John Cena Movies Slowing Down The Wrestling Career Of The WWE Superstar?

[That N Word]

The Inquisitr

John Cena Movies Slowing Down The Wrestling Career Of The WWE Superstar?






John Cena Movies Slowing Down The Wrestling Career Of The WWE Superstar

John Cena seems to be slowing down his WWE career for the movies he will be filming, but the question remains how long his WWE superstar status may last over the long term.


In a related report by The Inquisitr, with the WWE Network struggling during its launch year, it’s expected there will be even more WWE budget cuts coming down the pipeline and even WrestleMania stars pay may be effected by Vince McMahon’s decisions. Still, the good news is that WrestleMania 31 may feature Roman Reigns Vs Brock Lesnar for the WWE World Heavyweight title match.

Some WWE fans may be disappointed that John Cena’s heel moment will unfortunately come first in the form of a movie:


“John Cena is set to become a bad guy once again…however it’s not in the way you might think. Sadly, it’s not for a Pro-Wrestling role, but for a movie called The Nest, which is a comedy that stars Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Jason Moore of Pitch Perfect fame is directing the film from a script by Paula Pell. The movie is about two estranged sisters who decide to throw a last party at their house which their parents are about to sell. Fey and Poehler have worked together before, in movies such as Baby Momma as well as their years together on Saturday Night Live. When it comes to John Cena, however, his role has not been fully released yet. However, Deadline reports that Cena will be one of, if not the main antagonist in the film. This would of course be the first time that Cena has played a bad guy character in around 12 years.”

But that’s only the first of two of John Cena’s movies of doom hitting the mat next year. Cena is currently filming a title called Trainwreck, which is expected to be released in June of 2015. The comedy will feature actors like Amy Schumer, Vanessa Bayer, Ezra Miller, Brie Larson, Bill Hader, and Colin Quinn. Although plot details have not been released or leaked, Cena is not expected to have a major role in the film although his presence in a mainstream movie will of course be used as a marketing platform for the WWE at large.

And that’s all part of the game plan. The WWE Network has been focusing on diversifying its fanbase and is trying to draw in as many more people as possible by connecting the WWE to other mainstream entertainment. But you have got to wonder how this could affect John Cena’s WWE career. After all, he’s often featured on Monday Night RAW and Smackdown, and he’s also busy running around with his girlfriend Nikki Bella in Total Divas in addition to charity efforts like the Make-A-Wish program. This guy is super busy, and while it’s not like he has not done movies before, it seems like filming two movies at the same time might just stretch him a little thin.

Due to John Cena’s movies filming schedule, this means some parts of the WWE schedule had to be axed. It’s said that Cena will be missing a lot of weekend house shows so he can make time for the film shoots. In addition, Cena will be missing the upcoming Australian tour which has the WWE crew traveling to Melbourne, Sydney, and Perth between August 7 and 9 before coming back for filming Raw on the 11th. Instead, Roman Reigns Vs Kane is taking Cena’s place for the visit to the land of Oz.

Now it’s speculated that something could happen at the WWE Battleground which might require Cena to recover from an “injury” in the four-way match with Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, and Kane before he has to take on Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam 2014. But it’s also possible that John Cena’s movies are taking precedence over Aussie WWE fans.

The good new is that John Cena’s WWE career comes first before a career as a full time movie actor. He’s long said he enjoys Hollywood, but it’s unlikely he’d pull a Dave Batista or a Dwayne Johnson and walk away to focus on movies. This might happen in five to 10 years or if his star begins to dim… after all, everyone is saying they are tired of seeing Cena win all the time (five moves of doom, anyone?), and it’s speculated that Roman Reigns could be set up to be the next babyface star.

But even if that happens, it seems unlikely to occur in 2014. Cena’s victory at Money in the Bank settled the issue of new faces becoming headliners, and even the WWE 2K15 video game has John on the cover, so it seems very likely that, in the short term, the WWE management is hesitant to make any big changes. But if any of the rumors about WrestleMania 31 are true, then 2015 may change things up…

Is Cena Interested in a Movie Career?


Philly.com has posted a new interview with John Cena, who was promoting his appearance at this weekend's Wizard World Comic Con in Philadelphia. Cena discussed a number of topics, including his father, his diet and more.

On the subject of potentially following in The Rock's footsteps and pursuing a movie career, Cena had the following to say:


"Oh, no," Cena said. "Dwayne? There's only one Dwayne Johnson. I'd like to be myself, so I'll find a path doing something. I don't know if it's going to be filling his shoes. He's set the bar pretty high."

