If Lesnar Hadn't Left, Where Would Cena Be?

[aboynameddirt]

From 2002 to 2004, Brock Lesnar was dominating the WWE. He was quickly becoming the face of the company. Lesnar was the fastest rising star in WWE history, becoming the WWE Champion within his first few months with the company. As we know, Lesnar's time with WWE was short lived though, as he left early in 2004.

As Lesnar was walking out the door, a new star was working his way up. A few years later, John Cena solidified his spot as the face of the WWE. Cena has held this spot up to this day.

Now, my question for everyone is, if Lesnar hadn't left, would Cena still be in the same place he is today? Lesnar was mad over during his time in WWE and I'm sure they would have done anything to get him to stay. He was a 3 time WWE Champion and the WWE obviously viewed him as a big name player. Today, John Cena has surpassed everything Brock did, but he has obviously been with the WWE much longer. So, if Lesnar never left, would Cena be as important as he is today? Or would Brock Lesnar have knocked Cena off and he be the current face of the WWE?

Let me know your thoughts.

 

[Flip36]

I think Cena would be where he is now, I think Lesnars time in the WWE was well spent (up til WM20), If he would have stayed, who can say where he would be? I remember going to WM20, for one, it was WM20, and the match between Lesnar/Goldberg looked damn good, and knowing they were both parting ways with the WWE made it even more of something to look forward to, this was to be their final doubt with the WWE, I for one though they would tear it up! boy, was I wrong!

 

[IHW]

I think Brock would be the face and Cena would have stayed on SD.
Cena wouldn't be as far as he is, but he would be the second face of the company with Orton coming in third.

 

[keehlnate]

Cena would be scared and piss on his pants and won't show his face in the WWE ever again

Spoiler

[YOUTUBE]9yDSI4zZnLA[/YOUTUBE]

But seriously, I believe that Cena would still be the face of the company while Brock would definitely the top heel. Cena would still be cheered and Brock would still be hated. They would bring each other up IMO, and Cena might even be a bigger star than he already is with Brock around.

 

[Blade]

Cena was already on his way up by the time Brock was leaving, he was one of the most over guys at Wrestlemania XX, his FU on Big Show got one of the pops of the night. With the rapper, I don't think Cena could be stopped on his way to the top. With his microphone skills, backing from the crowd and the physique that Vince loved, it was only a matter of time. Would his success have come as early as it did? Maybe not, but it would've come eventually. Cena was rising to the top on Smackdown and Lesnar would've been drafted to Raw sooner or later, leaving room for Cena to fill. Within a couple of years, Lesnar vs Cena would've been one of the biggest Mania main events in history.

Honestly, I think Lesnar's presence wouldn't have hurt Cena as much as it would've hurt Orton and certainly Batista, who was pushed as the next next big thing once Lesnar left.

 

[hatehabsforever]

I think that if Brock Lesnar never left WWE, John Cena would be exactly where he is right now, front and centre as the face of the organization. Simply put, every now and then a guy comes along who is that good, who possesses that certain intangible, and look, and aura, that is going to get him to the top no matter who else is there. I think it may have taken a little longer to get him there, and his pathway may have been different, but in the end, he would have ended up exactly where he is right now, front and centre.

Likely Brock would be on one show and Cena would be on the other, allowing them to co-exist without either impeding the other. The guys who may have suffered would have been the other guys, such as Randy Orton, Edge, or CM Punk, as there is only room for so many guys. Brock Lesnar would not have taken Cena's spot, that was inevitable in my opinion.

 

[FearMyBeard]

Agree with the posters who said that Cena will still be where he is. They've already done a good job of explaining so I won't bother adding more.

Orton and Batista would certainly be lower on the rankings but their respective rise were inevitable too because Triple H worked with them and endorsed them and we know for a fact that he has backstage influence. Plus the fact that Orton was actually gifted and Batista had that built of his going for him.

Perhaps some superstars wouldn't have been involved that much with the main-event(The vets like HBK, Trips, 'Taker, Show, Ric) scene with Lesnar being a huge draw and all. They could have retired earlier perhaps?

 

[HBsam31]

I agree that cena would be where he is today. He was already near the top, and you could tell he had it to be the face of the company. Brock definitely would have played a good heel to oppose cena if they were on the same show for a time. Another good question is would the fans be booing cena more or less by this point if lesner was around?

