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

[HBKevin]

Since he joined Nexus he has been more entertaining than he has in years, but not his best year. If you want to look at it by accomplishments, you have to say 2007, since he held the world title almost the entire year.

 

[Honkey_Kong]

You guys can't look at his win/loss record or holding titles as an indicator of Cena's success. They pick the winners, losers and who holds what title. What is an indicator of success is how entertaining and how good his is at playing his character in the angle and how he works the matches he's in.

Cena will never be a Dean Malenko or a Benoit in the ring, in fact I dare say he's rather limited so we wont go there. This year with the Nexus angle, he's portrayed depth to his character. The last time I actually saw depth in a character in wrestling was Sting when he switched to the Crow.

And you guys know, I'm actually wondering if Cena will choose wrong to get out of his dilema. Imagine if he gets fired, there is so much they can do with him then. I could see him doing all kinds of run-ins and really get under the Nexus'es skin. He could coax Otunga to take out Barret. It'd put a little edginess to Cena's superman character.

 

[Marky-Marc]

Yes 2010 is his best year.

His character has been the most interesting it's been since 2005 when people were just excited to see a new face in the mE evernt scene so quickly, plus the fans loved him. his feuds with Batista/McMahon earlier this year than Sheamus/Nexus into the summer and now with only Nexus is easily the best work he has put into his character.

I loved him in2007 when he had his year-long title reign but like other have said, his only noteworthy feud was with HBK, other than that we knew he wasn't losing the title to the likes of Umaga/Khali/Lashley. I still wonder where he was going to lose if he never got injured.

But I digress, 2010 is his best year, character wise and here's to hoping it carries into 2011.

 

[LSN80]

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.

Small quibble, but Cena is one of the best wrestlers in the business. He's been the best on screen persona since 2005, whether it was his "rapper", "hustle loyalty respect", "or "his never give up" persona. He took that gimmick and ran with it, and was fantastic at each.

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.

Not exactly. After he defeated Edge at Unforgiven 06 in a TLC match, he held the title for over a year. He defeated Edge in a Steel Cage match to retain, then defeated the undefeated Umaga twice, the second at the Royal Rumble in a LMS match. He then tuened aside HBK at WM 23, won a fatal four way against HBK, Edge, and Orton, then a champions challenge match against Lashley, Orton, Foley, and Booker. He then defeated Lashley at The Bash, and Orton at Summerslam in singles matches respectively, and retained against Orton at Unforgiven. He never even lost the title, he held it for over a year before being injured and forced to surrender it. Thats quite a year.

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.

Cena actually lost quite a bit. He was pinned by JBL, Carlito of all people, and Khali, to name a few. Hell, Kevin Federline pinned him on New Years Day in 2007!

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.

I agree, but he went back and forth with Orton last year, losing several times to him, including NOC, Summerslam, and Hell in a Cell. The only matches he won, honestly, fit his character. And he lost the title to Sheamus, and he's yet to defeat him. He hasn't been invincible as one may think.

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.

And Cena held his own with each of those men. None of those men carried Cena in their matches, Cena was close to being their equal, especially from 2007 and beyond. Those feuds he had helped establish John Cena as the "Hustle Loyalty and Respect guys, and cemented his gimmick. While this has been a great feud, his best feud to date has been with Edge, in my opinion.

The people involved with the business say that the babyface is at his best when he is chasing the title. Thats exactly what Cena is doing now that he hasn't done before.

What? Cena hasnt chased the title before? Short memory, I guess, because he had last chance matches where if he lost he would leave Raw in a TLC match with Edge, and in an Ironman match with Orton, both of whom had defeated Cena on numerous occasions.

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

Has this been Cenas best year since he started main eventing? If not what has been and why?

No way. That would be 2007, when he turned back every challenger he faced, in every type of match imaginable. Not only that, but he shined in each of those matches. The storylines were great, and Cena's promos were phenomenal and intense, and helped propel him to this current gimmick that has made him the top star in the company.