With Roman Reigns taking over as the face of WWE. And with John Cena wanting to pursue a movie career. Do you think we could be seeing the end of full-time John Cena. I personally don't think he will go part-time until about the next two or three years. But like Rock Cena isn't getting younger and if he wants to pursue a movie career the time to do it would be in a few years when Roman is the top guy, Dean or Bray is the top heel. When everything is settled. That will be in two years but even then I think he should hold off on going part-time or retiring until after a heel turn. I don't see a heel turn happening to 2016 or 2017 at the earliest. I think he should turn heel in 2016 (If Roman is already the new face of WWE, out of jealousy leading to a match between the two at WrestleMania 32. and go part-time in 2017.Before retiring in 2019. I could actually see this happening. Even though with him filming two movies next year he will practically be a part-timer then.

What are your thoughts on all of this? Should John go part-time or even retire in the next few years to focus on a movie career? I mean he isn't getting younger he is almost 40. I'm not saying he should leave because he is almost 40. But I am saying he should soon if he wants to pursue a movie career.

 

[PeterSellersSTL]

why isn't there an option for retire now? effective immediately? He has to go, a heel turn isn't going to change him in my eyes. I'm sick of the guy and I don't care who knows it. Just go away, Con Jena. Send his selfish awkward clumsy ass to hollywood to star in michael bay trash action films for the rest of his life.

 

[That N Word]

why isn't there an option for retire now? effective immediately? He has to go, a heel turn isn't going to change him in my eyes. I'm sick of the guy and I don't care who knows it. Just go away, Con Jena. Send his selfish awkward clumsy ass to hollywood to star in michael bay trash action films for the rest of his life.

Because that won't and shouldn't happen. If John left WWE would be a mess until WrestleMania 31. Besides I said 2016 at the earliest because WWE wants Roman to be the guy but let's say that fails as soon as it starts. WWE can just easily make Cena the guy again. With him retired now it would make no sense.

 

[Serious Mozzarella]

This isn't really something that you're able to predict. It really depends on a lot of different variables. To just assume that Roman Reigns is being passed the torch here is premature, especially considering how fickle the company has been with its recent up-and-comers. Adam Rose had minute and a half TV spots hyping his debut from NXT, and the guy's not even on TV anymore. Cesaro was supposed to be billed as one of the next big main event guys, especially given his relationship with Paul Heyman (Brock Lesnar, defeated the streak, etc.) and now he's chasing after some undercard title that doesn't draw a penny.

John Cena is very close to being considered past his prime, here, and when they do eventually find someone who can match John Cena in being the next big thing in this company, then he'll start making the transition. But they need to make sure Roman Reigns is going to draw MONEY on the same level that Hogan did, or that Stone Cold did, or that Cena did.

 

[PeterSellersSTL]

Because that won't and shouldn't happen. If John left WWE would be a mess until WrestleMania 31. Besides I said 2016 at the earliest because WWE wants Roman to be the guy but let's say that fails as soon as it starts. WWE can just easily make Cena the guy again. With him retired now it would make no sense.

there's plenty of talent on the roster to move forward without Cena right now, don't believe the hype. But fuckboy buckethead needs to go ASAP.

 

[LifeSucksAndThenYouDie]

there's plenty of talent on the roster to move forward without Cena right now, don't believe the hype. But fuckboy buckethead needs to go ASAP.

The problem with this statement is none of these talents are as over as John Cena. Like it or not, he is the face of the company and is the guy that makes the company the most money.

 

[Tyrant25]

Ha.

John Cena isn't retiring any time soon. People seem to forget that he's only 37, which isn't young but it surely isn't old. John Cena has quite a few years left before hangs up the boots. Since when did making a few movies mean retirement?

Roman Reigns being pushed as the new face of the company is a bit premature and shouldn't even be considered at this point in his career. One central factor is that he can barely hold his own on the microphone. Wrestling ability doesn't really matter, because none of the past or present faces of the company have been great wrestlers, but microphone skills and charisma are core qualities that a face of the company should have and Reigns simply doesn't have it. I'm not saying that he can't grow and develop, but to push him as the face of the company at Wrestlemania 31, which is only a few months away, it absolutely ridiculous and simply shouldn't happen. I don't mind Reigns having his "Wrestlemania moment", but that's about all he deserves at this point.

