Has this been Cena's best year since he started main eventing?

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I like John Cena the man. I do not like John Cena the onscreen character a lot. Nor the wrestler for that matter. However this year I have found myself more emotionally invested in John Cena's character than I have ever since he became a main eventer. Every year it was more or less the same deal. Cena held on to the WWE Championship and was challenged by the challenger for the month. Even if the challenger won the belt Cena would get it back after one month and the feud would end there and Cena would proceed to the next guy.

All this while his promos did not help a lot either. He always talked about facing daunting challenges and never giving up but in my opinion the guy who really had the daunting task was the guy who faced John Cena in a match because John Cena almost never lost.

But this year things have been different. Cena, it seems, has finally met his match in the Nexus. Granted its a stable of seven guys against one but still it is something. Going by Cena's previous feuds Nexus should have been done and dusted by now but that seems to be quite far from the truth. For the first time in ages has someone enjoyed such domination over Cena for such a long time. This has probably been Cena's best feud till date and that is quite an achievement because Cena is someone who has had feuds with the best in the business like Angle, Jericho, HBK, HHH, Edge and Orton to name a few.
All of a sudden those catchphrases of Cena like "Never Give Up" and "This is all I've got", which I disliked so much, mean something.

The people involved with the business say that the company does its best business when the top babyface of your company is chasing the title. A good example is 1998 when Austin lost the title just after Summerslam and did not win it again till Wrestlemania 15. Something similar is happening with Cena too.

So the question I'm putting out to you guys is:

Has this been Cena's best year since he started main eventing? If not which was his best year and why?

 

[GLOBAL ICON]

No it hasn't. Cena is best when he's champ. Yeah. He's totally awesome. This year just seemed as if he lost his status after non-main eventing many RAWs. And Nexus being the puppetier of his puppet is totally aweful. I mean that guy who acted superman and made HBK, HHH, Jericho's life miserable is being handled like a toy by 5-6 rookies makes me vomit. His best year was.... probably 2007 when he held on to the title more than 375 days starting from 2006.

 

[aliasv2]

No it hasn't. Cena is best when he's champ. Yeah. He's totally awesome. This year just seemed as if he lost his status after non-main eventing many RAWs. And Nexus being the puppetier of his puppet is totally aweful. I mean that guy who acted superman and made HBK, HHH, Jericho's life miserable is being handled like a toy by 5-6 rookies makes me vomit. His best year was.... probably 2007 when he held on to the title more than 375 days starting from 2006.

I could not disagree more with you, I know you are a huge Cena Mark, as the posts ive read you have made have been about how "awesome" cena is.

I truely believe it is better when a man who "had everything" now has to chase it all to get it back, and the fact there is a threat to gaining it back, a group of fresh young hungry athletes ready to stop him and put a huge obstruction infront of him is even better.

I agree with the thread creator, we are seeing a cena struggling to get what he wants and im relishing it. Because this could eventually end up in a different cena character after the nexus storyline.

 

[Foshinzo]

I don't know if I would say it's his best year, but I do understand what you mean about having the top face chase the title, like Stone Cold did. I also liked the Nexus a lot for awhile, but they're getting stale due to lack of creative storytelling. I mean, I would tell you to ask my roommate that I called the ending to Bragging Rights as soon as they booked the match. I admit, I've never been a Cena fan at all, but I don't bash him as much as some others do. So, has this been his best year? I wouldn't say so, myself, because the only time I tolerated Cena was when he was battling JBL.

 

[Dzone]

Not the best year no, but my favourite John Cena yush. Only because he got a bit too boring with the Super Cena thing and this is a welcome change *although he still hints the Super Cena he doesn't have a promo by himself every week saying he is*.

Just wanna add something it's usually the best heels that are great faces and vice versa ;P.