While this Nexus angle has been well done, and Cena has been great, he's used the same gimmick he always has. That, and he's wrestles far less, which has given him less chances to shine. Has Cena helped make Barrett a star? Absolutely. I understand what youre saying, that this has been a great angle, and Cenas played his part to perfection. But he shined in every way possible in 2007, whether it be with his in-ring performance, his promos, or his feuds with his opponents. Its not even close, really.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Small quibble, but Cena is one of the best wrestlers in the business. He's been the best on screen persona since 2005, whether it was his "rapper", "hustle loyalty respect", "or "his never give up" persona. He took that gimmick and ran with it, and was fantastic at each.

I know that Cena is a good wrestler but there are quite a few guys who do not like his on screen character, and I guess I can state my opinion here

Not exactly. After he defeated Edge at Unforgiven 06 in a TLC match, he held the title for over a year. He defeated Edge in a Steel Cage match to retain, then defeated the undefeated Umaga twice, the second at the Royal Rumble in a LMS match. He then tuened aside HBK at WM 23, won a fatal four way against HBK, Edge, and Orton, then a champions challenge match against Lashley, Orton, Foley, and Booker. He then defeated Lashley at The Bash, and Orton at Summerslam in singles matches respectively, and retained against Orton at Unforgiven. He never even lost the title, he held it for over a year before being injured and forced to surrender it. Thats quite a year.

You proved my point better than I did. What I meant was that Cena during this period of his career proceeded from one feud to another without losing a single one of them. The fact that he talked about never giving up and faacing daunting tasks seemed lame because he seemed to be the dominant force rather than his opponent. His catchphrases did not connect with me. The best way to book a babyface is to book the heel as the dominant force. To book the babyface as vulnerable but not neccesarily weak. That is when the fans sypmathize with the face. And wasn't it in 2006 that Cena was booed out of the building at One Night Stand against RVD. Titles are OK but what makes or breaks this business is crowd reaction. How can a face, let alone the face of a company, justify this type of reaction?

Cena actually lost quite a bit. He was pinned by JBL, Carlito of all people, and Khali, to name a few. Hell, Kevin Federline pinned him on New Years Day in 2007!

And won the rematches a month later. No one has dominated Cena for a long time except Nexus. And Carlito defeaated him in Cena's US Championship days. I can't remember him defeating Cena as a maineventer though I may be wrong.

I agree, but he went back and forth with Orton last year, losing several times to him, including NOC, Summerslam, and Hell in a Cell. The only matches he won, honestly, fit his character. And he lost the title to Sheamus, and he's yet to defeat him. He hasn't been invincible as one may think.

Yes he went back and forth. Should I forget that he said that there would be no rematches against Orton after HIAC and yet they had a match at the very next PPV just for Cena to win the title? Even Cena said that he accidentally fell through a table during his match with Sheamus. Way to make Sheamus look dominant. I do find these inconsistencies a bit troubling. Also the fact is he went back and forth with Orton. Every time Orton won, Cena won the next match to even things up. That isn't what I call domination.

And Cena held his own with each of those men. None of those men carried Cena in their matches, Cena was close to being their equal, especially from 2007 and beyond. Those feuds he had helped establish John Cena as the "Hustle Loyalty and Respect guys, and cemented his gimmick. While this has been a great feud, his best feud to date has been with Edge, in my opinion.

I'm sure I never talked about his matches being carried. I did talk about his feuds being one-dimensional. It helped establish the formula for Cena's future feuds.

What? Cena hasnt chased the title before? Short memory, I guess, because he had last chance matches where if he lost he would leave Raw in a TLC match with Edge, and in an Ironman match with Orton, both of whom had defeated Cena on numerous occasions.

He was chasing the title? Sure, he was chasing one he had lost a month ago. Even in Edge's case it was a title he had lost only two months ago. Those are two occasions in a five year career. Certainly beats Austin chasing the title for five months.

No way. That would be 2007, when he turned back every challenger he faced, in every type of match imaginable. Not only that, but he shined in each of those matches. The storylines were great, and Cena's promos were phenomenal and intense, and helped propel him to this current gimmick that has made him the top star in the company.

