status quo for the last decade. I kinda prefer it. It has the potential for more creativity even if they usually blow it.
ReplyDeleteSurvivor Series is at MSG this year. Let us rekindle your interest there
It appeared that Orton was going to be that person.
ReplyDeleteIt appeared, but he couldn't carry the ball. Orton isn't a face. People cheer him because he is a bad ass. His place is as the lone wolf of the WWE, not as its top virtuous babyface.
ReplyDeleteWell written and reasoned approach, Squeak.
ReplyDeleteI'd argue that this might be what WWE wants. I remember after he went over Hunter at Mania a few years back, I was shocked that WWE would keep the belt on someone with such a mixed reaction. But, after a while, I came to think that's why they're doing it. Cena has a polarizing aspect to him unlike almost anyone before. I think they see it as adding to his character. Wrestling has always been big on the whole, "Booing and cheering doesn't matter. Just reactions." The merchandise moves because of it.
Plus, thinking back to ECW One Night Stand, the fact that John was so over as a heel was a green light for McMahon on creating a true "marketable champion". Since ECW fans stood against corporate heroes, their jeers probably made him more secure in his choice to push Cena.
I think John's respect level from the audience will rise signifigantly when he retires or steps away. He's got the type of attitude that will make him a member of WWE forever. I can't see him pulling any Hogan/Savage/Warrior/Kurt Angle/etc runaways that would land him in the WWE hate-machine tarnished legacy doghouse. He's set for life.
That's a great point. He could change relatively little about his character from now until the day he retires, and Cena would still be a license to print money for the WWE. And the things I suggested won't change everyones mind, people will still boo Cena because it's second nature at this point. But it will make his matches more genuine, and that won't take money off the table for WWE.
ReplyDeleteperhaps they should give Cena a protege. Someone he tells everyone too get behind. Tag with him
ReplyDeleteThe old apprentice and master angle and do a turn be it Cena or the apprentice.
This might at least get him out of the main event scene for a bit
What a great idea. Kinda akin to Bruno Sammartino and Larry Zbyszko. You can have an up and coming babyface mentored by Cena, angry that he doesn't get over cause Cena is hogging the spotlight, turning him heel. Or have Cena jealous that superstar X is starting to take attention away from him. Of course Cena isn't one to get jealous, so it would have to be something legitimate like the babyface beating him clean a couple of times and Cena realizing that maybe his window of dominance is closing.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with this, and something brought up with JohnnyCraze earlier and now I ask of all of you, is who does WWE have to play the protege for Cena?
Take Dibiase off T.V. for a month or two.. (It's not like many would even notice his absence considering the way he's spiraled down the ladder) but call it an injury.. Against someone like Even Bourne or just a new up and comer. He comes back and ask's Cena for help getting his career on track..
ReplyDeleteHe can preform and really could use the rub.. His stuff with Orton was epic and could be a decent catalyst to turn Cena heel (he was only doing it for the money)
Aside from the one match where he laid down for Orton, begrudgingly, and his bonehead moment at Elimination Chamber where he eliminated Orton instead of Cena, what has Dibiase shown? And I don't mean this as a criticism, but there is nothing remarkable about him that makes his matches worth watching. He is lacking that charisma and pomposity he used to have. You know who he reminded me of when he was whining to HHH on Raw?
ReplyDeleteBilly Gunn complaining to The Rock.
It seemed liked they were sorta doing that with Evan Borne for a couple weeks but they dropped it. But I assume he can't talk since they never let him.
ReplyDeleteI think they probably would have turned Cena already if there were any decent faces lined up. They've built up some good heels over the past year in Miz, Del Rio, Sheamus and Ziggler. I think Swagger is getting alot from the thing with Cole too. But they need to make an effort to build up some babyfaces. I wish they'd give Kofi a chance to run with the ball and see if he has it or not. The times he's talked he didn't seem that bad on the mic. They just don't let him talk that much. Aside from that, Miz in a couple years might be top babyface material when the fans have more respect for him. He already makes alot of public appearances.
