The face of your promotion: John Cena or Triple H

[CM Steel]

Both John Cena & Triple H are in good favors with the wrestling juggernaut of the world the WWE. With John Cena holding things down as "the face of the WWE" in the ring full-time business is at it's best while Triple H works behind the scene's as a executive doing what's best for business. But if you ran your own wrestling promotion. Which one of these two ring general's would you have to be the face of your company?

The two beat each other once in the three times that they have met in the WWE ring. With of course the third time ending in a double DQ. But really in your own opinions.

The face of your promotion: John Cena or Triple H

 

[Dirk]

Well... That would depend on what type of promotion you're running, wouldn't it?

If I ran a more edgy promotion, aimed at hardcore fans and my target group was males between 20 and 40, I would have to go for Triple H. He's mean, was probably born in a leather jacket and I don't have a daughter to worry about him marrying.

If I ran a more mainstream promotion, aimed at the broadest possible audience, I would have to go for Cena like he is now (that Thuganomics stuff isn't PG enough). Kids love him, he has colourful merchandise and he is a proven top guy.

But really, when was Trips the bona fide face of the WWE? Was it when Bret and Shawn were running the show? Was it during the Attitude Era when DX was overshadowed by the monumental greatness of Stone Cold and The Rock? When Brock Lesnar started doing his thing? For all his legacy and badassery, Triple H was only the main guy for a couple of years and that's where Cena has him beat.

More power to the guys who want to finally give him his time to shine, but personally, I would rather have any of the bolded options as my top guys before I'd pick Triple H.

 

[Mongoose McQueen]

Both guys are very talented performers, but it all depends on what type of product you are trying to present. Right now, it's John Cena because he sells more merchandise than anyone else, draws more ratings than anyone and generally is still the most popular and mainstream name they have at this point, the only other guy right now even close to Cena in that department is Daniel Bryan. We all know that the WWE won't go all the way with him for obvious reasons. John Cena is a 14 time WWE/World Champion and also has his legions of fans (me included).

Triple H in his prime was an excellent heel and drew massive amounts of heat from the crowd. He's a multiple time World Champion and a member of one of the most entertaining factions in history: DX. Triple H is a 13 time World Champion and has his fans.

Seeing as I am going with the here and now, I have to say I would have John Cena be the face of the WWE. That said, I would take HHH over Orton and Batista as the face of the WWE anyday.

 

[VictorSilva #WWEChamp2018]

Disclaimer: I was stoned while writing this so please excuse any grammatical errors. I's not so good with words

I would have to agree with Dirk that it would probably depend on who my target audience is. At the same time one must recognize that things go in cycles and your product must evolve and adapt with the audience. For instance an odd comparison I drew while watching Triple H's documentary on the WWE Network (which you can download with the WWE App) #ShamelessPlugLyfe, between the current era and the Golden Era (mid to late 80's) i.e. drawing power/pushing younger talent, story context and directions, etc... It also appears that where slowing migrating back to the attitude era but alas that tis another tale for another day.

Anyways the main thing is that there is a common denominator. There's always been three top guys in any era. For instance Cena, Bryan and Punk remind me of Hogan, Warrior and Savage. To answer the OP I would say that I would have both as the face at various points in the company. The problem with having one company face to span long distances of time is that as the audience evolves it becomes harder for that face to remain accepted by the fans. Personally though, I think Triple H was good at adapting his character well to fit the direction of the company and still be beloved by the fans when playing face. Cena's character hasn't adapted well though and I personally think it's because the character fans originally fell in loved with (this is before the time loop I referred to in my comparisons of the era earlier restarted with WWE now making previous generation fans' younglings their number one priority) is such a stark contrast to the character he portrays now. The transition was far from smooth as well i.e. Marine Cena...Member that?

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

John Cena.

Triple H is a good foil for your babyface. He played this role best when going up against The Rock, Mick Foley and Steve Austin. He is a top level heel which can bring out the best in your babyface. He is not a very likeable guy, and fans like to see him lose. That's exactly what you want in a heel.

However, if I were to start a wrestling promotion, it's rare that this type of heel is selling merchandise, tickets, etc. Nobody is there to root for him. No one is buying his shirt. You need your Hulk Hogan, your Steve Austin, your John Cena. Finding top level babyfaces is a lot harder than top level heels. They are few and far between. Doing media tv/radio interviews, coming up with catchphrases, carrying the burden of the gate. And John Cena isn't exactly a perfect example either. But over time he's grown into the role.