While this Nexus angle has been well done, and Cena has been great, he's used the same gimmick he always has. That, and he's wrestles far less, which has given him less chances to shine. Has Cena helped make Barrett a star? Absolutely. I understand what youre saying, that this has been a great angle, and Cenas played his part to perfection. But he shined in every way possible in 2007, whether it be with his in-ring performance, his promos, or his feuds with his opponents. Its not even close, really.

He had great matches in 2007 but all his feuds were one -dimensional. The soul of pro wrestling is the conflict between a face and a heel and in 2007 there was no conflict. Cena won, each and every time bar a few occasions. The promos were good but not justified. He cannot talk about facing a daunting task when he wins all the time.

Nexus has won quite a lot against Cena. He looks vulnerable for the first time in his career. Have you ever heard the crowd chant "Never Give Up" before this feud for Cena? Even Cena acknowledged it. There are very few mixed reactions from the crowd these days when Cena comes out. Its mostly pops. That is why I think this is Cena's best feud and his best year.

 

[LSN80]

I know that Cena is a good wrestler but there are quite a few guys who do not like his on screen character, and I guess I can state my opinion here.

My personal opinion, but Ive always found Cena's character to be the best one in WWE. Do his lame-ass jokes during serious segments get on my nerves? Sure, but when it's time to get serious, there's noone better.

You proved my point better than I did. What I meant was that Cena during this period of his career proceeded from one feud to another without losing a single one of them. The fact that he talked about never giving up and faacing daunting tasks seemed lame because he seemed to be the dominant force rather than his opponent. His catchphrases did not connect with me. The best way to book a babyface is to book the heel as the dominant force.

I understand what you're saying, but Cena got beat down a plenty by most of them during those feuds. His feud with Umaga started at Survivor Series of the previous year, and Umaga walked into the matches with Cena the favorite due to him being undefeated in the first, and having busted open Cena's ribs the raw before.

He then moved on to HBk, which was a feud that started the day after the Royal Rumble. HBK played mind games with Cena the whole time, even after they became tag team champions together. Again, Cena hardly walked into Wrestlemania the favorite, just due to the fact that he was competing against Michaels. He defeated him, but HBK returned the favor 2 weeks later on Raw, pinning him in their hour long classic. And Cena's title defense at Backlash was portrayed quite fluky, as HBk superkicked him on top of a downed Orton.

He then moved on to Khali, who dominated Cena at every juncture. They brawled every week leading up to their Judgment Day Match, and Khali even pinned Cena quite easily in their Saturday Night Main event match. Cena had yet to get the upper hand on Khali in any way leading up to the match, so Khali was the dominant heel leading into both their Judgment Day, and One Night Stand matches.

He then went on the feud briefly with Lashley, who was fresh off a run of being booked as virtually unstoppable during his time in ECW. Lashley had easily handled Umaga, who had given Cena fits. As for their physical altercations leading up to the match, Lashley always got the upper hand. Cena also carried Lashley to the best match of his career.

He then went on to feud with Orton, who did play the dominant heel leading up to their match. He helped Carlito pin Cena on Raw, RKO'd him onto a chair, the steel steps, and through ther announcers table. Even though a weakened Cena eeked out a win against Orton at Summerslam, the feud turned Orton into even a larger monster heel, as he punted Cena's dad in the head. Cena retained for the 2nd time at Unforgiven, thus extending his title reign to over a year.

To book the babyface as vulnerable but not neccesarily weak. That is when the fans sypmathize with the face. And wasn't it in 2006 that Cena was booed out of the building at One Night Stand against RVD. Titles are OK but what makes or breaks this business is crowd reaction. How can a face, let alone the face of a company, justify this type of reaction?