The Kofi thing confuses me every day. He was WHITE HOT in his angle with Orton. Him destroying Orton's gift race car was great! When he talks, he sounds genuine. I have no idea why he's languishing in mid-carder hell, which is really crazy because he's the Intercontinental Champion. This is one of those situations where we might never know the truth of his de-push until years later.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, the moment with him and Cena at the Rumble had real electricity, and Kofi would make an excellent Cena pupil. "I'm so close, teach me how to be a World Champion" kinda deal.
So I stand corrected, there's Kofi.
Little late to the discussion, but I think this was a really solid commentary on Cena, Squeaky. I definitely enjoyed reading it. I've heard several different opinions re: Cena being booed, and it's tough to pinpoint, but that makes it a really good discussion topic.
ReplyDeleteI think part of the reason he gets booed is, as you said, adults really dug the battle raps, and disliked Cena's ditching it. I think another part is that females go nuts for the guy, he's a chick magnet, and if you're portrayed as an upstanding guy who follows a code of Hustle, Loyalty, Respect, I think it's naturally going to rub some adult males the wrong way. It's different from Rock, who would placate males with references to "poontang pie," or Austin who was the toughest SOB in WWE.
But it seems the boos are pretty benign, maybe they've always been. When Cena wins a big PPV match, like the title at WrestleMania, everyone cheers for him. He gets booed if he loses a big match, but I think people expect him to win, so they boo out of a strange disappointment. As others have said, it's a polarizing effect Cena has on the crowd, and that's a really good thing to have.
I don't think Cena's time will be up for as long as he's healthy. Austin only had a few years on top, but think of how long it took him to reach the top. I feel a better comparison is Triple H. Reasons aside, the guy was flat dominant for the better part of a decade. From 2000-2003 he rarely lost a match, even by DQ/countout. Cena already reached that point, and it's unfortunate because it definitely kills the excitement of his matches. I don't remember the last time I thought Cena would lose a match, going into it.
However, I don't dislike Cena. I'm just bored with him, and that's probably the general perception of those who boo. People like vulnerable characters, it gives something to really connect with. Cena is not vulnerable; he's SuperCena. If he turned heel, he would likely start losing some matches, and show some vulnerability. Ironically, depending on what his heel persona would be shaped around, it may make more people cheer him more if he starts losing a few matches.
I do think help is on the way. WWE has been developing guys (Del Rio, Sheamus, Miz, Morrison, McIntyre, Ziggler, etc.), but they are far behind. The push for developing the next generation of Main Event players should have begun years ago. That's why there was so many back in the Attitude Era; they started while other guys (Michaels, Hart) were still in their prime.
I agree Cena will turn when there's a big star on the cusp of taking his babyface slot. But it would be tough to turn Cena heel because of how popular he is with the youth. However, watching the build to WrestleMania this year, I think they have the elements set in place.
The next big star will be The Miz. He's proven he can top Cena on the mic, and is hanging in there with The Rock, too. His in-ring work is pretty good, especially considering he's still fairly young. They even teased his playing babyface in a Tag Title match with Cena recently, in which Miz got a big pop from the crowd. He can turn babyface if they can turn Cena heel.
There's only one person I can see really triggering the Cena heel turn, though. It is The Rock. He's the only one around who is bigger than Cena at the moment, and there's a perfect storm given the way the two of them have traded verbal jabs.
