Why Does The WWE Try To Get Cena Booed Viciously?

[xsKiitz]

No I don't mean weekly, but I mean putting their top guy against superstars in their hometown so he gets boo'd heavily. The most recent example of this of course was against CM Punk at MitB in Punk's hometown of Chicago. It was obvious that Cena would boo'd the hell out of in this and of course, he was.

There was also vs RVD at One Night Stand in 2006(?) where his heat that night was unheard of. And next year at Wrestlemania in Rock's hometown he will get wrecked by the crowd.. There was a report I read on Wrestlezone a while ago of one backstage member was saying NO to having Cena vs Rock at Wrestlemania because of that exact reason, that their top guy will get viciously boo'd and of course that's not good for business.

Even though his matches against RVD and Punk were brilliant, and I have no problem with Cena being boo'd, hell I'd boo him as much as the next guy, but as a business standpoint I can't help but wonder why they'd try and get Cena boo'd, and boo'd a ridiculous amount.


Thoughts and opinions.

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[TheyCallMeJ]

That's a very a good very good question I dont hate cena but I'm not like in love with him either but I guess it's cool to boo him because he is the company guy and in those cases he was facing two non company guys who beat to their own drum in a way in Punks hometown his "last match" and RVD in new York which is rowdy anyway you throw those die hard orginal ECW fans and it's mayem

To answer your question I thinks to get that person over as much as possible by facing the face of the company in a hostile place that he isn't used too

 

[Headman]

I think WWE understands what's going to happen when they put Cena in these situations, but every time they've done this it's translated into success. Cena matches can often take on the feel of a highschool football game where you've got a divided crowd who compete against eachother as much as the two superstars compete in the ring. When they put Cena in enemy territory to me it shows Cena's talent for working a hostile crowd. I'm sure Cena and the WWE would like to be universally cheered, but I can't think of any baby face who's ever faced these kinds of crowds and still remained the baby face as Cena has. So imo... bring on these hostile crowds. It's fun to watch as a Cena fan.

 

[Raptor93]

From a bussiness stad point I guess if they can sell more tickets because those hometown crowds will pay to see their superstar beat the crap out of cena. Eg: ECW crowd hated cena so when they see him v RVD in an extreme rules match they think " Hay I'd love to go watch RVD beat cena to a bloody pulp I'll go buy a ticket"

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

It pretty much amps up the atmosphere to have someone like Cena stride into places where the fans make it clear he's not welcome and adds electricity to the matches when there is real palpable tension in the air. Makes for great entertainment and brings the best out of the performers.

It is also a partial selling point in that it was clear before both PPVs the OP mentioned that Cena would not be getting his usual welcome, so I imagine there would be more intrigue on behalf of fans to see how he copes in hostile environments.

 

[Yesiamaduck]

I bet you buy the PPV/Ticket just to see how hostile the crowd towards Cena and I'm sure a lot of people do too. It works, not only that but gives the WWE a killer atmosphere which they lack these days & it's always a joy to watch... bring on The Rock/Cena I say! That match will bring the electric atmosphere which has been missing from Wrestlemania as of late.

 

[huwtimbrell38]

WWE tell us on a regular basis why he is booked like this...how many times have u heard the following statement...

"no one has ever illicited such a passionate reaction from the crowd as John Cena"

That passion is why they push home town heroes against him because how many times have we seen a home town hero come out to a great reaction, then have the crowd just die because they dont care about the opponent. Love him or hate him, everyone CARES one way or the other about John Cena....

 

[GideonGodsend]

well the wwe doesnt really have a choice, people boo him b/c of his in ring talent, its his own fault he gets boo'd, but the fact that wwe sets him up to get heavily boo'd is a mystery, and it especially confuses the kids.

 

[SD619]

The reason that WWE books Cena in such situations is that he is a major draw. A considerable part of the crowd comes in just to boo him. It helps them to get a better crowd reaction.

Also, such cases(when people boo the hell of him), bring out the best out of Cena. His matches in his opponents' hometown have been much better than his usual matches. He is one of the few faces who does not crack under such a crowd reaction, but rather seems to enjoy them.

 

[The Suplexer Perfecter]

Because no matter what they'd try, Cena would get booed regardless.

You really think WWE was stupid enough to think Cena would get cheered at ECW or against CM Punk in Chicago?

If he WAS cheered that would have been really crazy.

They make the excuse that "Some like him, some hate him" so it's perfectly fine. At first it freaked them out, but it's been like 6 years since the boos started.

 

[wushady]

Cena is going to get booed and cheered regardless of whom he's facing and what city they're at. They cater to his fans all the time by having him win or kick the heels ass to send the kids home happy. Why not cater to his haters once in a while? They're going to sell tickets regardless people will pay to see him lose as well.

The MITB match VS Punk served it's purpose well. Not only was Punk over huge in his hometown he became a huge baby face thereafter, and Cena still has his loyal followers. No matter how bad he gets booed by the hometown crowd of his opponent, he'll get the same mixed reaction in the next town. It wont hurt his massive merchandise sales one bit either.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Many folks on this forum believe that being cheered is the only measure of a wrestler's popularity. Of course, that's not correct; how much of a reaction he gets is what determines his effectiveness. Fans pay their money to boo some performers just as much as they do to cheer others. Occasionally, you get a guy like John Cena, who can inspire both at the same time. That's the guy WWE wants to feature; it's great for business.