Another thing to factor is that fans haven't been able to hold on to one favorite wrestler in years. Jeff Hardy, Bobby Lashley, CM Punk, Ryback, Daniel Bryan... all of them had face of the company potential and as soon as their popularity peaked, fans crapped all over them. John Cena may get a split reaction now but at one point in his career, ALL of the fans were behind him (or to be fair, 95% percent were behind him and a small, 5% minority were not). Most fans are behind Reigns right now, but his popularity hasn't peaked. WWE needs to wait until after Wrestlemania 31 to decide if Reigns can take Cena's spot.

 

[Mudlup50]

Ha.

John Cena isn't retiring any time soon. People seem to forget that he's only 37, which isn't young but it surely isn't old. John Cena has quite a few years left before hangs up the boots. Since when did making a few movies mean retirement?

Roman Reigns being pushed as the new face of the company is a bit premature and shouldn't even be considered at this point in his career. One central factor is that he can barely hold his own on the microphone. Wrestling ability doesn't really matter, because none of the past or present faces of the company have been great wrestlers, but microphone skills and charisma are core qualities that a face of the company should have and Reigns simply doesn't have it. I'm not saying that he can't grow and develop, but to push him as the face of the company at Wrestlemania 31, which is only a few months away, it absolutely ridiculous and simply shouldn't happen. I don't mind Reigns having his "Wrestlemania moment", but that's about all he deserves at this point.

Another thing to factor is that fans haven't been able to hold on to one favorite wrestler in years. Jeff Hardy, Bobby Lashley, CM Punk, Ryback, Daniel Bryan... all of them had face of the company potential and as soon as their popularity peaked, fans crapped all over them. John Cena may get a split reaction now but at one point in his career, ALL of the fans were behind him (or to be fair, 95% percent were behind him and a small, 5% minority were not). Most fans are behind Reigns right now, but his popularity hasn't peaked. WWE needs to wait until after Wrestlemania 31 to decide if Reigns can take Cena's spot.

You bring up a good point, it seems the moment someone hits their peak they drop off right afterwards. Cena has held that attention for like a decade now, regardless of how we feel about Cena!

To the question, I don't see Cena going part time any time soon. WWE is Cena's life and I highly doubt he'll leave before it's necessary and even then he'll probably stay around(commentator, Gm). Maybe make movies in his free time but I couldn't imagine that after 10 years he's gonna leave.

And really who can take Cena's spot atop face mountain? Reigns doesn't really impress me on the mic at the moment, Sheamus is just as bad in my opinion, Cesaro again isn't primed yet...granted this all can change in a few years!

 

[semshady85]

The thing about Cenas movie career is that it is totally different from The Rocks. Cena will be starring in WWE's movie company (whatever it is called) while The Rock stars on big time hollywood movie companies such as disney,universal etc.. Cena will continue to star in his WWE funded straight to DVD movies which prob shoot in a month or two! Basically what im saying is Cena will be a 40+ year old 20x champion and have his movie career to which will be sitting in the 5$ dvd bin at Walmart

 

[Mongoose McQueen]

There is no prediction as to when Cena will go part time because it's just too vague and impossible to predict. Anything could happen between now and that time and there's just no telling. As for Roman Reigns becoming the guy, remember people said that about Ryback and look how that turned out. John Cena is still the man and will be for the foreseeable future no matter how *potential* Reigns shows right now .

Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar sounds great on paper but we've yet to see the WWE truly begin to push Reigns as the guy. How do we know the WWE won't just give up on him and feed him to the dogs like they did with Ryback, Sandow and more recently Cesaro?

 

[THTRobtaylor]

Cena isn't someone who WANTS to go part time... he loves what he does and it shows, doing less of it probably doesn't excite him. He's not got kids at home and is no longer married and doesn't appear to want to re-settle.

If you were in his shoes, you'd want to keep going as long as you were able to do so, he's seen friends like Edge forced to retire young and Taker who have probably stayed on that bit too long in the business and someone like Punk who has taken the opposite view and given it up on his own terms.

I am sure Cena will take a place in the middle of those, he won't go 10 more years but will probably go until either he can't or gets to around 42-44ish. Then he'll get out of the ring and start doing backstage stuff like Triple H. He has had that major neck surgery, so I am sure in his own head he has a "point" he won't go beyond, but he is in a position to be booked and "protected" to delay that point as long as possible.

Edge is the cautionary tale however, he too had surgery young and the end came very suddenly and surprisingly to the outside world, but Edge himself would have been aware of the issues for longer... Bryan the same, he knew there was a problem but carried on to the point it became a sudden major problem... Cena will know that limit and planning may already be in hand for it.