I don't think this will actually happen, but if I wouldn't be shocked to see a double-turn at WrestleMania: Cena goes heel, Miz babyface, at the show. They can have Cena attack Rock and trash the crowd for disrespecting him through their overwhelming support for a guy who hasn't been around for seven years. Meanwhile he (Cena) busts his tail week-in-week-out, only to be betrayed by the fans because The Rock is back. I don't think Miz would have trouble playing off that to get a babyface reaction. A supporting reason behind this theory is that Miz could very well retain the belt (esp. since he just introduced a custom "Miz" title this past Monday on Raw). Considering a lot of people, myself included, feel Alberto Del Rio is going to beat Edge, having a babyface Miz retain over Cena would keep a balance, rather than having two heels winning the titles. It would also send the crowd home happy, if Cena Vs Miz is the last match.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty psyched for WrestleMania this year; I think there are a lot of good to great matches, and I've enjoyed the build up. And this Cena discussion is one of the reasons I think it'll be a very eventful WrestleMania.
Good points JP, thanks for the comment!
ReplyDeleteWWE has dropped the ball with making new talents. Whether this is entirely the fault of WWE, or simply a lack of compelling and talented athletes coming up the pipeline is anyones guess. That being said, the discussion about Kofi above is an example of WWE dropping the ball recently.
I just can't get behind the 'Cena wins all the time so we can't sympathize with him' argument. The losses only stick out in our mind because, like his recent one to Wade Barrett that made him join the Nexus, he was in the ring IN SHOCK, and showed real vulnerability. He did the same thing during his two PPV feud with The Great Khali, but of course by the end of actual matches looked like he'd just finished a rigorous hop-scotch competition.
The idea of a Miz/Cena double turn is interesting with The Rock somehow being a catalyst. I see it as the Rock tries to help Cena retain because the Miz is cheating, accidentally costs Cena the title. People STILL cheer the Rock, Cena is like "WHAT THE F***" heel turn. Still, I think it's too soon. And Miz can still draw as a heel champion.
For the people against Cena turning heel, you have to go back and watch some of his work when he was initially doing the rapper gimmick. Not the raps themselves (though some of them were pretty awesome), but the way he carried himself. He's capable of getting a phenomenal heel reaction, and I wish they'd pull the trigger already.
ReplyDeleteIt would be so easy to do in the aftermath of Mania. Have him attack Miz and Rock at the conclusion of WrestleMania. Then, the night after on Raw, have him attack Rock again, just to show it wasn't a "in the heat of the moment" kind of thing. Hell, you could make Miz a face if he needs opponents, though I think between Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Triple H and Edge, he'd have more than enough to work with.
Would he lose merchandise money? Probably, but it would only be temporary. If you gave him 6 - 8 months or so as a heel (the same time Austin had in 2001) and then turned him face again, it would be much more difficult for people to boo him again like they are now. Plus it would be something actually INTERESTING to watch happen.
Heel Cena was great because he's incredibly adept at heel selling, the whole "looks like he's drunk and out on his feet and taking very nonspecific body damage".
ReplyDeleteAnd a Cena heel turn would be fantastic if for no other reason then him being a face for almost his entire career. But the question becomes will they make more money with people booing Cena and less merch then they will with a face Cena that people are bored with but still come to see and buy the goofy shirts of.
Cena turning heel should be a big deal, not just something done to change things up, don't you think?
Very good article, you did good here.
ReplyDeleteFor most wrestling fans that rant and rave on the internet, most of them remember the 80's, the Attitude Era or both. This is an entirely new era that is aimed at the youth. John Cena is the face of this wrestling generation. He's not going to go heel, he's too marketable as a face. Would it be cool if he went into heel mode? Possibly but I have a feeling everyone would be disappointed.
First off, who is he going to feud with?
Morrison? He's not ready to jump up to main event status just yet.
Daniel Bryan? Although I'd love to see Bryan school Cena in a wrestling match, it's not happening.
Double turn with Miz? Why do that when Miz is cashing his card to main event heel?
Rock? Please, he's an actor and even if he has a match with Cena, then what? Rocky is not staying, he'll be Dwayne again and doing a movie where he has to save the Smurfs or shoots up baddies with someone like Vin Diesel.