As for Cena himself, it seems he understands the psychology of the business and doesn't care whether he's booed or cheered. He even poses at ringside with fans who are holding anti-Cena signs. To his credit, he seems to embrace it all. Can you imagine Hulk Hogan acknowledging those who jeered him when Hulkamania was "running wild?" No way; Cena is so much more flexible as a character than Hogan ever was. This also encompasses putting over other performers; in his heyday, Hogan never did. Cena does it all the time and it's amusing to read people on this board who say he doesn't.

Consider: When being pursued by everyone in Nexus, Cena turned tail and ran (discretion being the better part of valor). Of course, that's the only reasonable thing to do when 7 people are coming after you, but can you imagine Hogan doing that? Not a chance! Cena is characterized as a human being, not a machine. As such, tons of people will hate him in addition to those who love him. It's realistic.

So, to answer the original question, WWE "tries" to get Cena booed because audience reaction is everything and it doesn't matter whether it's positive or negative; they care only that fans respond. That John Cena gets 'em coming and going is a rare quality and WWE uses it to full advantage.

 

[boywithbluehanger]

I think after years of claiming Cena's on screen character is the most controversial superstar ever, the WWE finally convinced themselves through their own persuasion. By never letting him truly embrace a heel gimmick for a lengthy run, they've angered all of the fans who prefer to watch way over guys have to be versatile throughout their career. What the WWE is too dense to understand is that when we boo Cena, we're not just booing the Cena character, we're booing the WWE in being too reliant on his charcter remaining the same for the sake of their product.

It's too easy to see an extremely talented guy flourish when you all you do is let him stick to what he knows. I want to see Cena's character flesh out more. He's too stagnant and perfect for me as an adult to find interesting. As a kid, I would have loved his G.I. Cena routine but as you get older, you want a bit more depth and personality to your favorite characters. I like virtuous characters but I also like to see character flaws also. And Cena has none.

 

[InsomGTS]

They like to pretend he's somehow controversial when people are just tired of the staleness. Nobody buys that he's some controversial rebel.

 

[WWE4EVA]

as far as the match cena vs rvd, cena will always be booed in NY...he's from boston afterall (n we NYers dont like them by rule), in chicago punk had MAJOR momentum heading into MITB and that was exactly how Vince wanted it. I think WWE cant control what the audience does as far as cheering/booing the characters, but making Cena go to an oppenents hometown will get a monsterous reaction, which is what WWE wants. They dont care if u love him or hate him, as long as u pay to see him.

 

[BigPoppaPunk]

They like to pretend he's somehow controversial when people are just tired of the staleness. Nobody buys that he's some controversial rebel.

That's the most insulting part of what WWE is trying to do with Cena. They're trying to pass him over as controversial, when in reality it's just not being as popular with fans. All the examples the OP gave of Cena being booed is a natural part of wrestling. A wrestler often gets cheered in his hometown, so it's not some conspiracy ro intentionally get Cena "viciously booed". And the reason the crowds are so hostile is b/c they are tired of seeing the same old predictable Cena wins finish. At ONS in 2006, fans were ready for RVD to advance into the main events and didn't wanna see Super Cena come out victorious. Same goes for MITB this year when fans wanted to see Punk beat Cena and leave WWE with the WWE Title. It just made for more compelling TV afterwards. In essense, Punk's claiming WWE doing the status quo perfectly explains why the fans don't wanna always see Cena beat more deserving guys.

With all that said, I'm somewhat a Cena fan, but it's obvious his character is starting to become stale and one dimensional. At some point you have to make a change and acknowledge what fans have wanted for over 5 years. It's not really rocket science as to why on certain occasions he's booed so heavily.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Uh, Cena getting booed out of the building on those occasions was the reaction that the WWE was aiming for. Both PPV's be it, ONS 2006 or MITB 2011 worked like a charm due to the negative reaction that Cena got. Cena has a character that certain fans do not like and WWE was just working those fans on both those occasions and giving them something to cheer about. Cena getting a negative reaction may look like bad thing on the surface but WWE has found ways to work around it and use it to their profit. WWE will be hoping for an encore when Cena faces Rock at Mania 28.

Another thing I would like to point out is that on both occasions, the storyline was booked in a manner to get Cena booed. Punk was the underdog with a purpose at MITB while at ONS, it was more of ECW vs Cena rather than RVD vs Cena in ECW's hometown. A win for RVD would have meant a win and a great moment for ECW. Now I remember Cena also facing Edge at Toronto in a TLC match but not getting booed as much though it was Edge's hometown. He got booed a little but that happens everywhere. But the crowd was largely pro Cena because the storyline was booked to make Cena look like the face who had been wronged.