Well, because in this match, RVD was the face, and Cena was the heel. He taunted the crowd, could be audibly heard mocking RVD in quite non-PG language(yes, I know they werent PG then), and knocked out the ECW referee. I think they wanted for him to get booed, which is why they set up the match in RVD's playground where RVD was esteemed as God. What other reaction could he possibly garner? They managed to bring him around as the sympathetic babyface by the booking anyway, because the only reason RVD won the title was because Edge speared Cena through a table in the match, and Paul Heyman made the 3 count. He may have walked in the heel, but he walked out the screwed over babyface.

And won the rematches a month later. No one has dominated Cena for a long time except Nexus. And Carlito defeaated him in Cena's US Championship days. I can't remember him defeating Cena as a maineventer though I may be wrong.

Id say Khali dominated him, as he got the best of every exchange they had, except in the two title matches. He even pinned Cena convincingly on Saturday Nights main Event leading up to their Judgement day match. Nexus hasn't defeated Cena for any titles, and I sort of remember Cena defeating both Gabriel and Barrett within a span of 30 seconds to win the elimination tag match at Summerslam. If anyone showed dominance there, it was Cena.

As for Carlito, he pinned Cena clean on Raw when Cena turned his attention to Orton, who had just stood up at ring-side while watching their match in the weeks leading up to Summerslam.

Yes he went back and forth. Should I forget that he said that there would be no rematches against Orton after HIAC and yet they had a match at the very next PPV just for Cena to win the title? Even Cena said that he accidentally fell through a table during his match with Sheamus. Way to make Sheamus look dominant. I do find these inconsistencies a bit troubling. Also the fact is he went back and forth with Orton. Every time Orton won, Cena won the next match to even things up. That isn't what I call domination.

The no rematch clause was actually put in before their match at Breaking Point, which i remember quite vividly, because it was in my hometown and I was there. And Orton did pin Cena in both the triple threat at NOC's, and at their next match at Summerslam. He looked every bit the dominant heel champion walking into their Bragging Rights Match. And you're right, they did trade victories, which showed they were evenly matched. But that was 09, not this year.

I'm sure I never talked about his matches being carried. I did talk about his feuds being one-dimensional. It helped establish the formula for Cena's future feuds.

I didnt say you implied he was carried in those matches, I was just pointing out my perspective that he either carried his opponents(Lashley, Khali), or was the equal, or close to the others.(Orton, Edge, HBK)

He was chasing the title? Sure, he was chasing one he had lost a month ago. Even in Edge's case it was a title he had lost only two months ago. Those are two occasions in a five year career. Certainly beats Austin chasing the title for five months.

Well it was technically 4 and a half months, because Cena began chasing the title in early June after losing it to RVD because of Edge, into their TLC match in late September at Unforgiven. All of Cena's failed attempts to win the title back were due to Edge, whether he interfered in two of his matches with RVD, or got himself intentionally DQ'd at their July title match at Saturday nights main event.(Hey, Im a Cena mark, i remember his matches. )

He had great matches in 2007 but all his feuds were one -dimensional. The soul of pro wrestling is the conflict between a face and a heel and in 2007 there was no conflict. Cena won, each and every time bar a few occasions. The promos were good but not justified. He cannot talk about facing a daunting task when he wins all the time.

You're right, he did win all the time, but he did it many times after having his ass kicked repeatedly in showdowns with his opponents time and time again. That showed he was up against the odds, and facing daunting tasks at some times due to "injuries" at the hands of his opponents.(Umaga, Orton)

Nexus has won quite a lot against Cena. He looks vulnerable for the first time in his career. Have you ever heard the crowd chant "Never Give Up" before this feud for Cena? Even Cena acknowledged it. There are very few mixed reactions from the crowd these days when Cena comes out. Its mostly pops. That is why I think this is Cena's best feud and his best year.

This has certainly been a great feud from top to bottom, as Nexus has mostly thwarted Cena at every attempt. Other then his feud with Edge, which i still say as his best just because of the chemistry between the two, this has been Cena's best feud. I also agree that it has turned the crowd, of all ages mostly, into a pro-Cena crowd. But much of that can be attributed to the hatred for Nexus, rather then love for Cena.