R-Truth? Now you're digging for somebody
Let's say that he has an opponent. Who's to say it will succeed? Sure, rapper Cena was awesome but his character has evolved past that. The only way I could see him go heel is by realizing that he has demolished everybody at some point, that he is the best at what he does and get pissed at the fans because they don't cheer for him as loud as he thinks they should. Basically, he should become the guy that is too good at what he does, no matter what stipulations are thrown at him and put everyone down because of it. That would be the evolution to "Good soldier boy realizes his dreams and becomes a hero", the success gets to his head. Now have a draft that brings Mysterio and Edge to RAW, send Morrison and Bryan to Smackdown and what does Cena have for competition? Mysterio, Edge, Triple H, (potentially) Sin Cara and with a character like that you could have the heels feud with him just because he's a total douche to everyone. That is the only way I could see a heel Cena work is by accentuating his almost invincibility he shows most of the time.
Personally, my reason for disliking Cena is for two reasons. First he comes off as invincible a la Hulk Hogan. I hate that, it's not believeable. Second, I just don't think he's that good. Sure, he's the best face WWE has but as a fan that watched since Hogan in the late 80's and the 90's and the Attitude Era, Cena just looks flat and uncharismatic. He has no "it" factor that you need in your top guy, sort of like Bret Hart. It's showing now with the Rock cutting back and forth promos with Cena. Rock is on another plane of existence than Cena. Cena's final knockout put me to sleep while Rockys' banter with the kid was hilarious. It really shouldn't have been that funny but that is the "it" factor when a child mockery of your opponent and giving him Fruity Pebbles is the greatest thing that show has seen in about seven years.
So yeah, those are my thoughts about Cena.
The comparison to Bret Hart obviously doesn't work from an in ring standpoint, but from a charismatic one, it kinda does. Hart and Cena both lack a genuine intensity in what they were saying, a believability that makes us forget that we're watching scripted pageantry aimed at toying with our emotions. Whereas I remember getting PISSED that a heel Stone Cold was messing with Bret Hart. I was so mad at Austin leading up to Wrestlemania 13 when I realized, "Oh shit, he got me. He's doing it." That's believability.
ReplyDeleteI think an understated argument about the unpopularity of Cena isn't that he's 'lame' or anything so trivial, but that something about his demeanor is kinda insulting to our intelligence as older than 13 year old wrestling fans. He 'aw shucks' through vicious beatings and makes us question how we're supposed to suspend disbelief for this.
i liked cena when he was getting beat down by the nexus because it showed his vulnerability to the point where i was saying, "come on cena get up!" i think the answer just might be throwing cena a heel that NOBODY likes. even when he was battling orton during his heel run, orton was getting cheers. a friend of mine mentioned cena vs taker for next years wrestlemania where it could work in cenas favor the way it did for jeff hardy when he faced taker during takers american bad ass gimmick. let cena lose but have taker give him a beating and have cena not give up to the point that taker shakes his head in respect. it could work
ReplyDeleteI think Cena/Taker is definitely on tap for next years Mania, as it should be. He's the only streak worthy opponent left.
ReplyDeleteAnd you're spot on with the Nexus. When they debuted, they beat up John Cena and made him look human. Their biggest problem was always bringing him back the next week like nothing was wrong. Show him in the hospital or something, make it seem like these attacks are leaving a mark, PLEASE! He's either getting hurt, or he's indestructible. And if it's the latter, then I don't care about the beatings because I know he'll be fine.
Cena will no doubt eventually turn heel but it will ABSOLUTELY only be when the kids either turn against him or when the kid demo just doesn't earn them any significant money anymore... I'd have to imagine the philosophy is that PARENTS are more likely to buy stuff FOR their kids than the 18+ Year Olds are likely to buy stuff for themselves. So I guess when the KIDS TODAY begin to grow up and the influx of NEW KIDS begins to slow down, Cena will turn.