 

[Fuel The Fire]

It's not his best year, BUT it has been very different for him. He does not have the title around his waist and this is a different situation all together. He is playing a role is being a push over right now and this is not his character at all. I would think his best year he had is when he was wrestling jbl at no mercy. He was really becoming a top face that year and i think jbl is one of the wrestlers that gave him the big push. I think it was the year jbl helped him out and really gained his main even status.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

He had a better 2006 and 2007. From an in ring standpoint he was really rather good throughout those two years. Each feud, while not as interesting as the Nexus one, felt fresh and were worth watching.

The Nexus angle has been good, despite Cena's best efforts to fuck it up. As a performer he's been terrible in every aspect for quite some time now.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I truely believe it is better when a man who "had everything" now has to chase it all to get it back, and the fact there is a threat to gaining it back, a group of fresh young hungry athletes ready to stop him and put a huge obstruction infront of him is even better.

Well put. It's probably easier for a wrestler to play a super-good guy or a super-bad guy. Cena has been one or the other for so long that it's refreshing to see how well he's handled this new program.

We're waiting to see which way Cena will go. On the one hand, it would be great to see him finally snap and give Barrett what he deserves. On the other, we can't be sure this will happen in the near future; it could be he'll start to embrace the ideas of Nexus and turn bad. I think Cena has handled his role with great skill and played it well. As it stands, I really don't know which way he'll go.

There's more complexity to his on-air character than ever before and he's doing an admirable job handling it, so I think this is his best year yet.

 

[The Big Cheese]

I'm a big cena fan I'll admit that anytime he holds a title is a big ups for me but above that I'm a bigger fan of the wrestling business. sometimes what cena does just gets old and boring and some of hes promos are god awful. But if were speaking just professional year while in main events I'd have to say when he held the title for over 375 days. But I do like this nexus storyline its something different for cena and hopefully it leads to sometime big like a cena heel turn. I mean I love cena but I also wouldlove to hate him.

 

[Dwayne_Jason]

it really depends on what constitutes a best year. If you mean for Cena, definately 2007 because he was unbeatable and the legends jobbed for him. For the marks, 2008 when he made multiple returns and was chasing the title and won the world heavyweight. For the smarks, 2009 when he was going up against Orton, winning and losing and having a great 60 minute iron match and a nice show at wrestle-mania 25. However, this is his most emotional feud yet in the PG era (During 2007 it was Edge who slapped his father and whatnot).

 

[Wade's Public Transit Bomb]

Whew. That is a tough question. He really kicked butt in 2007. But I think this year, he has had some of his best opponents to date:

His feud with Batisa totally had a Terry Gordy vs Steve Williams appeal to it. Nothing fancy about it, just two muscle up meatheads trying to beat the hell out of each other. Their matches weren't suppose to be 30 minute-epic-whatevers. Instead, they were hard hitting and a lot of fun.

His stuff with Sheamus was a lot of fun too. The best part? There was no definitive ending. So, when they do go back to it will still feel like they have unfinished business.

But the coup de grâce that should end the bitching about Cena? His work with Wade Barrett. Wade and Cena have outstanding chemistry together: Wade looks that much more like a sadistic asshole because of Cena; Cena looks like that much more tormented because of Wade. Their match at Hell in a Cell was highly anticipated. And anyone who says the match sucked are either blind and deaf or didn't watch. Simple as that. Their promos together have been incredible.


I think the best part of this year is that Cena has pretty much worked guys exclusive to HIS show. What I mean by that is that he has worked with guys developed around HIM. He didn't have to work with 'attitude era' guys. When he was facing off against HHH or Angle or Edge, it was like he was facing some of Austin's left overs. And we all know that Austin and Cena character wise are nothing alike. (Austin did whatever because he wanted to; Cena does whatever because it is the right thing to do)

 

[SuperstaRKO]

i agree with most of you except global icon.. cena seems so much more.. human now, i mean he actually has a tough choice in front of him(to lose his job or his rep) and his stupid catchphrases are kinda making sense now.. 'this is all i got" for the first time i can say"well said cena." i just wish they finish 2010 by turning him heel.. then this will be his best year ever

 

[HamsterWrestler]

It is one of Cena's better years but not the best year in Cena's year.

