So John Cena, unfortunately, went out with another injury, this time with a herniated disc, and I believe he underwent major surgery just yesterday… and for the record, I wasn’t being sarcastic when I said “unfortunately”.
Cena, although hated by half the fans, is still one of the top dogs in the WWE and is one of only a handful of wrestlers who receives SOME reaction from the fans as opposed to the diddly-squat reaction an alarmingly large percentage of the roster gets from crowds. I personally am on the fence with him, leaning a little more towards liking him, but most WWE fans above age 15 absolutely despise him. Why? Well, the haters say they hate him for a number of reasons: He has the same old moves, he says the same old things, he can’t wrestle, etc.
I beg to differ. His repertoire of the “same old moves” and “same old one-liners” is actually comparable to the number of moves or one-liners any other wrestler has. Yes, Cena’s may not be as flashy as those of the more popular wrestlers (like Jeff Hardy, Undertaker, Triple H), but is he supposed to be? His reputation is that of a straightforward, no-nonsense brawler, isn’t it?
Anyways, back to what I wanted to get at… Cena, whether you like it or not, is pushed as a face. He sells things from the WWE Shop like few others can, and just because most of those products are for the younger fans doesn’t change the fact that he moves merchandise. However, even as a semi-Cena fan, I have to say that his time as a face is up. They’ve gone nowhere (I can’t stress that enough) with his character since Wrestlemania, and although he’s faced the likes of Triple H and Batista since then, each rivalry lasted one or two months tops, when really, those showdowns potentially could have, and frankly should have, had 3-5 months of shelf life each. The only reason they didn’t last longer was because two faces were going against each other, and a face vs. face showdown rarely can last more than two months in the business. So what does the WWE need to do to fix this problem?
Turn John Cena into a heel upon his return.
I know the WWE is probably hesitant to make such a drastic move, seeing that they make oodles of money off Cena-related merchandise. But if Cena turns heel, the company really will be better off in the long-run. There will be more opportunities for longer rivalries amongst him and other top wrestlers, a better chance to market Cena to the over-15 crowd (with whom, in his previous run as a heel, was popular with), and more tasty promos are all possible with just this simple switch. And besides, the last time the WWE took a chance (CM Punk), ratings went as high as they ever were in the last year, at least for a few weeks.
So what do you say WWE? Is Cena’s time as a face up, and his time as a heel now?
(cheesy, I know, but roll with it dammit)
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I think your sentiment is definitely being echoed by a large majority of the fans out there. Frankly, I’m not even sure if the WWE knows what to do about the situation. But here’s what I think…
The day that John Cena is turned heel will be the biggest face-to-heel turn since Hulk Hogan told his Hulkamaniacs “You fans can stick it, brother!” Cena has the potential to draw more heat from the crowd than Edge and Vickie combined, in my opinion. But here within lies the next dilemma… the haters hate Cena because they are tired of seeing him. Pushing him as a heel isn’t going to convert the naysayers into believers, rather it will give Cena a platform to be on TV and in high-profile matches even more than he currently is/was.
So think about it- who does Cena being turned heel really benefit?
I’m not saying a heel turn will convert the naysayers into believers… I’m pretty sure the naysayers will remain hating him because, as you said, they’re tired of him.
I do, however, think it will be good business, and draw more viewers to watch Cena in a heel role vs. the likes of Batista, Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, or even Big Show. At the very least, the potential for Cena to sustain longer-term rivalries with other top-level talent (such as the VERY good Michaels-Y2J program) is there… whether the WWE would take advantage of that is up to them.