ReplyDeleteI think the Benoit thing really changed wrestling more than anyone gives it credit, in fact I think JG even had an audio about this once, the WWE was doing a pretty serious and dark company wide storyline with Vince's death... and I know it was only 2 weeks so everyone forgets this, but A LOT of people were talking about it.. It COULD have been that next big deal with wrestling but it all went to hell. I think now they're STARTING back down that road again, but I think it will be a very slow process... I'd say witihin two years as of now we'll see the Cena turn.
Kids grow up and become jaded and new kids come in to replace them. When my kids are old enough to appreciate/understand wrestling, they'll love John Cena. And when they get a little older they'll probably turn away from a character like him because teenagers are kinda angry people. They want someone like Austin or The Rock who are not only the baddest guys out there, but also the SLICKEST guys out there.
ReplyDeleteSo true what you said about Benoit. It changed wrestling so much, and was the perfect storm timing-wise for shaping a half decade of wrestling storylines and concepts. That whole noise went down in the middle of 2007. WWE was walking on egg shells for YEARS after that. And the attention from the murder/suicide never really went away, but it dissipated slightly. Eventually, when they reached a point where they could start approaching darker stories again (around 2009), Linda announced she was running for Senate and that started another year and a half of walking on egg shells.
Now she's considering running again for the 2012 seat so honestly, barring a meteoric rise from another superstar to Cena's status, he'll be a babyface until at least November 2012.
I said it a few weeks ago, and I'll say it again: I think the torch is already in the process of being passed to Miz. I think at 'Mania we'll see Miz go over and he'll get a huge pop from the 60,000 strong. Of course, I'm often wrong about these things. If my mark wife ends up cheering for Miz and booing Cena, I'll know I'm right.
ReplyDeleteThe Miz is being groomed, nothing more. If WWE didn't pull the trigger on Orton/HHH during Wrestlemania two years ago, there is NO WAY that Miz is winning. Cena will be the FIRST person to kick out of The Skull Crushing Finale, The Miz will kick out of the Attitude Adjustment, Cena will make Miz tap with the STF.
ReplyDeleteObviously I hope the finish isn't so 'paint by numbers', but I can't see a scenario where Miz wins...which is a testament to WWE's poor job of building him as a viable challenge to Cena.
2014. WrestleMania 30. Where it all begins again, some more. Madison Square Garden. John Cena has faced a particularly rough road to WrestleMania this year. After suffering relatively clean losses to a now WWE-seasoned Alberto Del Rio as well as some newer heel that will have debuted in between now and then during the build up the 'biggest WrestleMania of all time', John Cena gives a solemn promo about how he doesn't know if he has it anymore. It used to be so easy, but now these new faces are nipping at his heels. He looks at his opponent at WrestleMania (um, Morrison? I don't know, doesn't really matter in this context, though it's gotta be a face), and for the first time since his first WrestleMania main event, almost ten years ago, he's unsure. But he'll do all that he can, because all that's driving him now is being the best, one...more...time, and he'll bring the hustle, the loyalty, and the respect. If you stick with him, he won't let you down.
ReplyDeleteAt WrestleMania 30, Continuing to be All Grown Up, John Cena loses as challenger to the WWE title. Cleanly. We see the champion holding his belt aloft as confetti falls down, but we also see Cena in the corner, crestfallen, almost crying. He gets up slowly, and as we expect the "passing of the guard" handshake and arm raise, >SHEBAM< vicious heel turn, complete with Stone Cold in 2001 ridiculous amounts of (to the back, mostly hitting the canvas) chair shots. A page has been turned, a new chapter begun, with John Cena as a vicious entitled heel (kind of like Batista).
Sorry, went straight past 'fantasy booking' to fan fic mode...oh well, gotta exercise the brain once in a while.
I think WWE learned from the mistake of turning Austin heel at Wrestlemania. There have been no main event turns or swerves since then. If Cena turns heel, I think it will be Batista style, with the close build leading to a Wrestlemania where he is billed as the heel to garner the big buy rate.
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