For Cena's best year I would go with the year that Cena won his first WWE Championship because that is the year that led to his rise to the top face of the company and to his very long reign.

As for this year, it is quite refreshing to see Cena on the opposite side of dominance and it all started with Batista not Nexus. Batista made Cena seem entertaining and Nexus just continued it. I would say that 2010 is a great year for Cena but not his best.

 

[Kaneanite]

He had a better 2006 and 2007. From an in ring standpoint he was really rather good throughout those two years. Each feud, while not as interesting as the Nexus one, felt fresh and were worth watching.

The Nexus angle has been good, despite Cena's best efforts to fuck it up. As a performer he's been terrible in every aspect for quite some time now.

Dumbest thing I've read on this site thus far.

He is the face of the company, the #1 guy, sells the most revenue, for a fucking reason. If anything, he is the best 'performer' on the show.

I couldn't care less about the John Cena character but if you don't think he's a good performer than you are a dumbass I'm sorry.

 

[Andy 2 Randy]

For Fans watching, this has been Cena's Best year. Listen to crowd on any match Cena had before Nexus Came, Mixed Chants, Boo's And Cheers. Now Nexus are dominating him, Even the Haters are cheering, just because of what Nexus have done. They've gave Cena his fans back...
...BUT i have to agree with most of you (again, not with Global Icon), Cena's best year was the one where he First Won the WWE Title...Kinda Self-explanitory, .Winning. WWE. Title....All That Needs Saying...Im' Just Sayin...

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Firstly guys I'd like to thank all the posters who have posted on this thread. That being said I'd like even more people to come and post because the discussion is far from over.

The two years that have come into contention when we are considering Cena's best year in wrestling have been 2006-2007 and 2005. Here's my take on those years.

2006-2007= This was great from a kayfabe point of view. But no face deserves to get the reaction that he did on One Night Stand 2006. Its not only about one night. Its because of these two years that Cena basically has to acknowledge that he gets booed. No face has ever done that let alone the face of the company. I do kinda see it as a slur on Cena's credentials. End of story.

2005= Most people have brought up this year but if you notice even in his rapper phase he was getting a bit of a negative reaction especially against the likes of Jericho and Angle. I have debated on this topic with a lot of guys. I think its mainly due to the fact that Cena spent the last year ie 2004 feuding with the likes of Rene Dupree and a very green Carlito. So I think that people did not buy that Cena all of a sudden was defeating legends like Jericho and Angle. Granted he had matches with Angle and Jericho earlier but wrestling fans generally have short term memories. And the last guys Cena was feuding with were the likes of Dupree and Jordan. So fans did not buy him defeating the likes of Angle. At least thats my point of view. I guess that has opened up another topic of debate though

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Dumbest thing I've read on this site thus far.

He is the face of the company, the #1 guy, sells the most revenue, for a fucking reason. If anything, he is the best 'performer' on the show.

I couldn't care less about the John Cena character but if you don't think he's a good performer than you are a dumbass I'm sorry.

8 years on the main roster and he still hasn't grasped ring psychology and selling. Being popular and making money for the company makes you useful, but you can be useful and still absolute garbage.

Cena should be carrying the likes of Wade Barrett to great matches, or very good at the least, given his experience, however he just isn't capable of it.

There's no comparison with the massively underrated Cena of 2006/7 with the Cena of today.

 

[NXTrookie2013]

I agree with you on the ground of that i respect john cena a guy but not as his wwe character. its been very stale since becoming a main eventer. i was one of those john cena haters for a while til i came to my seneses, then he was just a bit annoying as his wwe character.
but when he joined nexus i was in shock, i thought they were gonna end it there. i laughed so hard though at the little kids in the audience crying xD
but the raw after HIAC i started to like john cena. it was like a new john cena. and honestly, i almost forgot it was just a show and started feeling bad for him xD a guy who never really liked him on tv feeling awful. but i thought it was entertaining. im kinda upset its gonna end some how at survivor series, but then again theres not much more they can do

 

[GameOver]

the only thing remotely improved i've seen is his in ring moves are a tad better. Otherwise he hasn't improved one bit since he went face.