I think if you have the option, you always start with the babyface and then fill in the heel.

 

[Pedigree1]

Like Dirk said,it would depend on what promotion your running.. Edgy more attitudeish, TV14 kind of thing,then no doubt its Triple H. Triple H behind SCSA,Rock,was probably the third guy in the company after HBK left. A lot of edgy programming involved him,he did a lot of heelish tactics and such. He is smart,knows the wrestling business inside and out. Outide the ring though,he still has lots to learn..

Cena if you want him in charge of your company,he is more mainstream. He brings or would bring in sponsors,little kids love him,men wanna be him whether they admit it or not,and women wanna be with him.. Cena is everything that is right with a promotion,he is company man through and through no doubt.. He loves the craft... If i had to choose I choose Cena

 

[Attitude_Era_Guy]

Well, it depends on what promotion you're running. That being said, I would take neither. John Cena has been on top far too long, and Triple H's time has passed. I would go with somebody like Dolph Ziggler, Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, or Roman Reigns.
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RVD, Chris Jericho, and CM Punk.

 

[Zycho32]

Frankly, I'm going with Cena for the following reasons;

1. I'm not deviating from a PG era other than the rare moment where blood and cursing really drives home the impact of the match/feud/etc.

2. I'm not so much looking for an extremely valuable backstage/creative asset as I am a top man who sells merchandize and provides not just ample publicity, but ample PROFESSIONAL publicity. The kind of guy you want if you're even thinking of making your brand legitimately mainstream and not just a niche on the ass of the market.

3. I've got a little too much of a cocky smark in my blood, and I'm half-convinced I could keep Cena fresh and do solid booking all-year round with minimal help.

4. Like it or not, John Cena is Hulk Hogan 2.0... which is crack cocaine to the wrestling market even today.

 

[whoopin' ass]

The truth - neither. HHH, while still good, had been in the business around 20 years - his best days are probably behind him so for the investment, you probably are not going to get the return. With Cena, there is a perception issue so you are probably not going to get people who are not fans of the wwe by hiring him. I mean, if this is fantasy pool and you can grab any wrestler from any company, either will work but in reality, I think either will grab attention but then you will have problems. If I was going to take from wwe, it would be Bryan. Veteran of the ring but not established as a wwe guy like Cena. If you were looking for that one name, that is who I would get. If you are looking at building a company with fairly unknown talent and you wanted someone, Harry Smith. Had the background, some name value - would be a grat wrestler to make your star. All depends on what your intentions are.

 

[Aeon Mathix]

John Cena and it's not even close. Triple H was never the face of the company and Cena has drew far more money than Triple H ever could. It makes me laugh at these posts about how "well if was like edgier attitude era fo life then triple h ftw!." You all talk like Cena is one dimensional and couldn't turn the edge on if he was asked to. And I am not going to put a guy on top who would supposedly appeal to males over their 20's just for them to sit in their mom's basement and complain about him as soon as i give them what they want.

So yeah its John Cena and it shouldn't be even close on anyone's list. It's like asking would you rather have Hulk Hogan or Shawn Michaels be the face of your promotion. Yes they are both huge stars, but as far as how much money they will make you, well the answer should be obvious.

 

[asiatic7]

HHH never proved to be the face of the company. He had to be forced onto the fans as a heel and he was never that over as a baby face unless he was riding the DX coat tails of his old chum HBK. This is not a knock on HHH, but it's the truth. He politicked his way to his position...look, he's no Rock or Austin.

Cena, for all his detractors proved his worth to the WWE a long time ago. He is a legitimate draw and has been for 10 years now, that says a lot. You may not be a fan of all his hokey good guy B.S. But he's in a class with Hogan, Rock and Austin. The guy transcends wrestling and has been successful doing it.

Cena as the face all day...

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

Triple H has never been the face of a company, and will always be the guy who works with the guy that actually draws the money. That was the case when he feuded with Rock, Austin, and Cena himself. Even if my company was """edgier""" I'd still go with Cena as my top guy for sure, as he's also proven he can go in that direction if need be. When he did the rapper gimmick, Cena had more of an """attitude""", and he was over like crazy and sold a bunch of merch. Cena's a great ambassador for wrestling, he's reliable, hard-working, always delivers a quality main event, and moves merchandise. A lot of those things are true of Triple H as well, but I think Cena is definitely a notch above.

Triple H can come into my company and put Cena over if he wants.