The other thing Id point out is that the feud didnt start until June, and his only other major feud(no Sheamus wasn't a major feud), was with Batista, which was thoroughly one-sided in Cena's favor, as he beat Batista at 3 straight PPV's. Ill go as far and say because of how great the Nexus feud has been that this has been his 2nd best year, but i have to go with 07 as his best, for the reasons listed above.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Well, because in this match, RVD was the face, and Cena was the heel. He taunted the crowd, could be audibly heard mocking RVD in quite non-PG language(yes, I know they werent PG then), and knocked out the ECW referee. I think they wanted for him to get booed, which is why they set up the match in RVD's playground where RVD was esteemed as God. What other reaction could he possibly garner? They managed to bring him around as the sympathetic babyface by the booking anyway, because the only reason RVD won the title was because Edge speared Cena through a table in the match, and Paul Heyman made the 3 count. He may have walked in the heel, but he walked out the screwed over babyface.

I don't think Cena intended to be the heel. He got an extremely negative reaction on his way to the ring. There were signs of "If Cena wins, we riot" and those "You can't wrestle" chants too. That is when I think Cena decided to play heel because he saw that the crowd had turned against him. The ending of the match suggests even more that Cena was booked as a face. I think they booked it to be a face vs face encounter but things went awry. It was something that Cena improvised on the spot but I do not think it was something he liked. Even after he lost in a somewhat screwy manner there was no sympathy for him.

And its not like that was the only occasion he got booed. Cena got booed against Triple H at Wrestlemania 22 at a time when Triple H was the top heel of the company.

The no rematch clause was actually put in before their match at Breaking Point, which i remember quite vividly, because it was in my hometown and I was there. And Orton did pin Cena in both the triple threat at NOC's, and at their next match at Summerslam. He looked every bit the dominant heel champion walking into their Bragging Rights Match. And you're right, they did trade victories, which showed they were evenly matched. But that was 09, not this year.

There was a promo war between the two ie Cena and Orton two weeks before HIAC where Cena said that there would be no more rematches. I remember it quite well. I dunno if he said that before Breaking Point as well but if he did then none of that turned out to be true did it.

And yes it was in 2009.

Well it was technically 4 and a half months, because Cena began chasing the title in early June after losing it to RVD because of Edge, into their TLC match in late September at Unforgiven. All of Cena's failed attempts to win the title back were due to Edge, whether he interfered in two of his matches with RVD, or got himself intentionally DQ'd at their July title match at Saturday nights main event.(Hey, Im a Cena mark, i remember his matches. )

You are right about the timeline. Though I should add that Edge could have won one of those matches cleanly, or at least with a sneaaky pinfall. The fact that Cena won each of them via DQ also pisses me off. Beating Cena would have made look strong while Cena would not have lost his heat by eventually winning the feud.

You're right, he did win all the time, but he did it many times after having his ass kicked repeatedly in showdowns with his opponents time and time again. That showed he was up against the odds, and facing daunting tasks at some times due to "injuries" at the hands of his opponents.(Umaga, Orton)

I get what you are trying to say but I think you can see it for yourself how similar all those feuds were. Familiarity breeds contempt. After a point you could almost second guess everything that was going to happen. That is not great television in my opinion. He lost the confrontation, won the PPV. It got stale after a while. Plus after you win so much its a bit hard to believe that you are facing a stiff challenge.

This has certainly been a great feud from top to bottom, as Nexus has mostly thwarted Cena at every attempt. Other then his feud with Edge, which i still say as his best just because of the chemistry between the two, this has been Cena's best feud. I also agree that it has turned the crowd, of all ages mostly, into a pro-Cena crowd. But much of that can be attributed to the hatred for Nexus, rather then love for Cena.

The other thing Id point out is that the feud didnt start until June, and his only other major feud(no Sheamus wasn't a major feud), was with Batista, which was thoroughly one-sided in Cena's favor, as he beat Batista at 3 straight PPV's. Ill go as far and say because of how great the Nexus feud has been that this has been his 2nd best year, but i have to go with 07 as his best, for the reasons listed above.