Can't deny he puts bums on seats, but thats marketing not him personally.
outside of the ring i have respect for him as a person, he puts in as much effort as anyone else. inside the ring he is just an average Hulk Hogan clone with a better moveset.

can't stand his current bit, he's turned into a zombie, i mean i know he can't act, but now he's acting the part of i can't act. and a few random midcarders turning on him because he made 1 mistake and got screwed is just dumb, proves they were never on his side in the first place despite the fact they don't matter anyway. Which i guess is gonna be the final nail in the coffin for him turning heel

Don't know who's really gonna run as the top face successfully afterwards though, Orton is lacking that big face mentality (he's overshadowed by Cena still). and noone else is really mega face main event quality, atleast on RAW, til Triple H returns but even then thats just a few guys. RAW needs more really over main event faces, has too many midcarders who will never get any further.

 

[ABMorales787]

Are you kidding me? This is the man that was winning matches by ductaping people to ring posts and coming back from the most absurd of circumstances as if nothing happened a few months ago. In my eyes, 2004 and 2005 were his better years. He had a more unique and compelling character that seemed more immersed in his stories than today. Nowadays, it just seems like people are more interested in him than the WWE title and it all goes from there. Just look at Wade Barrett. I really wouldn't say Cena put him over. Barrett put himself over and Cena just happened to be the opponent. Why? Because he was the target. It wasn't a matter of the two butting heads over the feud, Barrett targeted Cena. Same thing with Batista.

Cena has had better performances in previous years. His work with Randy Orton in the fall of 2007 is still my favorite Cena feud. It was so personal for Cena that it drove him to rage but all it was for Orton was a way to keep vying for the WWE Championship until he won it. Too bad injuries cut the initial feud short.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It depends up on what you mean by his best year. If you use "best" as a term to describe his overall dominance of his opponents as this near unstoppable force, then 2010 has definitely not been his best year.

If you mean best as a means of describing the quality of his feuds and character growth, well I could understand that viewpoint much better.

I think that the situation with Nexus has been very interesting overall. I think it's been done well and done well on a consistent basis. Throughout this thing with Nexus, John Cena has looked quite human most of the time and that resonates with me a lot more quite frankly. Generally speaking, it's always more fun when the superhero actually has to struggle and scrap and claw his way out of a situation rather than just tearing through it like a bull in heat.

Also, while John Cena is a main eventer, he really hasn't been this dominant presence within the main event scene this year as he has in recent years past. In my opinion, it's a good thing because, quite frankly, I got tired of John Cena as WWE Champion and I got tired of seeing Cena constantly within the championship picture. I'm not foolish enough to believe that Cena will never have another world title run, but seeing him involved in a situation in which the WWE Championship has been mostly a nonfactor for him has been very refreshing.

I'm not a huge Cena fan, but I do think he's alright and does get a lot of unjustified hate from the IWC. The WWE has done some things different with Cena for much of this year and I think that's going to have to continue and probably even progress if they want to keep him from becoming as tired and stale as he was in 2009.

 

[Honkey_Kong]

Best year to date? That like the other guys say, depends on what you mean. I mean carrying the prop championship doesn't mean anything (including being the top draw).

As far as the Cena character goes, I'm no fan of John Cena's wrestling or mic abilities at all. And I especially hate his character, but his character has actually grown quite a bit dimensionally with this angle. The struggle he's got between living his dream (WWE) or doing what is right (not letting Barrett win) is probably his best work yet. How often are wrestlers torn by duality like this in the stories? Usually, they just either want the title or to be a star so they screw somebody over. You know, the typical one dimension storyline.

So by that, he's having his best year.