 

[justinept]

I've long said that the WWE has yet to recover from the loss of Brock Lesnar. Lesnar was supposed to carry the company into the post Rock/Austin era. He was supposed to carry the torch and be the "Next Big Thing" in the industry (That's right. It wasn't just a nickname.) He had everything, size, speed and charisma. All those traits combined made him one of the most marketable stars the WWE had on its roster.

With the losses of Austin and Rock earlier in the decade, there still would have been room in the main event scene for John Cena even with Lesnar on the roster. As many have pointed out, Cena was well on his way toward the top before Lesnar left and would have eventually made it regardless.

Being at the top WITH Lesnar, not only would Cena have still become a star - but the presence of Lesnar would have made Cena even bigger. Whether you like Cena or you hate him, you can't argue that - until recently with Punk - he was far and away the most marketable star on the WWE's roster; no one on the roster came close to connecting with the audience as well as Cena.

And because of that, whenever someone like Orton, Shaemus or Miz held the WWE Title, you knew the guy was just keeping it warm for Cena. That wouldn't have been the case had Lesnar stayed. Those two would have gone back and forth just like Austin/Rock did before them - and had they gone back and forth, then Cena would not have gotten as stale as he is today.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

God we love us some 'What I'fs' here don't we?

Anyway, I could've seen Lesnar come to Raw have feuds with HUnter, Shawn and a few young upstarts and then maybe headline a SummerSlam with Batista. Cena would've had the rapper gimmick for a longer time I think and would've been the face of SD.

Now what would've been interesting is if Brock moved to Raw, his rivalry with Hunter and the soon to be formed Evolution would've been a good watch.

 

[XXJJ]

I dont think Lesnar would of hurt Cena. I dont think it would of hurt Orton either. Both Cena and Orton were going to be main event stars. Guys like Lesnar, Cena, Orton, Edge were going to be the new era of main event stars for the WWE.

I think it helped Batista the most. IMO he was the one that thrived because of no Lesnar. They were similiar except Lesnar was like 100 times better. I dont think he would of made it to the main event level. Batista was just a bodyguard during Evolution, he didn't even talk much. Evolution was really created to build Randy Orton into a star. As HHH said Randy Orton was the "no brainer" to join Evolution.

Lesnar leaving was a huge blow to the WWE though. They built him up to be a long term star for them. And he was very over with the crowd.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

Being at the top WITH Lesnar, not only would Cena have still become a star - but the presence of Lesnar would have made Cena even bigger. Whether you like Cena or you hate him, you can't argue that - until recently with Punk - he was far and away the most marketable star on the WWE's roster; no one on the roster came close to connecting with the audience as well as Cena..

How exactly would he have been bigger than he is now? I mean he has ruled the WWE for what like 6 years now with Orton and Punk emerging in the last year only, as credible rival faces of the company. I think he got bigger coz Lesnar left as Cena filled that void with his gimmick.

And because of that, whenever someone like Orton, Shaemus or Miz held the WWE Title, you knew the guy was just keeping it warm for Cena. That wouldn't have been the case had Lesnar stayed. Those two would have gone back and forth just like Austin/Rock did before them - and had they gone back and forth, then Cena would not have gotten as stale as he is today.

Again, stale, how?

What are we calling stale here, his wrestling prowess? Because if you speak about the audience, nobody connects more than Cena. He was spot on on Piper's Pit when he said that the people come to boo him. They do. If you take away Cena you do take away a lotta fun from watching or being live at a WWE Event. The man is connected like no other and instead of going the Austin/Hogan route of turning the top face heel when his babyface lotion is thinning, the WWE has taken a fresh approach and have let him stay face with people coming there and battling out with their chants. I find it very innovative.

You are someone I can have an intelligent discussion with, that's why I have singled you out.

 

[SPR*VLN]

I think Cena would still be very popular. He is a good entertainer so theirs no denying his ability to climb up to sucess. Cena definately wouldn't be a 12 time World champion that's for sure. He'd probably be a 8 time champ.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I don't know that Lesnar was ever "well on his way to becoming the face of the company." He was a definite attraction but I don't see that he ever would have captured the fans in the way John Cena did. To do that, you make it as much with personality and charisma as with deeds in the ring. As much as Cena's detractors deny it, John is the complete package as a performer; he does it all. Lesnar was strictly a destruction machine, more in the manner of King Kong Bundy than John Cena. Obviously, Lesnar's influence would have been greater than anything Bundy could ever do, but both men were the same type of one-dimensional ring presence.

The Cena wave was coming, and nothing was going to slow it down.....certainly nothing involving whether Brock Lesnar stayed or left.