 

[WunNightStan619]

its not that they TRY to get him boo'd, it just happens. If anything they've tried too hard to NOT have him boo'd. Cena draws not only crazy emotion from the crowd, but money too. When you put in him hostile environments like that, it draws money. People who love him will tune in to see him over come the odds, and the wuns who hate him will tune in to see him get killed. And the people in between will tune in for a history making moment.

 

[Headman]

They like to pretend he's somehow controversial when people are just tired of the staleness. Nobody buys that he's some controversial rebel.

controversy [ˈkɒntrəˌvɜːsɪ kənˈtrɒvəsɪ]. n pl -sies. dispute, argument, or debate, esp one concerning a matter about which there is strong disagreement ...


That is what controversial means. It doesn't mean rebel or outlaw, it means what is stated above. Is there anyone who causes more arguments among wrestling fans than John Cena?

 

[bxbigshow]

It's funny because as popular and 'over' John Cena is, he will always get booed. People are tired of him, he has become stale and predictable. And with that in mind, placing Cena in an opponent's hometown only amps that response up tenfold.

It's almost as if while Cena is obviously a face, with placing him in a 'hostile' enviroment WWE is booking him like a heel. At least for that night.

 

[willross]

You're definately looking at this the wrong way. The hometown hero should ALWAYS face Cena. Why? Cause Cena is the top guy, thus when the hometown hero is facing the top guy in the business, they will be way more into their guy just hoping and praying he gets a break and beats the unbeatable.

Look at Edge. Summerslam 2004, we booed his ass right out of the ACC. Almost exactly 2 years later at Unforgiven 2006, we gave him the 2nd biggest pop of the night (1st went to Trish winning with the sharpshooter of course). Why? Cause he was THE MAIN EVENT. Our guy was out there in the top spot, against the top guy.

Cena makes every match special, love him or hate him. Just like Hogan and Austin were able to do back in their prime, Cena does it now. Whether you love him or you hate him, no crowd is into a match more than a Cena match. Add in hometown hero (cha-ching)

 

[MPWFchairman]

I am sick and tired of this notion that people only boo cena because it's cool or because he gets an emotion from the crowd. People have been booing him from early 2005! People have been sick and tired of him for 6 almost 7 years now. It was the first time that the wwe pushed someone this hard when the fans did not want it. He is simply average and was not believable and the fans booed him. The wwe continued to push him and thus themselves created rebellious fans and idiotic iwc members who use the word job and buried every 5 seconds because those fans looked for a reason to explain why cena is still getting pushed. With him there suspension of disbelief was gone. He is the top draw because he has been pushed excessively for the last 6 years. There are fans who just simply don't like his character. And I don't care how many wishes he makes or babies he kisses. When I tune into raw every Monday its not about what he does outside the ring it's about what he does inside. And he is just not entertaining. And the whole controversial character idea is just a cover up for he couldn't fully get over with the crowd.

 

[mancpenguin]

Simple - it's great to hear the crowd react the way they do. It's great to hear a noisy crowd. I'd be more worried if the top face in the company comes out and no one makes a sound. The RVD match and the CM Punk were great examples but there's also been the Mania main events against HHH and HBK. There was loud cheering for HBK and HHH during those matches too.

 

[GI Cake]

You know what made the difference between the Money in the Bank match between Cena and Punk and the match at Summerslam between Cena and Punk? The fans in Chicago were much, much louder in Chicago than they were in L.A. CM Punk is a proud Chicagon, he makes it clear on his ring gear and his actions when he is in Chicago. He might have been a heel but he gives everyone in the Chicago a reason to cheer him on. Like Punk, Cena does everything he can to get the fans behind him. He is booked as the "Can do no wrong" baby face and the casual fans and the kids eat it up. Everyone hates that guy, and when the Home town hero meets against the face of the company emotions are sure to be at an uproar. And because of this, CM Punk and Cena were able to host a 5 star match. Both played and catered to the crowd. Granted, Cena got more heat than Vicki gets on a good day but that is just how the WWE works. You can be an elite wrestler like Tyson Kidd, but if you're unable to spark emotion and draw the fans in to your matches like Cena or Punk, you will never go anywhere in the WWE.

 

[BigPoppaPunk]

It's funny because as popular and 'over' John Cena is, he will always get booed. People are tired of him, he has become stale and predictable. And with that in mind, placing Cena in an opponent's hometown only amps that response up tenfold.

It's almost as if while Cena is obviously a face, with placing him in a 'hostile' enviroment WWE is booking him like a heel. At least for that night.

That above quote pretty much sums up why Cena is being booed so heavily. Fans are tired of seeing Super Cena win every time there is a big match situation. Plus, his refusing to turn only amplifies the reaction he receives. Then, factor in his wrestling guys in their hometown, and it's almost like WWE is testing the waters for Cena being heel. But, they'd rather label him "controversial", then do the right thing and turn him heel already. Which in my mind is ludicrous and a travesty to all wrestling traditions. Usually when a guy has been booed out of the buildings on 4 or 5 different occasions and is getting a mixed reaction consistently, they turn them immediately. Unfortunately, in Cena's case they seem to be willing to make an exception especially to piss the fans off. Doesn't strike me as a smart move, since he's gonna be booed out of the building at WM 28, so they might as well make it official.