 

[Pepperami]

For me, yes it is. I don't like, or ever have liked Cena's character. He is a do-gooder face and I think he shouldn't have been pushed so hard into the fan's faces. But, saying that, the fact that he is such a face character, it creates a great opportunity for fued with a relentless heel in which Cena eventually buckles. The Nexus/Cena fued has been awesome to watch and I hope we end up with a heel Cena.
This will be Cena's saving grace as he is losing his popularity for being such a goody two-shoes. Cena needs to step aside and let someone else take the spotlight, and at the moment, that will be the best thing for him.

 

[Calderownz]

In some ways, I'd say this was his most interesting year. In terms of "legacy," then you might say no. He's lost a few more times, had the title a bit less. Nonetheless, he's managed to stay relevant and injury-free. A GREAT thing in a fast-paced WWE environment.

However, with the Nexus stuff, losing some matches and the newer feuds, I'd say I'm far more interested in him then I normally am.

Nothing against him on or off screen, either. Just more interesting this year.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

Oooooooo, i originally came into this thread to make a really sarcastic, stereotypical Cena-hating comment just for the hell of it, but having read through it all, has made me consider it seriously.....

A lot of people are saying '07. 2007, was a year where Cena was NOT on top, only when he was injured. He carried the strap through the majority of that year, up until he injured his pectorial muscle about 6 days before he was supposed to drop the title to Orton.

However, you need to remember that most of that year he was wrestling nobodies and multi-man matches.

He beat Umaga at the Rumble
Tags with HBK V Batista and Taker at NWO, which only served to help the Batista/Taker fued for Mania anyway....
HBK at Mania
HBK, Orton + Edge at Backlash
Khali at Judgment Day
Khali again at Extreme Rules
Lashley, Foley, Orton + Booker at NOC
Lashley at TGAB
and then several matches with Orton until he got hurt.

What a shit list that is, isn't it? Not one opponent faced more than twice in succession, until Orton in August, and by November Cena was gone.

The matches were ok, but there was literally no build to just about any of them. Eventually come Summerslam, he's in an actual fued with Orton but we never get the shocking climax of that fued. Instead we saw HHH win the belt from Randy, who'd been awarded it, and defend it twice, eventually losing it back to Orton. Shock booking at its finest.

So, 2007 in terms of Cena the character, was pretty atrocious in all honesty. Good matches, pretty uneventful title reign.

I find myself agreeing more with people saying they preferred his 2004/5 stuff. I can remember a fresh ME John Cena wining the WWE Title from JBL in '05 for the first time and it being a great moment. He stepped up to wrestling guys like Jericho and Angle on a regular basis and he was a breath of fresh air to the title scene. Then he just never left it for the next 2 years near enough. Edge finally got a look in, and fought Cena for the entire year!

tbh, i can barely remember anything that happened in '08......

As for this year? Well, my aforementioned comment that i was going to start with seems appropriate now....

2010 is his best year, because i actually have a vague interest in his matches again.....

2009 started out ok. He was facing Edge and Big Show, and then suddenly BAM, there he is in the middle of HHH/Orton A-GAIN! As if HHH/Orton for the trillionth time wasn't bad enough, now they were repeating the twists and added wrestlers from the previous year. And then it was all Cena again..... right up until he faced Sheamus.

Jaws across the world dropped simultaneously when Sheamus, the fuckin' Irishman who 3 weeks previously was beating up Jamie Noble, and two months prior to that was a nobody on ECW, beat John Cena in a Tables match for the WWE title.

If they'd done that say, 3 months earlier, and then had an actual Cena/Sheamus fued, then i'd have said 2009 was his best year to date, and although i hate to judge a year before it actually finishes, i still have found myself a lot more intrigued in John Cena's matches, despite the whole 'nobody's allowed to actually out wrestle me, ever!' outcomes they always use for him still, mainly because he's not wrestling ME'ers. He's helping the new blood make a name for themselves, and for me, it kinda reminds me of that feel good moment when he won the title in '05. A change had come.