You are right about the fact that the Batista feud waas very one sided but I feel this feud with Nexus has more than made up for it.

 

[LSN80]

I don't think Cena intended to be the heel. He got an extremely negative reaction on his way to the ring. There were signs of "If Cena wins, we riot" and those "You can't wrestle" chants too. That is when I think Cena decided to play heel because he saw that the crowd had turned against him. The ending of the match suggests even more that Cena was booked as a face. I think they booked it to be a face vs face encounter but things went awry. It was something that Cena improvised on the spot but I do not think it was something he liked. Even after he lost in a somewhat screwy manner there was no sympathy for him..

Of course there was no sympathy for Cena! Look, you can take shots at WWE for alot of things, but they couldn't have possibly been dumb enough to have thought that Cena was going to walk in to the Hammerstein Ballroom and get ANYTHING but booed. You know, the famous ECW arena, the one where RVD was revered as a god? The ending of the match was moreso to set up the upcoming Edge vs RVD match at Vengeance, where Edge pretended to be "friendly" to Van Dam two nights later, only to spear the crap out of him. It also kept Cena in the championship picture. Two birds, one stone.

And its not like that was the only occasion he got booed. Cena got booed against Triple H at Wrestlemania 22 at a time when Triple H was the top heel of the company.

That crowd in Chicago booed the face and cheered the heel all night long. Ross and Lawler kept cracking jokes on them as a result. Hardly indicative of Cena's overall perception at the time.

There was a promo war between the two ie Cena and Orton two weeks before HIAC where Cena said that there would be no more rematches. I remember it quite well. I dunno if he said that before Breaking Point as well but if he did then none of that turned out to be true did it.

Actually, the promo was, if Orton lost at HIAC, he would be "a guy who walked around in his underwear hanging out with two other guys in their underwear", that being, he would get no more title opportunities. There was no such stipulation in place for Cena.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpAMux6fZ3o

Pay attention to the end of the promo, especially, and you'll see what I mean.

You are right about the timeline. Though I should add that Edge could have won one of those matches cleanly, or at least with a sneaaky pinfall. The fact that Cena won each of them via DQ also pisses me off. Beating Cena would have made look strong while Cena would not have lost his heat by eventually winning the feud

.

Actually, Edge pinned Cena 1,2,3 at Summerslam 2006, in the main event, in Cena's hometown. The stipulation in place was that if Edge GOT Dq'd, he lost the title. Here's the highlight video for that match. Did Edge cheat? Yes, but he pinned Cena nonetheless. Here's the highlight video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4irqO18K1a8

I get what you are trying to say but I think you can see it for yourself how similar all those feuds were. Familiarity breeds contempt. After a point you could almost second guess everything that was going to happen. That is not great television in my opinion. He lost the confrontation, won the PPV. It got stale after a while. Plus after you win so much its a bit hard to believe that you are facing a stiff challenge.

You meant guess, rather then "second guess", right? To you, it felt familar, to me, it was exciting. Especially in his matches with Orton, Randy came in on a roll. I thought very much he would take the title from Cena, and when he didn't, it made the feud even more compelling.

You are right about the fact that the Batista feud waas very one sided but I feel this feud with Nexus has more than made up for it.

No it hasn't. He made Batista tap, beat him in a LMS match, and an "I Quit" match. This was the most predicatble feud Cena has had since JBL 05. Even the shock, surprise and awe that began Nexus, leading up to Nexus being in control Cena doesn't make up for that.

 

[Fisheatppl]

Wow, I must say it was great watching you two go back and forth. You both were calm and collected, and tried to make excellent points without insulting the other. That is very refreshing as is it is not something usually seen on these forums. Usually this would have degraded into something far more juvenile. Props to both of you.

Now for a kind of fresh perspective. I'll start out by saying, I watched wrestling and specifically WWE up through half of 2005. I stopped watching for many reasons, none of them being anything to do with the product.