He's clearly a guy who doesn't like the movie side of things as much as wrestling. He does the odd film here and there but it takes him from what he does best... Dwayne was a natural to acting, from the first appearance on Deep Space 9 you knew he was going "that way", when the "Rundown" hit and he had that moment with Arnie, you knew... and over time he has gotten there... Cena doesn't have 10 years to invest in his movie career, his craft etc... he has less than 10 years of a career in the ring left...so he's better spending it doing that than trying for Hollywood... who knows, a role may come that propels him like it did for Batista with the Iron Fists movie...

Both Dwayne and Dave benefited from working with great actors on early films to help instill their passion and force them to improve. Dwayne had Christopher Walken on the Rundown, Travolta, Thurman and Vaughn on Be Cool and even in bit roles like Get Smart he had Alan Arkin, Terrance Stamp and James Caan... Dave worked that RZA/Tarantino movie and got to work with Russell Crowe.

Cena didn't get that so much in his early movies, The Marine and 12 rounds got rentavillains like Robert Patrick and Aiden Gillen before Littlefinger... by the time they did that Legendary thing they tried loading it up with "good actors" like Danny Glover and Patricia Clarkson but it wasn't the same thing... Trips never got that either...had he worked with some A-Listers, seen the craft they brought then they may have been inspired to focus on acting. WWE now has more of a serious approach, even to their own films... but it's too late for Orton, Cena, Trips, even Austin is in the DVD bin these days. From the wrestlers perspectives, if they're working with C-listers early on then they won't favorably compare what they do to wrestlers and what they do... but you work with Russell Crowe or Walken in those early movies, you're gonna have a different view and want to push to do what they do. Dwayne managed that, he's now just about the top box office draw out there give or take that isn't Superhero related... but he is a guy you could see getting an Oscar from somewhere one day with the right role in some drama... he learned early how to disappear into the character... you kinda "know it's the Rock"... but you forget that in seconds... with Cena it's always gonna be "John Cena in a movie".

So he'll do the odd film here and there but it's probably too late for him to have "a career" in the same way Dwayne got and that Dave could have... once you're on that Marvel gravy train it opens doors... If he's doing villains that's not a bad call, he could get into a franchise like Marvel as one... Cena as a henchman in Avengers or Batman v Superman might work... but they'd call Dwayne first to be the big bad...

From WWE's perspective they can't even THINK of life after Cena right now... Reigns is not even guaranteed... they had this 20 years ago with Diesel, he was "can't fail" in their eyes too.

 

[Mustang Sally]

In the middle of John Cena's coming war with The Rock, he told us he wouldn't be abandoning pro wrestling to become a movie star, as his opponent had. Yes, that was part of the ongoing program, but I fully believed Cena. He's a wrestler, he had already tasted the motion picture business .....yet still wants to be a wrestler. Despite the wishes of folks who are "sick" of him and want him to go away, he's not going anywhere for a long, long time, barring a career ending injury.

He'll make the occasional movie, as long as they bring in money. He'll continue doing his Make-a-Wish deeds, apparently because he wants to. In the future, if he somehow drops out of the #1 star position in WWE, I believe he'll still be a wrestler in WWE until his body no longer allows it.

Incidentally, reading through this topic, it's interesting to note that a few people are looking for Roman Reigns to eventually take over the top spot from John Cena(!) While it's plain the company is looking to groom Reigns for main event standing, he's got a hell of a long way to go before becoming the #1 performer in WWE. In fact, I don't think he'll ever get there, even if Cena isn't around anymore. For one thing, he's a sinister presence, whether performing as a face or heel...... and it's hard to fathom fans rallying around a character like that on a long-term basis. I like what Reigns is doing but seriously doubt he's ever going to be the top guy.

Also, it seems to me his character is inflexible in range, unlike Cena, whose personality can take us wherever he wants us to go. The fact it often seems that as many folks hate him as like him isn't a weakness; in fact, it's a strength because he's generating heat at both ends of the spectrum....and there are very few performers in the entertainment industry capable of that.

Roman Reigns? He pales in comparison to John Cena as a performer whom people will follow, in a positive vein or negative. Hopefully, he'll develop further and if he can show the flexibility of character I mention, he might surprise us yet. But for now, he's just the flavor of the moment, imo.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

There is no prediction as to when Cena will go part time because it's just too vague and impossible to predict. Anything could happen between now and that time and there's just no telling. As for Roman Reigns becoming the guy, remember people said that about Ryback and look how that turned out. John Cena is still the man and will be for the foreseeable future no matter how *potential* Reigns shows right now.