 

[Davi323]

I think that if Brock Lesnar never left WWE, John Cena would be exactly where he is right now, front and centre as the face of the organization. Simply put, every now and then a guy comes along who is that good, who possesses that certain intangible, and look, and aura, that is going to get him to the top no matter who else is there. I think it may have taken a little longer to get him there, and his pathway may have been different, but in the end, he would have ended up exactly where he is right now, front and centre.

Likely Brock would be on one show and Cena would be on the other, allowing them to co-exist without either impeding the other. The guys who may have suffered would have been the other guys, such as Randy Orton, Edge, or CM Punk, as there is only room for so many guys. Brock Lesnar would not have taken Cena's spot, that was inevitable in my opinion.

This is pretty much what I wanted to say. The cream of the crop tends to rise, regardless. John Cena would still have risen to the top, because he is charismatic, busts his ass off in the ring, and does everything the face of the company should do. Keeping Brock Lesnar around isn't really going to change that. Like habs said, it may have taken a different route, but Cena would still have gotten exactly where he is.

 

[Martin Gabriel]

I think Brock would be in the mains like Cena is and Cena would have the semi main title matches like Orton. I agree that Cena would probably still be the face of the company though mainly for the make a wish stuff. But Brock probably would've became this generation's Austin where even if he's not the face, he's still the main guy everyone wants to see. And keep in mind, WOULD they have changed Cena into the monster he "wrestles" as if Brock was still there?

 

[ProudFlairMark]

Mustang Sally = absolutely hit the nail on the head.

Brock Lesner is better served in an octagon than in a wrestling ring. That is not to say he wasn't fairly impressive - agility for someone his size was phenomenal, grappling (understandably since he was a collegiate champion), and overall "presence" were some of Lesner's upsides. However, he does not and could not approach Cena in the way of mic skills, storytelling/psychology or passion/love for the business. Much like anything you do in life, you must esteem your chosen line of work, which Brock has said time and time again that he did not. Me personally, I never saw the appeal. Cena's rise was inevitable and undeniable - too much of too many of those necessary attributes it takes to be great in this business.

 

[The Champ]

Brock Lesnar would not have been the long term top babyface of the company. Lesnar was booked as a monster, and monsters generally either stay as perennial heels, or at best become a supporting top face. Yes, Lesnar was pushed extremely hard in a short amount of time, but so have other big men like Lashley and Sheamus who never eclipsed Cena. I realize that in their case, Cena was there first, which doesn't apply to Lesnar. But more often than not, the cream rises to the top, which we've seen with guys like CM Punk. The guy who is the best person for the job is going to get it eventually. Cena was that guy, and he was already getting extremely popular while Brock Lesnar was still around. If anything, Lesnar would have either been his foil as a heel or taken over Batista's role as the number two face.

 

[Trot]

Cena would still be the centerpeice, still be with rock at mania, Punk would of been champion earler, (hes a paul e guy) brock would probly been built as an indestructable man/beast i could legit dig him as a 2 year HW champ, but alas, it wasnt to be, things would still b PG, and tbh, even if he stuck it out another 3/4 years, hed prob still be with the UFC now, dude was ment to fight,

 

[brochester8]

Personnaly, I think Cena would of become the face of the company. If anything I think lesnar staying would have put Batista on the backburner becuase they were big muscular guys. I'd put Cena, Orton, and then Lesnar as the top 3 of wwe around 2006/2007. Lesnar has the look but wasn't great on the mic like Cena. It also didn't bring the character Orton has. So I'd have to say he would of dropped to the number 3 guys and probably a heel with many matches with Cena.

 

[rocksaviour]

Cena would of been in the exact same place as he is today.

The interesting thing would of been seeing how a Triple H/Lesnar feud would of played out in the 2004-06 period. Also we missed out of some money drawing feuds against Orton (who was being built up months before Lesnar left of course) and Batista (who would of been pushed anyway to the top even if Lesnar had stayed). Also we never got things like a Lesnar/Kane feud which could of been something during the 2004-06 years at least.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Cena would be exactly where he is right now and the only thing that would have changed would be how long it took Cena to become the face of the federation. Brock would have remained on top for obvious reasons and could have been on Smackdown after Cena was moved to Raw. It would have affected guys like Orton or Batista more in my opinion. Batista's push would not have gotten him nearly as over with Lesnar still there as someone of similar size with more skill in the ring. Cena's passion and determination to fullfill his lifelong dream would have seen him get there regardless of Lesnar leaving or not because he would have somehow found a way to get there. He's one of a kind and becoming the face of WWE was his destiny.