I started watching and paying attention again, pretty much when Bret Hart came back. It got me back into it, and I have been watching both Raw and Smackdown religiously since. During the time I was not watching, I had a rough idea of some of the things going on. I knew John Cena had become SuperCena (a name I called him without knowing people actually called him that). I knew he fueded with Randy Orton and etc etc. So while sometimes I wanted to watch during that time, I felt like (from an outside perspective) that I knew what was going to happen. John Cena was going to win. Every time. My friend still watched so I kept up a tad, but never watched it myself, I didn't know all the details. I just knew that John Cena wins, and from my perspective that wasn't fun. It was fun when HHH had the belt for what was it, 280 days? Something like that. When, as rattlesnake points out, the face (the hero) had to struggle to win, or even get a slight chance to win. And when it finally happens, after a long long time, It feels so good. When Rock beat HHH (and all the McMahons except Linda) at Backlash in 2000, there was nothing better, it was epic. (huge Rock fan). Those moments, to me, can never be as great when the hero doesn't struggle. Yes I know John Cena lost some matches, mostly on Raw and whatever, but when it counted, he won the PPV's. Not always, but mostly. I knew he held the belt a long time, but I didn't know it was 375 days until I read this post. Where in that 375 days is the epicness that he "Finally did it! Finally got it back!" Sure he's had some moments, but none to me as epic as The Rock or SSCA. The words "end of an era" make it exciting, and the only era was Cena's. I've done my research and know a lot of what happened, and kind of wish I did watch, I missed the hour long HBK/Cena match, which from all accounts I've read I'm kind of upset I missed.

When I tuned back in recently, it was during the Batista matches, and I felt like it was the same old same old. Granted, you both have agreed to that. However, This is why I feel like this year is his greatest year. Never in Cena's ME career have we doubted him, questioned him, wondered whether he really believes Never Give Up, and Loyalty, or if his career, his liveliness, is more important that everything he keeps spewing. This is a big time in his career, and this Sunday is a big moment in John Cena's career, and in his character (and its not a bad thing if he "gives up" or "has no loyalty", in fact it would make for a very interesting heel. someone "we" believed in for so long turning on us, telling us he's lied to us, telling us that, in reality, he's no different then Orton, and that he doesn't do what is right "because its right" but because so far he's done what is right because its gotten him what he wanted.)
This could be a turning point, or it could be a re-emphasis on everything he has ever stood for. It is, by far, the most exciting time in his career, except naturally when he won the title for the first time, as thats always exciting. But as far as John Cena the character goes, he has done an AMAZING job at making us question him, without ever losing his true fans.

As a side note, I laughed hysterically when Barrett told Cena to explain himself a couple weeks ago. I normally don't laugh at Cena, but his response was hilarious. "... all the sudden I'm invisible"

 

[cliffdweller]

Everyone seems to think that this is his greatest year and it probably is so far on the mic and character wise. He was never that great in the ring but he does give it his all. I still think we have the best to see in him as I have already posted watch for a big swerve at Survivor Series. Orton retains, Cena fired. Starts doing run ins. Gets the "fired" members of Nexus to back him up. New faction warfare Nexus vs. CeNation at Royal Rumble for them all to get reinstated. Cenation loses as the mastermind is revealed to be the Undertaker. Heel Taker vs. face Cena at Wrestlemania.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Not a chance. This year has been great and perhaps his second best. What was Cena's best year since he started main eventing? He held the WWE Championship for 380 days back in 2006-2007. That was his best year since he started main eventing because everyone was so interested in him and who would be the one to finally defeat him. Although this has probably been the second best due to how good some of the promos have been. In particular the ones between Cena and Batista leading up to Wrestlemania, and of course anything involving Nexus.

 

[excel_excel]

In terms of his character this is BY FAR his best year since he started wrestling. Lets face it his character was getting desperately stale, and he needed a shake up, and this Nexus/Cena storyline in just that. Even his promo's have been great (the one on the old school raw was one of his best ever).

In the ring though this is a pretty average year to be honest. His feud with Batista was great storyline wise but in the ring was average. I'd say his best year was 2007. I mean he actually got a near-great match out of Bobby Lashley!