Exactly. There's no way to tell what'll happen with Cena when it's all said & done. Cena has been extraordinarily loyal to WWE, so it wouldn't surprise me if Cena remains with the company in some way once he decides to hang up his jorts. The movies he's been in come off as more like a hobby rather than something he's considered pursuing, even on a part time basis.

Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar sounds great on paper but we've yet to see the WWE truly begin to push Reigns as the guy. How do we know the WWE won't just give up on him and feed him to the dogs like they did with Ryback, Sandow and more recently Cesaro?

WWE's taking its time right now with Reigns and that's the smartest thing they can do. Sure, they could hotshot him right into being champ and the guy in the most high profile spot, but what if he's not ready? Even if he is, fans would complain for elevating Reigns ahead of someone else that they feel "deserves it" more. If he's not, they'd complain all the more for Reigns being given a spot he's not ready to handle as if they knew beforehand it wasn't gonna work out.

As far as Ryback goes, from what I understand, they ultimately fed him to the dogs because he wouldn't do what was asked of him, or wouldn't do it without bitching about it, was accused by a lot of talent of being reckless & too stiff, treated fans poorly at meet & greets and getting him to go to local media to promote the show was like pulling teeth. If someone wants to be THE guy in WWE, they have to be willing to put in the extra work that it takes. You wanna be the next John Cena, you gotta have the John Cena work ethic.

As far as Cesaro goes, exactly how has he been thrown to the dogs? He had career making matches against Orton & Cena earlier this year, he surprisingly went over in the battle royal at WrestleMania XXX, he was elevated in a feud over the US title with Sheamus and while he didn't win the title, he didn't lose any momentum because he looked strong throughout their feud, he competed in the WWE WHC ladder match at Money in the Bank and, reportedly, he's being viewed as the favorite to win the Intercontinental Championship at Battleground. There's been a definite increase in overall focus in the mid-card titles for the past few months, here's hoping that it keeps on going. If that positive momentum does continue, then a strong run as IC champ could result in a further elevation of Cesaro.

 

[whoopin' ass]

As much as people want it to happen, Cena just can't go away without it impacting wwe. I recently listened to a Steve Austin podcast where he talked about his retirement and how Vince talked to him about it as Vince was about to do his IPO and Austin leaving would kill it(nah, Vince wouldn't lie to the fans to make money). WWE is in a similar situation now where Cena is the face of the company and him leaving would cause issues. This goes back to what the fans have been saying for years - you need to build other stars and make them credible. WWE is somewhat trying to do that now but even now they are still scared to pull the trigger and have someone beat Cena.

What needs to happen is Cena needs to start taking time off and staying off tv for 3-6 months. Fake an injury to get him off tv but have him say "I'm not done, I'll be back" so people know he isn't done for real. Then use this time to build up someone. Cena comes back, works for a few months and then leaves again for some reason. This gives the fans a chance to get used to a wwe without Cena and after a couple years, he can duck out and it won't kill the wwe. You need to gradually remove him but stick to it and use that time wisely and not just try and cram another guy into his spot.

 

[bioshock]

Who knows if he ever turns heel or not, I guess if he became a part time wrestler, and put movies in front of wrestling, then at that point the kids turn on him, then at that point the heel turn would be in full effect. But at that point I think its like Rock turning heel to feud with Hogan and Austin then Goldberg. Just wasn't a huge deal like it could of been or like it was with Hogan.

But OT. Cena is getting up there in age, and he has been in a ton of matches, hes getting close to the point of his age and wear and tear catching up with him. I think hes already been in far more matches then Rock was at this age, maybe more then Austin too. Doesn't mean he has taken the wear on his body like Austin did. But Cena has been in so many Raw matches, PPV matches, unlike most of the past stars. So who knows.

 

[theblasterkid]

why isn't there an option for retire now? effective immediately? He has to go, a heel turn isn't going to change him in my eyes. I'm sick of the guy and I don't care who knows it. Just go away, Con Jena. Send his selfish awkward clumsy ass to hollywood to star in michael bay trash action films for the rest of his life.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Lol. Even Stone Cold said he won the tile too many times and he thought they might have went with Cesaro to use a fresh face. Just my opinion though, I think the champions should have longer reigns. If you look at other promotions like ROH or NJPW at takes a while for the championship to switch hands. I think that about Triple H and Orton as well. In Edge's case it was part of his "ultimate opportunist" gimmick (I think it made sense). Winning the belt too many times can leads to unimportant reigns. How man times can you say that each of Cena, Orton, or Triple H's reigns were great? Probably are few, right?